Health Cleanse

A couple of posts ago- I mentioned that we are finally going to be setting a date for our long awaited wedding!

As always, things move fast (although, not my wedding plans until just now), I've started this Self Care Series which will run for the next 5 weeks after this week (and also means I'm practicing everything I talk about everyday). We are moving soon, and also buckling in for some great life changes at home for the long haul (I'm talking buying our first home, and expanding our family). So a lot is happening around me as I sit here and blog about it. Oh, did I mention I'm night weaning my toddler? Ah!!

No need for stress, its time for action! I want to feel and look my best not only for my wedding (but yes, it is a major plus to have a date to push towards with some healthy lifestyle goals), but for my life. So what did I do amongst all this chaos? 

I started a liver cleanse.. Was it a great idea for such a busy and hectic time in my life? I'm not so sure about that, but I'm doing it anyways. You know why? Because there's never a time like the present. No, my liver cleanse isn't planned and 100% ready to go (I had such a stressful evening I didn't get around to my tumeric tea- tomorrow is another day!), but I did a little research and instead of perfecting, thinking, dreaming and wishing I would just do it already, I'm doing it.

I've recently been talking to a friend- who is in the nutritional field- about liver function. And it hit me after that conversation that some things needed to change so I could have glowing skin for my walk down the aisle! Because of medication that I used since I was a young child, it has not been good for my poor liver, add in a couple trips to Vegas and free booze in Mexico I think its time I said "hey liver, I love you too!", right? Couldn't we all show some appreciation for such a wonderful organ that is our basic detoxification centre? The skin will usually try and help the liver by expelling toxins through the skin, so its time to give all of my organs the love that they so truly desire.

Amongst other things, here are a couple of links about foods that cleanse the liver, how to boost the functioning of your liver, and release toxins

• 14 Foods that Cleanse the Liver
• 9 Simple Ways to Boost Your Liver
• Get Rid of Toxins

So far, I've started drinking warm water (half boiled, half cold) with half a lemon in the mornings before I do anything (other than make my son gluten free toast with fruit for breakfast), I'll also be adding more liver supportive foods as I go along. I'll be doing more as the days continue, but for now I'm solely focused on my morning routine of lemon water with a tumeric milk tea before bed (yes, sounds a little strange, but the liver absolutely LOVES tumeric- add black pepper for optimal results).

On top of that, from one of the articles above it says to do tumeric milk for 3 months. I plan on doing that, but for at least 21 days I'll be doing a good enough (for my lifestyle, and I'll be doing as well as I can with a toddler, trust me, I'll be happy) liver cleanse.

Here's my recipe with links about tumeric included at the bottom

Tumeric Tea:

1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp organic tumeric
As much black pepper as you handle (I like my tea a little spicy!)
Honey to taste

Heat milk slowly, add tumeric, black pepper and honey. Once steaming, drink.

Voila!

• Tumeric Milk
• Golden Milk
• Benefits of Tumeric enhanced by Black Pepper

Sorry if this post is a bit lengthy, I think my inner Wellness Geek is coming out to show the world some love :)

This picture is courtesy of Anusorn P nachol/ freedigitalphotos.net

The Self Care Series: Part I

Today's post is going to be fairly short. This move that we're doing, along with having my grandmother in town is taking a lot of my time. Lovingly, I am with my grandmother, as she is helping me finally pick out my upgraded engagement ring! I'm thinking today- if I can make it happen to either keep looking for a ring, or maybe even window shop for my wedding dress! Oh, did I mention we are getting married in April (more on that on a later post, let the wedding blogs begin!)?

So todays post is on Meditation like I promised last week. The reason I wanted to share meditation with you is because I know the mass amounts of reasons of why it is good for you; mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

What I do know, is that a lot of people tend not to meditate- including myself. For the last two years my life has solely revolved around my son, and my fiancee. At moments I'd have people comment on how "parenting is a form of meditation", but it just didn't feel the same as sitting peacefully by myself with nothing at all to think about.

So here I am, re-entering this world of peace, space, self care, and health.

Oddly enough, I signed up for Oprah & Deepak Chopra's 21 day meditation that started just 2 days ago! What a coincidence, especially since this post is on meditation.

The meditations are based around Expanding Your Happiness. The recordings are about 20 minutes in total, with the meditations lasting about 9-10 minutes after Oprah introduces the subject, and Deepak talks about it more in depth before you actually have to close your eyes. Its incredibly easy, even if your a Mama like me. And if your not a parent? Well, then you have no excuse! Right? 

I'm kidding! Life gets busy, I know! But, I'm sure if you knew it helps you to de- stress, increases your immune system, balances emotions, helps with skin issues like psoriasis and eczema, helps to clear your mind for optimal mental health, among many other wonderful benefits. 

The benefits don't stop when you open your eyes, it stays with you throughout your day- what a bonus!

If you want to look into more information on the health benefits, come check this out

7 Health Benefits of Meditation

If you really feel short on time (and you have an IPhone), look into one of my favourite apps called 5 min relaxation. Before the 21 day meditation started I only put 5 minutes aside for meditation just in the last week. Any time you put in will be beneficial!

So why not give it a shot? What do you have to loose?

I'd still love to hear your thoughts on any ideas for the last 1-2 weeks of this self care series. Is there something you'd like to me to cover? See what I plan on covering here, and drop me a line by signing into your google account, or use the open ID in the comment section just below.

Thanks! Guess my post wasn't so short after all, was it? Time to start the day, and I hope you have a good one!

The photo above is used courtesy of adamr/ freedigitalphotos.net

Mental Illness

You must've seen this one coming. I'm sure I won't be the only one who blogs about the passing of Robin Williams. The topic of mental illness is not an easy one for me to talk about, as I have a very close family member who has dealt with this illness since I was a little girl. And when the pain is so close to home, you know your going to be affected by that person, or from the illness yourself for an undetermined amount of time.

It is so sad that Robin Williams may have taken his own life (as stated from the media), because of depression. I didn't know anything about his personal life at all, but from his movies, and his comedy acts he was a bright and shiny star- but maybe he had some demons behind that act. 

There are a few mommy groups online that I am a part of, and they're all talking about the passing of such a great actor, but also that if you have someone who has this illness; to be with them, and take care of them as long as they need it. I personally, cannot agree with that. Even when a person has such an illness they need to want to be helped. Otherwise you are having your energy sapped every time you help, every time you take care and every time you listen. I'm starting my new Self Care Series tomorrow, and I still have at least 1-2 more topics to cover for the 6 weeks that I plan on blogging about it- please join the conversation if you have anything you'd like to add to the list.

The reason I bring up the Self Care Series is because there has to be a line of what is 'ok' for you as well. Yes, someone close to us may need our help, our assistance. And maybe we're willing to give it for as long as they need it, but there may come a point when you can't. When the help you're giving is draining you of your own wellness. That's not ok, because it will then affect your life and those around you. Its like a tornado affect if not taken care of properly.

It saddens me to know that he has passed. Like many of us who grew up with his movies; Aladdin, Jumunji, Mrs. Doubtfire (one of my classic favs as a child) to name just a few- he was very talented, and will be sadly missed by a lot of people around the world.


Rest In Peace Robin Williams, your light shined on a lot of people around the world



Please remember to 

Take care of those around you as much as you can, but make sure you look after yourself 1st!

As you will have nothing to give anyone if you are empty yourself.

This picture above was taken from my night last night. I'm not one to really talk about how the moon effects our moods, but I think this super moon really got me. My theory is that I was in a pretty damn good mood during the last super moon. Honestly, I tried to harness some good energy when the super moon was out, but I just didn't' have it in me. Yesterday was crap!

Please, lets all send out some positive energy to those around us who need it, and take a moment of silence for Mr. Robin Williams <3

The weekend edition

This past weekend was once again full of adventure. My fiancee is going to be away more often for work, so we took some time to just be together as a family before he left for the week.

I must let you know I'm sitting here in a little bit of a sad state because the house isn't as full as it usually is with him around. This week its just the two of us- mother and son.

We started off the weekend with a nice little bike ride- we bought our son a balance bike last year, and he is just starting to love it!

On Saturday we drove out to Steveston in Richmond, BC. My fiancee spent some time here growing up before he moved to Vancouver. Its such a quaint little town bustling with tourists at this time of year! We ate some fish and chips from a place called "Pajo's", did some boat watching, played in the sand, tried to teach Toi how to play frisbee, ate watermelon sorbet (my sons absolute favourite fruit at the moment), and ended off our Steveston day on a harbour tour around the water. My son loves boats, he loves water, and he loves the sunshine just like his parents do, so this day was just perfect day!

As you can see, our son had the time of his life! What were you up to over the weekend?

Introducing: The Self Care Series

This image is courtesy of artur84/ freedigitalphotos.net

I've been wanting to post about this for quite some time. It just took some 'urgency' to do so.

After this weekend I realized how much more effort I want to put into myself. I don't know if you read my Monday post this week, but I had a moment with my fiancee (check it out here), and in that not so obvious moment of realization I knew it was time to put my foot down- with myself. I say, enough with the mommy look!

Here and there I make time for myself, but its not a routine. I don't make an effort everyday, and its something I'd like to do because I always feel good when I take care of myself. I feel refreshed, and recharged! 

This Self Care series will be split up into a few different posts, and with my new schedule I just posted for blogging yesterday (check it out here) you can come back next Wednesday for another addition. 

This week (after all my rambling), I'd like to start off by introducing you to the topics I have on my mind. I'd also like to ask for input as to what I could write about for self care- ideas are always welcome!!

• Week 1: Meditation
• Week 2: Exercise
• Week 3: Skin Care 
• Week 4: Hair (oh god- THE HAIR! Did I mention I used to be a stylist?)
• Week 5: New make up regime? (mine is about 2 minutes..)
• Week 6: ...help me out here ;)

Please, if there's anything you'd like to see me write about, I'd more than happy to do it! Is there something you've been wanting to do for yourself? Let me be your cheerleader, I can be a good one! I may have fluffy hair at times, but I'm working on it. I think I scared myself when I looked in the mirror this weekend, but that scare was for me to start making leaps and bounds for the woman I want to become. 

Becoming a mother has changed me. Not only is raising a toddler a sometimes hectic experience, but the last few years of life has changed me. In that transitional period I think I lost face- sometimes those moments in life are difficult, and you just forget about yourself, so I'll call this my 'polishing period'. Have you had one of those? This is my terminology, so don't go looking it up ok?

I might even Youtube this.... no promises though, but I'm considering it right now. If I don't Youtube this now, I'll do it at a later date after I write the posts.

Let the brainstorming begin! (please leave comments below this post after you have signed into your google account, or just sign in with "open ID" which is another option. Thank you!

The Weekend Edition

Hey all! How was the weekend?

Before I tell you about mine I have another announcement. I've been thinking about changing up my blogging week. As much as I love doing my Weekend Edition, I think it would be better suited for Mondays. So at this point, I will do

**Mondays- Weekend Edition
**Tuesdays- will be open for review of products if I feel I have something cool to share (if not, this day will remain open until further notice)
Wednesdays- regular Lifestyle posts
Thursdays- Lifestyle 
Fridays- Food Edition

** indicate new post times/ days

I hope this sits with you alright. Tuesdays just feel too far away from the weekend. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am keeping this post short as well. This weekend we spent a lot of time at the lake in Port Moody floating on the water, and tanning. But the biggest part of the weekend was saying good-bye to my future mother in law who is probably in Russia right now with her mother before she makes her way to Bali, Indonesia to live for an indefinite period of time.

We decided to take Roman's parents on a boat ride as a little send off. It didn't hit us that she was going to be gone (for at least a year) until the day came. I was pretty sad by the end of the night, as was my honey. We are planning on spending some time in Bali come January 2015 for a few weeks- so you can stay tuned for those adventures when they come. Next year brings much travel into our lives as we are also indefinitely planning our wedding. Everything is still up in the air on dates, but that's what we're shooting for..


The Burrard Bridge

English Bay- Gay Pride celebrations going on at the beach here

Driving to White Cliff Park

My beautiful mother in law has such a young soul! Very vibrant, and ready for adventure. I'm happy that she took the leap, and is following her heart. She's been to Bali twice, and wanted to live there at first glance. My heart is a little bit heavy as I loved visiting her, and the great talks we had.

So now that I've probably told a little bit of a depressing story, please help to lighten me up a little. 

How was your weekend? What were you up to?

Happy BC Day!

Well kiddos, just thought I'd drop you all a line quickly on this bright, warm a beautiful day. Not only that , but it's one of my favourite holidays today 

My babe's and I have been doing a lot of swimming, which means my hair is either wet, or drying on the go. He looked at me adoringly during dinner last night and said "I love you".

We then proceeded on with the rest of our evening, only to find me looking into a mirror in horror as my hair looked like a major frizz-fest! I love this man. And now I know that he truly loves me, frizzy hair and all. 

Wouldn't hurt to look in a mirror more often though, would it?

Drinks!

I don't know about you, but I'm hot! This week has been pretty slow in the cooking department. I've been making my usual toast and coffee to start the day (gluten/ egg/ dairy free bread of course), with some water, and that lovely Green glow smoothie I talked about last week. 

Dinner has been pretty easy too. Salad, maybe a slice of chicken... I'm feeling the pull to go Vegan, have I told you? Raw is even looking appealing to me, but I love my mushrooms cooked with coconut oil, salt and pepper. I may go 80% raw, who knows? I'm still contemplating. I've noticed the days where I start with a smoothie, and have 2 salads; 1 for lunch and another for dinner that I feel pretty darn good! Light, and healthy! 

I'll keep you posted on that journey when I make the decision. But for now, I'm gonna switch up my usual recipe share Friday for something a bit cooler, because like I said I'M HOT! 

So here's what I've been sipping on for the week...

A little bit of everything as you can see. I'm not too choose-y, but I do go by taste.

   1. Estacion: On the left we'll start off with the Syrah 2012. I love me some Syrah! For some reason the flavours are always just amazing to me. Personally I feel like a Merlot is actually bolder and heavier in taste, but apparently Syrah is the darkest.. I guess I have my preferences.

The Syrah was great! It's a pretty bold wine, but very easy to drink- fruity, but not too sweet.

   2. Omission: We're gonna skip over to the beer on the right for now. Omission is a gluten free beer that my sweetie picked up for me for the beach the other day. I have to say I am incredibly stoked that they have such a drink! I've been off of beer for a good couple of years. I wasn't too much of a beer drinker, but I sure loved my IPA's- I missed them. That being said, this IS and IPA and is very bitter, and on the stronger side of beers. I love bitter, so this one sits quite well with me.

If you've been off of beer for reasons like mine (being gluten free), I'd recommend trying this one out. Or, if your just into trying out new beers give this one a go.

   3. The beach house: Now, this is one I'm drinking right now. I saved this one for last because I can tell you this wine is PERFECT for hot days! It says so right on the bottle! All I can say is it just purely amazing. I did sneak in some ice cubes (I know! Terrible wine ethics, right?). I've been meaning to try the frozen grapes trick to use as ice cubes in my white wine's, but I haven't gotten around to it. But now that you know I use ice cubes I'm going to put some in the freezer right after I finish this post! This wine is incredibly fresh on the taste buds. I can taste the lemongrass, and gooseberries. 

Mmm! 

Hope you can try out one, or some of these drinks! Have a good weekend!

P.S. If you scroll down to see the pictures, the bottle itself tells you its perfect for hot sunny days on the beach! What more could a girl ask for?

Liebster Award

Ok!...here goes nothin'! I've been nominated by Emily who is another lifestyle blogger over at 

underthescottishrain.blogspot.co.uk 

I'm just becoming acquainted with Emily recently, and I'm so flattered that she has nominated me. I've been sort of daunted by this whole experience wondering how I'll get through writing this blog, so I've decided to Just do it like I usually do. If I put too much thought into it -something I tend to do- I wouldn't do it, so here we go!

    1. Thank/ link the person who nominated you
        Thanks again Emily!

    2. Answer the 11 questions they have written for you

      1. If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why?

I would be a cat. I would be a cat because they're pretty smooth in the way they move, always landing on their feet (my only wish because I'm such a klutz lol!), and the best part is they can sunbathe any time they choose. This is partly why I blog. I can stay home and wait for the sun to shine on me :)

      2. Which country would you most like to live in?

Anywhere warmer than here really... I've been called a gypsy my whole life because I move a lot. For now, lets say Australia!

      3. Why did you start blogging?

Ooo! I like this question! I started blogging because I LOOOVE to write! I never thought anyone would want to read my words, and before I started blogging I thought "who reads blogs anyways? Who reads about other peoples lives?". But in all truth, I was doing that. I just didn't see it in the cards for myself until I just decided "you know what? who would this hurt if I tried?". The answer? No one! And I love every minute of it.

      4. What is your blogging goal?

Another juicy question! I like it Emily! My blogging goal is to become a monetized business, and live a lifestyle where I don't have to worry about money or wanting to travel. 

That being said, I want to share more travel blogs, and I'd like to get into fashion and beauty in the future, but- at the moment- with a toddler I can barely get a slick of lipstick on! He's a handful, but a lovely one and I enjoy teaching him things everyday. Raising him is the most important to me right now so this is partly what I'll share amongst life adventures with my family.

      5. If you could go to a different time period, which one would you go to?

I am obsessed with the Gatsby time period! The lavish style just has me hooked! I would've been very happy there dancing the nights away in amazing dresses :)

      6. If you were on a deserted island, what 3 items would you bring with you?

I would bring my computer so I could blog about it, a blender to make margaritas with, and sunblock. I don't burn, but sun protection is the key to life...and is the main item for a sunbather to bring to the beach.

      7. What do you want the future to hold for you?

Continued and unending happiness with the 2 loves of my life; my fiancee and my baby boy. May the future bring continued success and happiness to us all!

      8. What is your favourite film and why?

Ooo, this ones a toughie. My fiancee will tell you that I'm so bad with names and titles. I never remember anything! I am however, a movie buff, and the last great movie I saw was "Rise of the planet of the apes". Great cinematography! I highly suggest seeing it in theatres if its not too late.

      9. What is your biggest fear?

One of my biggest fears was deep, dark water. My dad watched one too many scary films for a young child's liking when I was little! I (embarrassingly to this day) still think there are underwater lake monsters, and sharks all over the ocean lol! But I just recently went to Mexico and snorkelled with sea turtles! Best experience of my life! 

      10. What is your wardrobe must have?

MY wardrobe must have?....hmm.. a good pair of skinny jeans :) 

      11. If you could change one thing about yourself, would you? And what would it be?

What would it be.. It would have to be my hyper sensitive body. Anything I put in or on will have a dramatic effect on my health. I would change that in a heartbeat, but I am an incredibly thoughtful person because of it... so now I'm stuck.. yes I would change it..no I wouldn't lol! Ah! I'll leave it at that!

     

     3. 11 random facts about myself

      1. I'm a lover of the sun! Put me in a floaty on a lake, or on a white sandy beach and I'll be happy forever!

      2. I've been engaged for 3 years...enough with it already! Its time to get married! :)

      3. I'm an introvert.

      4. Secretly, not so secretly I want to move away from Canada and blog about my travels

      5. I still need a new engagement ring lol! Yes, a NEW one! Wanna come shopping for one with me? I keep putting it off!

      6. I'm a perfectionist

      7. I've gone back to university and college a total of 3 times for 3 different careers (completed every single one), not once to become a writer though, but here I am writing for a living :)

      8. I don't regret anything. All life experiences are made to help us grow into the person we are today. Remember that!

      9. I'm a nerd. A book nerd. A life nerd. I love learning!!!!!

    10. Now that I'm blogging I sometimes forget to eat...yes, I do.

    11. I cannot lie worth a damn!!! If you suspect I'm lying, watch my face. I'm probably cracking a smile! 

     4. Nominate blogs with under 200 followers, who you believe deserve this award

•  Heledd at Running in Lavender
•  Sarah at Crowded Closet
•  Nicki at Nicki Kinickie
•  Laura at My Wee Sweet Pea
•  Michelle at Michelle Louise Love

     5. Leave a set of 11 questions for those blogs to answer, and let them know they've been nominated

      1. What is your all time favourite food?

      2. What is at the top of your bucket list?

      3. What does the perfect date look like to you?

      4. What is your current favourite outfit?

      5. Do you like cooking? If so, what is your favourite meal to cook?

      6. What does your apartment look like right now?

      7. Have you travelled? If so, what was your favourite destination, or where would you love to go?

      8. Are you a cat, or dog person?

      9. What do you do on a rainy day?

      10. What is your favourite type of music?

      11. Are you living your dreams? If so, why, or why not?

Emily, thanks again for the nomination! This wasn't as hard as I assumed it would be, it took some thoughtfulness, definitely worth it to nominate some other rad bloggers who deserve it ;)

Come learn more about Emily here. She has some really great sights and experience she shares on her blog!

Feelin Good

I was watching Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Cancer trailer today. She is an incredibly resilient survivor of an apparent incurable stage 4 cancer. Most people will know someone who has either dealt with it, IS dealing with it, or may encounter it in the future. Apparently 45% of men and 41% of women will deal with this sometimes life threatening disease in their lives. 
(Stats here at Cancer.ca)

This is something I believe that with the right diet, lifestyle and mindset can either be completely bypassed, or overcome. I really want to see Kris Carr's documentary- just the trailer itself drew me in. I am not personally dealing with cancer, but I know, have known and will know someone who is dealing with it. Her mindset got her through and above any other method of treatment- she decided that she was going to live. I love that! 

But why does it take disease for some of us to begin to wake up to life? I don't want to have to wait for something detrimental to happen to me for my eyes to open. Why do I bring this up? Because how many of us have that unwritten or unspoken bucket list we've always dreamt about? Or that hobby that we just love to do that we "just don't have the time for"? 

Why wait? I've watched more than my share of her inspiring videos on YouTube (more of her that I will share in the future). Why wait until tomorrow to live your life? Why is "another day" just better than right NOW? 

I say, let's stop. Breath, and do it. Just do it! That's what I'm all about. 

What if we don't have tomorrow? In a way, it's a blessing to think like this, because if we're always waiting for tomorrow, when will our lives ever be fully lived?

You may think what I'm about to say is a bit silly- but I LOVE dancing! That's all I want to do. And from the Crazy Sexy Cancer trailer it has inspired me to make time to just dance, even if it's to ONE song daily! That's it! That's my goal right now is to get back in touch with that ultra creative, physical side of me and just let loose- even if it's just with my son. He's much more entertaining to dance with then bumping into drunk people at a club anyways :)

What is it that you've been wanting to do, but just haven't given yourself permission, or simply just the time to do?

This is the life

Yes, it's that time of week again!

What did you do over the weekend?

On Friday evening we made our way to my grandparents once again- I think I told you before how much we enjoy visiting them. We have been busy all week showing our place to potential new tenants... oh ya! Have I told you that 

WE'RE MOVING AGAIN

Yikes, right? Didn't I tell you that I would rather stay put for a while since it was rather hellish moving to my current dream apartment in downtown Vancouver not even 2 months ago? We haven't had a chance to fully move into my dream apartment because we know we'll be leaving soon. Its sad, but at the same time exciting as this time we'll be getting super cozy (which means shopping for comfortable furniture and accessories!) as a means to stay put for longer than a year in one apartment. 

My Uncle offered us his larger apartment for a really good price that we just couldn't say 'no' to. It is far from the downtown life, but it is something that we are so grateful for! Not only is it bigger, but we'll be able to really save up for this darn wedding that feels like will never happen! Finally! So over the next couple of years I'll have plenty to write about :) This next little while is a bit of a sacrifice in location and lifestyle (oh God, how we love the downtown life! But the downtown life is expensive!). 

So get ready for some home decoration blogs in the very near future! I'll take you along on the trips we make, and ask for some advice on what I should buy. I'm not an interior decorator by any means so let me know what you think works, and what are just weird quirky mismatches ok? 

So, this is what we did- RELAX and we couldn't feel more recharged for the week!

Daddy and I started our Saturday at the lake, sadly leaving our baby at home with the grandparents as he caught a strange little cold (remind me to get him back on his probiotics!)- he is better now though thankfully.

I spent a lot of time in the 30+C weather with my Gramma reading a really great book for my blogging career while jotting down a LOT of notes! I'm immersed, and half done the book now! Once again I mixed a wonderful 

Wine spritzer 

1/3 c wine
1/3 c coconut water (hey, I needed hydration somehow!)
1/3 c club soda
4 ice cubes

Let me tell you it was much better with a touch of coconut water for sweetness :)

Do you think I'm a bit insane for moving again? Sometimes I feel like this life of mine is a never ending adventure! 

Let me know what you were up to! I'd love to hear! 
Comment below the post by either signing into your gmail account, or use the openID :) 

Thanks for stopping by!

Paying attention- in Relationships

Photo courtesy of Photostock/ Freedigitalimages.net

One of those 'off' days. A day you wish would just end so you could start over again tomorrow..

That's how it felt. I was reading an article yesterday called The shape of days. It discussed how we can graph the way our days turn out. Some days we can start on a high, or wake up on the wrong side of the bed, and it goes on from there.

Yesterday I started off by managing my social media, along with reading articles, and blogging. It was a pretty good start to a relaxing day with a nice cup of java in hand. I also had coconut yogurt, local raspberries and hemp hearts for breakfast. I could say I was having an awesome day- starting on a high. Then, one event tumbled into the next where things just weren't going my way at all. Appointments had to be cancelled, dates rescheduled. My relaxation quickly turned into stress (or the low end of the graph as discussed from The shape of days) before noon even hit.

Thank god for an awesome relationship! I was supposed to go to Whitecliff park (see photos in this post where I talk about the Sunset at Whitecliff Park) with my fiance when he arrived home from work, but to top off my already crappy day he had a work event he needed to attend. 

I felt like the wave/ shape of my day just hit its lowest at that moment. It was at what I called the trough of my day, and I made it known. But something so wonderful happened. 

He listened

I forgot before that moment came just how powerful being heard is. In that moment I was able to pour my heart out, get rid of every little nuance of my day, and the most fascinating thing happened right after that 

I took a deep breath.. and everything was OK

He asked me if I wanted him to come home, or if I wanted to join him. I said 'no'. 

He said "have a glass of wine", and I did. 

It was beautiful! How my day had shifted back into peacefulness after just being heard. Thankfully I had already begun making my favourite comfort food :) Gluten/ egg/ tomato/ dairy/ gmo free pizza with spinach and mushrooms, and a glass of chilled white wine.

I'll post my recipe at the end of the week if your looking for a quick, healthy pizza idea. My son loves it- as do I (it can always be used with wheat/ dairy/ tomato if your not on a restricted diet like I am).

When your having a crappy day, what do you do? 

In this article One of those days I talk more about different ways to get through a crappy day if your looking for more ideas!

What did you do over the weekend?

This past weekend was full of relaxation, excitement, new creative cold drinks for the lake, followed by more relaxation.

My grandparents house was packed full of family in an air conditioned home as the heat reached 42 degrees this weekend- yes it was a HOT one!

We started our extended weekend off by driving to Lytton, BC on Thursday night with our toddler. Let me just say, travelling with a 2 year old is much more challenging than it has been- he no longer sleeps the 3 hour trip there but wants to be entertained the whole time. Luckily, this mama is an avid Pinterest follower so I'm always finding new ways to keep him occupied (or he's just dancing to the music), and if all else fails we have a couple of toddler apps on my phone that I keep handy.

Friday was lake day for this mini fam jam. We have a 5 person raft, which has suited our needs perfectly, with an electric motor and speakers for music. It has been a BLAST!

Saturday was a Mama & Dada adventure day where we finally made it back to my current favourite river run The Nahatlatch with Fraser River Raft Expeditions which I talk about in River Rafting in BC. 

To finish off the weekend we chilled in the backyard with Toli where he watered plants for his Great Gramma aka: "Gramma", and played around his mini park. I also made my own wine spritzer which I sipped on while watching my son play which only consisted of half red wine, half club soda and a few ice cubes to keep chilled in the blistering heat.

How was your weekend?

River Rafting in BC

We'll, I'm sure glad I apologized in advance about not posting much this week. Thank you for being patient with me! The move went as smooth as it could've, and now we are making our way to Prince George to drop off Toli to stay with my parents while we go to Mexico. 

I've been thinking about posting for days but with no internet you can imagine how hard that has been. So here I am sneaking in a post before a long and treacherous road trip with Toli and my Gramma (who volunteered herself- she likes road trips, and Toli especially so she really wanted to come).

Since it's been so long I wanted to start off my week with a bang. If you're into adventure like I am, I'm sure you'll appreciate this post/ story- it's a good excuse to get out of the city, and try something new. 


Some of the most relaxing times I've had are at my grandparents. We drive 3 hours out of the city, and into the mountains to Lytton, BC.

This photo is extracted from an earlier post Wishing, hoping daydreaming...

Lytton is nestled in between mountains, and my grandparents just happen to have the best view from their house (I also talk a little more about Lytton in Wishing, hoping, daydreaming) of the Thompson and Fraser river, which join into one big river flow- called a confluence. The cool thing about having the two rivers come together is the colour difference. When your close enough you can see which river is which- one is a very pretty blue contrasted by a muddy green'ish colour. Many a time have I gone down this river flow in a river raft (one of my absolute joys in life!).

Coming to Lytton is something I've done ever since I was born. My great grandmother 'Nanny' used to have house in town here, and my brother and I would spend our time running around in the garden, or playing in a little pool to cool off. Lytton is known to some as "God's pocket". Why you may ask? Well, because it gets so darn HOT during the summer- it'll usually come up as the 'hot spot' on local BC news channels.

It's almost been 6 years since I introduced my fiance to my joy in life- river rafting. There are a few things in life that can keep a perma- smile on my face; biking, river rafting, and most recently snowboarding now that I'm getting the hang of it again. 

I'd been 'dating' Rom a total of 3 months, and within that time, we barely spent a minute apart aside from him working. Those 3 months were full of adventure, and lots of surprises. We loved surprising one another. 

Here's a bit of back story to connect what I'm about to say; my family gets together every year at the end of summer for good food, tomato jarring, card playing, and lots of laughs. Rom hadn't met my family yet, and wasn't really thinking about it either. I had planned a surprise rafting trip (which he'd never done before), but it was near my grandparents place. So I thought "well, why not bring him into all the fun?". It seemed like a really awesome 2 for 1 deal. Meet my family, AND go river rafting! Lets just say he was more than surprised to find out he was walking into- a family get together. And it wasn't just my grandparents. It was my step mum, father, uncle's and aunts.. probably would have been good to have a heads up now that I think about it, but at the time I thought it was a fabulous surprise!

This is a flashback photo of Rom and I on one of our rafting adventures with Fraser River Raft Expeditions

And one of the most recent photos from last year with Kumsheen 

Kumsheen is one of the very first rivers I've ever been on, and great for any beginner who is looking into trying it out. 

But I decided 6 years ago that I would take Rom on one of my favourites the Nahatlatch River run with Fraser River Raft Expeditions, this run is a class 4+ in July (meaning fast, fun, and just plain awesome!).

Here's short video of the Nahatlatch run that's putting a smile on my face, and goosebumps on my skin- I need to get back out there! 

So if your looking for something awesome to do, or are looking for a new river to try out, I'd highly recommend coming to the interior of BC. Fraser River Raft Expeditions is based out of Yale, BC. They run the Nahatlatch river between May and July, and it's considered one of the best runs in the province. It's been a couple years since I've been on this one (having a youngling in the household has made it difficult to be here in time for the run), but I haven't been disappointed yet!