Changing how we (and our kids) look at food

It’s amazing to me how much I take for granted some days. How much my kids do and will take for granted. Here’s a great example – hunger.  My kids will often complain about being hungry, indeed, they may whine that they are starving, that they might not make it until their next meal…you know what kids are like.  ”Mom. I’m staaaaarving….” But the reality is stark when I stop...

Lace up, suck it up – 3 months of working ou...

Two months ago I wrote a post called Movement as medicine and shared that I had started committing time to working out each week.  I had been at it a month, and wasn’t sure about a lot of things other than it was time to just do it.  I have spent the last year making other good changes that have been beneficial to my health, and it was time to figure out a way to carve out time for movement. And carve I did....

What I want my kids to know…

Yesterday, I read as much as I could for the first hour or two after I caught the news about the tragic events in Boston.  And then I just stopped. I had enough.  I would come back to the story later, of course, and there was no escaping it no matter where I turned.  As it should be.  As hard as it is to hear it, it is also always so important to bear witness. It’s what we do, as a community, as a society. Perhaps...

I’d rather be stubborn than lucky

Are you lucky? Look around at your life – what fills your heart, your day, your life, your home.  Do you feel lucky to have everything you do?  Is it luck that has brought you your good life? I think we talk too much about luck sometimes. We feel lucky, we get lucky when something good happens, and we have bad luck when it doesn’t.  There are tickets to buy, cards to scratch and dice to roll. Vegas, baby. I consider...

Catching my breath in the light

This morning took my breath away. Everything was drenched in the most beautiful golden light. Another sunrise to make me stop, look and pay attention. I am thankful for each one. As I drove, I saw light reflected in every window, neighbourhoods bathed in colour, and snowcapped mountains glowing pink. There may be many things I find beautiful in a day, but my world at sunrise is one of my favourites lately.  The light makes...

Seen and unseen

So much of our lives are tucked away in the places where nobody thinks to look. I am a pretty open person, and I share things easily.  But we all have nooks and corners, pockets and hiding places that never see the light of day, don’t we? Sometimes the worst of us hides there. Sometimes it’s just our quiet thoughts. Sometimes the best of us even sneaks away there, but in the end it’s all still hiding and it takes...

Movement as medicine

“Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional, and mental states.”  ~ Carol Welch Ah, movement.  Are you getting enough of it in your days? I wasn’t. Not for a long time.  Oh, I walk plenty during the day, running errands, shuffling myself and kids to and fro, sneaking opportunities for fresh air and more steps.  And I linger at the playground with my preschooler at...

Getting friendly with discomfort

Lately I have been thinking about comfort zones. We all have them, right?  They’re like the real life equivalent of flannel pajamas, warm blankets and hot chocolate.  While these are all lovely ways to stay warm in winter, out in the real world we need to remember that comfort doesn’t always equal happiness. What?  Sure it does, you say.  After all, who isn’t happy when they are at their most comfortable? Well, I...

Less is more

There has been a shift in my thinking lately.  It’s not fully developed, but it’s definitely coming. After many years of living in homes I love, collecting belongings that I like and have enjoyed, I suddenly feel the weight of “too much, too many.” The time has been coming for a streamlining, a purging, but moves and busy lives have put it off. But the time is coming soon, of that I have no doubt.  Yet, it can be...

Why write?

Writing does strange things to us. I’m a private person. There are a lot of things in my head and heart that aren’t said out loud, and that don’t ever hit the page.  There are times when honest words are hard to share, and yet, I feel pulled to do it, again and again. What do I gain from sharing what is on my mind, cluttering my thoughts or spilling out of my heart? Why write? In a time when living our lives online can...