One of the things we had heard about Portland before we left was that they had a reputation for being a foodie city which was enough to send our mouths watering and our expectations increasing. Our experiences dining out around the city did not disappoint and we truly did not have any sub par experiences. We did do a couple of official sit down meals where we dressed up and enjoyed cocktails and multiple plates of delicious dinner. However, a casual find that was really fantastic was the group walking tour exploring various food carts downtown.
We had brought back up clothing and shoes in case it turned to rain but we lucked out and got a dry afternoon!
We went with Flavor Street Walking Tour and sampled 6 different food trucks through downtown. Going on a walking tour, especially one with yummy food, is a fantastic way to check out a new city, especially when you have a limited amount of time like we did. Being able to talk to a local and ask questions and get the inside scoop is really priceless. I also loved the questions my girlfriends asked our tour guide along the way; like, why is there so many peeler clubs downtown? Because there actually is a lot of them, apparently even vegan peeler clubs too. Who knew?
My favorite food find happened to be at the first stop where we sampled two different dumplings at The Dump Truck. I actually didn't know that I loved dumplings as much as I do until I had these ones. This food cart tour was full of great flavours all the way to the end and we all agreed how much fun we had. A definite must if you are in Portland and want to sample some delicious bites.
We started out at The Dump Truck and finished up with fresh waffles
I enjoyed all the stories from our tour guide that went along with all the sampling. Like the treats from the Paleo style food cart and the salmon shack.
While Vancouver is starting to take off in their food truck culture, Portland already has it down and it is thriving. It would be absolutely amazing if Vancouver eventually caught up and had a similar presence downtown. One interesting difference between the two cities is that in Vancouver the food trucks are actually trucks. They arrive and park, cook and serve, and drive off when it's all over. In Portland they are more fixed carts and many have themed props and awnings.
This is the girl who made this tour happen and who thoroughly enjoyed the Korean taco we sampled. Thanks Heidi!
In just a few shorts day I'm embarking on my first ever girlfriends trip away since I've had babies. Ben will go off to visit his cousins in Victoria, a destination that he absolutely loves and adores, and Josie will stay home and hang out with her daddy and the nanny. The best part is, I feel no guilt at all about leaving my family and going on a long weekend with girlfriends. None. Nada. I will be traveling on a train to Portland with two girlfriends that I met back in nursing school. Seriously, nurses make the best girlfriends!
I'm looking forward to having moments of relaxation and the opportunity to feel a little bit rejuvenated. I am pretty sure that I will miss my family immensely and I'm sure us ladies will talk kids, but I will enjoy myself. I will be be hopeful and pack along a book that I've been wanting to read and I am hoping that I will be able to actually sleep in and not wake up at 6 AM like my kids do every.single.morning. I want to enjoy the friends I'm traveling with and spend some time together like old friends should.
Josie before bedtime in her brother's old robe.
I've just done a bunch of busy shifts in maternity and I'm busy changing my blog over and am doing some fun behind the scenes blogging work with my husband. I can't wait for the update to be live and am excited to have you see it so soon. I am officially ready to leave Blogger behind and move on! So many exciting things going on. How perfect is it that I have 3 weeks off of work!
So tell me, would you ever go on a holiday without your children?
It's nearing the end of the month and soon we will be turning the page of the calendar which just naturally flags that we're in full swing of summertime. Luckily Vancouver is having a gorgeous stretch of perfect weather and I haven't worn pants in weeks now. It's all summer skirts and dresses over here as I've never been too keen on wearing shorts (it's a thigh thing people). All of our neighbours seem to be in a state of a constant good moods and I'm enjoying the mix of locals leaving the city for vacations and tourists coming to check out our city.
During a recent walk in our neighbourhood we came across a micro distillery and decided to sample their gin. At 33 years of age I've never had a gin and tonic until about 3 weeks ago so this was a new experience for me. Whenever I was to have an adult bevy I'd lean towards a glass of vino or maybe a cocktail. However, a few weeks ago my brother in law mixed up a G+T and it quickly become the summertime drink for me and my husband.
Tonight we are sipping on a cool London Dry gin from Vancouver's Long Table Distillery mixed perfectly with their LT boutique tonic and a generous squeeze of lime. I love the ice cubes slinking around the glass and the taste is refreshing and clean. I also totally dig supporting small local businesses, so it's really a win win for everyone involved.
Cheers!
Mama in the City
xxo
When I'm with a labouring mama I get to peep into her private life for the 12 hours I am with her. I get to see how her partner responds to her as the labour progresses or how he (or sometimes she) reacts when an emergency arises. Sometimes I'm able to catch a glimpse of amazing true love between them and other times I can tell that the partner does not really care. Often I'll get the inside scoop on which family members are pressuring them with constant text messages for baby updates or which obnoxious family member or friend posted the details on Facebook before the new parents even had a chance (major faux pas people!).
Sometimes I've gone to open the door of the delivery room and found a mass of excited family members with their ears pressed up against the door. I'm not talking about 1-2 extra family members, but more like 10+ with all the cousins and brother-in-laws and maybe a next door neighbour too. I've even experienced running out of the room to grab extra birthing supplies and have been met with a wall of women asking me questions. 'When is the baby going to be here? When I laboured I pushed for 1 hour. This is hour 2!'. Really, people? Really?
The truth is, I don't love having a crowd of extended family members waiting around to hear the baby news. I totally get how exciting and life changing it is to welcome a new baby into the family, but the pressure of having a mob waiting for you to push out your baby can often be too much. We know there is a wide variation in birthing times for women and I feel like the crowd of family members can sometimes unintentionally put constraints on how things unfold. So, when I started to see the 'Labour Watch' reports for England's Kate Middleton I instantly felt a bit of sorrow for this first time mum.
I totally get that being in the public eye changes how normal events, like childbirth, will unfold and be reported. That this particular mum-to-be should expect the public wants some knowledge of her personal events. However, I really wish that she was afforded the privacy to birth on her own terms. Without the constant media watch of what was happening with her cervix. Did Kate lose her mucous plug? Is she dilating?
Just like the excited family members I mentioned waiting outside the birthing room doors, the attention for Kate's birth comes from a kind place but it's truly over the top. Just like any birthing mummy, I wish the very best for Kate and her experience but feel sorry that her birthing experience is so widely broadcast and monitored. I feel sorry for the pressure that must exist around her pregnancy and even through to her birth. Which we all know is apparently happening today. It's hard to avoid the reports of her birth.
Birth is a uniting force for women; it doesn't matter if you are a crack addict with a surprise pregnancy, a regular joe or the Duchess of Cambridge. Contractions and labour don't care if you are rich or high society. The welcoming of new life happens to be grossly routine all over the world, yet it is still an intimate experience for each and every birthing mama. Hopefully amidst the media drama, Kate will also get to experience the private personal moments that will become her own birth experience..on her own time..in her own way.
Are you excited for the Royal birthing announcement?
I feel like a case of the grumps is easily cured when skies are full of sunshine. Maybe more so than when you live somewhere that isn't frequently sunny like Hawaii or Florida might be. This morning I was doing the morning walk to Ben's preschool and I found myself complaining that it was too hot, that my pants were sticking to my legs and my bra was getting all sweaty. Then I got a grip and told myself off for being negative about a totally awesome thing like sunshine. Like, come on already!
Here is my own summer lovin' list. Meant to make you feel good and snap you out of a case of the grumps (in case you are so inclined).
1. Iced coffee for the win! I've switched most of my caffeine from hot to cold and I'm loving the sound of ice cubes bumping around while I sip my iced americano. Something about iced coffee just screams summertime and I can totally get behind that. Pro tip: Instant Via coffee from Starbucks makes a great fast iced coffee at home or on the go. Ice, water, dash of cream mix with the Via and enjoy.
2. Wearing tank tops and embracing the jiggly bits that live on my upper arms. I used to feel a bit of hatred towards parts of my body because I didn't feel like it fit my ideal of perfect, then I decided to embrace what I have and not let my own insecurities prevent me from wearing a tank top on a warm summers day.
3. Tiny baby sundresses for Josie, because they are cute and easy to put on a very wriggly toddler. Which makes things easier for everyone. Paired with her pink chucks and we are in business.
4. Taking snapshots of my new niece Alice, who is a full on summertime baby is a definite happy boost. Combine sunshine happiness with new baby love and you get some serious happiness. Take that case of grumps!
5. Stretches of sunny days is good news for people who are prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder, as sunshine apparently does make you happier what with its serotonin and dopamine boosts. Click here to read more on the topic.
Go on and tell me, what part of sunshine filled days do you love best?
Recently I took some time for myself and booked in at a hair shop in my neighbourhood and signed up for the works. I came to my stylist wanting her to cover up the dreadful grey hairs that have been sprouting up in the front and also to trim and reshape my locks into something I was happy with. One of the things that happened to me post partum was the dreaded major hair shed that eventually left little sparse patches behind. It's been about a year since I had the massive post partum hair shed and the new hair growth has left me with little short hairs sticking straight up, especially noticeable along my part. With just the right light you can see these short hairs standing at attention all along the part.
Just as I was about to leave I made a comment about how annoying it was to have to try and tame the 'baby hairs' and my hair girl Melissa stopped me and asked me if I knew about 'the shoe shine' technique. Obviously I did not so she got me back in the chair for a quick little teaching session on how to tame the new hair growth.
This is the normal cycle of our hair. The estrogen from your pregnancy keeps the hair longer in the growing stage, making for some thick and lustrous hair. However, once that hormone pumping placenta is out of the womb all those extra hairs start going through their usual life cycle and you've got excess hair loss. I had hair loss with both of my pregnancies but it was worse with Ben. My shower was constantly plugged and I'd wake up with obvious hair strands all over my pillow.
How to do The Shoe Shine:
To do this you don't need a bunch of hair tools or a lot of product. First you grab a tissue and take off any extra ply until it is just 1 ply. Take an aerosol hairspray and give your 1 play tissue a spritz. Take the tissue and very lightly 'shoe shine' the areas that need to be tamed. It is a really gentle back and forth along the areas that need it. A bonus of this trick is that you don't ruin the volume of your hair and you don't leave a bunch of excess product on the follicles. I loved this trick so much and have been using it since she showed me.
Want to learn more about hair loss and pregnancy? Check out what Kelly Mom has to say on the subject.
This past Sunday I told myself that I needed to have a better week with the one that was ahead of me. I wanted to be more productive and check more things off things my 'to-do' lists. A to-do list that had just been sitting there rather dormant collecting dust. So, Monday morning came and I bustled around and mailed off some very belated birthday packages. I bought some birthday presents for wee special friends way back at the start of April and they've been wrapped and ready sitting in my bedroom since then. I've got such good intentions and really bad follow through. I do want to be better and more on top of it. I also pine for a housecleaner and day dream about all the amazing things that I could do if I didn't have to worry about sweeping the floors or scrubbing the bath tub.
I told myself that I wanted to make more healthy delicious dinners instead of ordering in sushi or something. While I do love good sushi I also like it to be occasional. So far there's been more home cooking of all the meals going on, but not without the help of my husband. I do admit that one of the things that sealed the deal in wanting to marry him was his amazing cooking skills. He is a seriously awesome at cooking and sometimes I find myself intimidated in the kitchen compared to his skills.
Today we went to Ben's kindergarten orientation at the 'over flow' school that we were given a spot at. You might remember my post about the lack of kindergarten spaces in our neighbourhood and how Ben didn't get a spot. It turns out that this post was very well read and has been one of my highest reads with many Google searches. I also did 2 different media interviews on the topic and was glad to have the outlet. So, I felt a bit of passion and scepticism about this little kindy orientation.
So, we went to the meeting at the back up school and it turns out there are lots of positives happening and we are feeling really good with things. In fact, we might actually like it more and think maybe we came out ahead. The school we didn't get into is seriously over crowded and there isn't even a true school playground. Instead the children all clamour for the use of the tiny city play ground next to the school grounds. It is so over run that the other day, after preschool, Ben was accidentally bull dozed by a bigger kid and had some scrapes and bruises on his torso, arms and legs from the boy landing on top of Ben. I've heard that the accident and concussion rates have been quite high and I can see how that is unavoidable.
Anyways, it has only been 2 days of trying to be on top of it and tomorrow I will strive for the same. I really yearn to feel on top of things and I know that I actually thrive when I have A-B-C all in place (ahead of time to boot). My to-do list still exists and there is more work to be done so I will just keep moving.
I've been a busy lady over here and I'm enjoying the new adventures that have been coming my way. The other day I had my very first night shift in over 1.5 years and while I didn't love it per se, I didn't hate it. It turns out that being awake and working at 4 AM sucks just as much I remember it to be and so does the night shift hangover the next day.
Working a night shift means my husband did a bit more playtime with the kids so I could take it easy.
Mama in the Media
While I was laying in my bed after work I checked my email and had a request for two different media interviews about this blog post I did on kindergarten in Yaletown. I did one phone interview laying in bed all groggy from my shift and lined up another interview for the next day on The Bill Good Show. You can listen to that interview with me here: CKNW Radio Interview.
The blog post I wrote on the lack of kindergarten space in Yaletown had some crazy traffic and still continues to. Sadly I think it is one of those topics that gets an annual rant but than fizzles out and stays dormant until the next group is effected. Lather, rinse, repeat. How else can the same problem happen year after year?
When Ben was a fussy infant people would console me by telling me that my next baby would be quiet and would sleep well. Turns out that Josie was an easier quieter baby, but she's making up for things in the mischief department as she gets into her toddler years.
Mama in the Classroom
Over the weekend I went to a breastfeeding conference and listened to Dr. Katherine Dettwyler, an anthropology professor from the university of Delaware, speak on various topics related to breastfeeding. I have a love for continuing education and enjoyed going to the conferences for the chance to gain new insights. I was also interested in the whole anthropology side to breastfeeding and I haven't spent much time in the classroom learning about this side to breastfeeding. During our conference Dr. Dettwyler shared her thoughts/beliefs around crying and infants. In basic summery, she believes that infants who are parented in a certain way do not cry. In fact, babies as a whole are not meant to cry. This left me thinking, why did my first born cry so much despite a very natural parenting approach? Did I do something wrong? Do you think babies naturally should not cry if we just parent them enough?
Of course my mind went right back to my first year as a mother and all of the mighty crying that went on in our lives. My feisty little crier was born and started hollering and he just never stopped. He breastfed on demand day or night and slept next to me. He was constantly worn by me, my husband or my sister and we all perfected a sling dance to help this baby relax. Despite all of this nurturing parenting he still did cry. Despite the unrestricted nursing, foot rubs and baths together but for us nursing/holding/carrying was not an absolute cure for our crying baby. According to Dr. Dettwyler all this crying doesn't happen elsewhere. This is a thing that makes me go hmmm. I don't think we can take different cultures or societies, line them up, and expect the same behaviours from everyone.
Mama in the Now
Tomorrow there is suppose to be more rain in Raincouver, and with all the previous wet I'm getting great use out of my teal Hunter boots that I bought last Fall. I'm also making a grand effort to go to bed earlier so I can quit complaining about how tired I feel by the end of the day. I have great intentions of heading off to bed as soon as I press publish. Tomorrow I am looking forward to having a perfect latte, nursing my daughter in the morning and taking a picture of Ben's hat that we made for 'crazy hat day' at preschool tomorrow.
The regularity of my blog posts go hand in hand with how much time I have to sit quietly and write, and lately that kind of time seems sort of scant. Which is to be expected since I've just finished up my maternity leave and I'm learning to juggle two children and shift work and life. Surprisingly, going back to work has actually been quite fluid for me and it feels like I never even left the hospital. I think that this helped me to adjust to being back to the grind, plus it doesn't hurt that I also feel the love from my coworkers about being back (always a bonus).
I will admit that I shed a tear at the first birth I was at; all day long we laboured together and the mama was so wonderful to spend time with. She knew it was my first birth since being back from my maternity leave and had lots of questions about my own experiences. This is a question I used to dread before I had kids even though I don't think it makes you a better nurse.
Being away from work for a year gave me a great back-to-work pep. For now, I am refreshed and ready to go and actually feel excitement getting to do what I do (I say for now, because we all know that will change). While I did feel professionally refreshed I was a tired nurse. On the mornings I had to leave for the hospital, Josie was calling for me at 4:30 in the morning and I'm just not in love with 'those kind' of early mornings. I'd nurse her and cuddle with her in bed but she sensed my excitement and we were both wide awake. I was also fretting over my alarm clock that was going to buzz. Something I haven't had to deal with in a very long time.
So, I'm back and I'm feeling good about things and learning to embrace the growing pains along the way because I know they will pass. This is my new norm.
What do you do to make yourself feel taken care of? It's so easy to neglect yourself when life gets going in the day to day grind, but ultimately a little self care can go a long way. Sometimes I'm just satisfied that I get a chance to wash my hair and blow it out, which only happens twice a week. Yes, it's true, I'm a biweekly hair washer and have been known to push 5 days without washing my locks. It's a tiny bit cumbersome to have long hair and be a mother; which is how the biweekly hair wash sort of unfolded over time and the ponytail gets a lot more wear than it did in the years before. When it comes down to it, sometimes I just don't have the time for me.
For me, personal service speaks volumes when it comes to my own self care and subsequent balance. Think hair cuts, pedicures, eyebrow wax, etc. I spend a lot of time taking care of other peoples needs, be it my own children or working 1 on 1 with a labouring mother. So, I really try to make it a priority to carve out a tiny time slot for my own self care and I'm most certain that I'm a better mother/wife/nurse when I'm able to do these little things for myself. I truly feel on top of the game when my hair has a fresh trim and my eyebrows are groomed and there is a little glimmer to my face because I was able to exfoliate.
Early this morning I snuck out of the apartment as the baby had her morning nap and I went to my favourite coffee shop for my morning java. I was able to sit down at a table and drink my latte out of a real cup and saucer at my own pace and it was a total slice. After an extra early morning start the espresso was greatly appreciated and I appreciated being able to have 10 minutes to myself to just sit and be. After that I walked down the street and had a pedicure. Nothing fancy but totally perfect and I was able to do something that takes care of me a bit. Something about freshly painted toes makes me feel on top of things. Of course, life at home carries on and I soon got an urgent text from my husband asking me when I was coming home as Ben was under the weather.
Morning latte at Caffe Artigiano. Pedicure at Pure Nail Bar. Sick boy Ben sleeping on the couch.
This morning couldn't have come at a better time as I'm currently taking care of a sick boy and a sick husband. Two parents sick at the same time would be terrible and a sick baby would really suck big time too, so I'm being very vigilant with my disinfecting! When I'm able to take care of myself I know that I'm better able to take on day to day life just a bit more easily.
What do you do to take care of yourself?
It's the third week of January and the Winter chill has hit us. More or less it has effected our skin and skin tells the truth with its cracks and lines. It roars with anger when it is dry and dehydrated and sings sweet songs when it is adequately moisturized. My big pet peeve is dry chapped lips due to the elements, so I'm always ready with something to seep the moisture back into my skin.
Recently I've fallen in love with a splurge from the shop L'Occitane En Provence. I'm loving their shea butter balm lip stick and can't rave enough about this luscious buttery lip chap. At $12.00 it does lean more on the splurge side and also serves its purpose very well. This is one of those chaps that I keep stashed away in my purse, out of the reach of tiny hands.
During the holidays I was given a tube of lip butter from Rocky Mountain Soap Companyand it was an instant reward. With it's soft velvety coverage and perfectly soft fragrant scent it was a hit. Plus at the $5 price point it's not so hard on the pocket. If you came over you'd also find a tube of the drugstore brand chap Lypsyl, tossed on my counter amongst keys and random receipts. I can usually pick this brand up for under $2.00 and also use it on my son when he has dry chapped lips too.
Splurge... Steal.
Last weekend we hosted a small celebration for Josie's 1st birthday and it went spectacularly well. By the end of the evening we felt the love! Back in 2009 when I planned Ben's 1st birthday party we had a largish guest list, a bunch of transportation of party goods (hot food!) to another location, along with a bit more chaos. This time around I wanted a special celebration but I also wanted it to be low key, stress free and casual. Which is exactly what we got! I really hate it when I get all uppity about a special occasion and vowed to try and change things. I just wanted to enjoy the moment and not get caught up in the fuss.
The planner in me did not let the little things go unnoticed and I quite enjoyed putting the pieces of Josie's celebration together the month before. I invited all of our local family along with 3 special maternity nurses to join the party. How amazing is it to have some of the woman, that were one of the first people to meet Josie, at her birthday party? It was awesome and it was perfect!
In an attempt to curb my own stress I wanted to have someone else be in charge of the birthday cake. I connected with Tessa of Vancouver's Sweet Bake Shop, and ordered up a chocolate layered cake with a mix of strawberry and vanilla bean icing. She also made some rose icing cookies that I gifted as party favours. Tessa was so fabulous to work with and Josie really enjoyed her piece of chocolate birthday cake. I love supporting local businesses and will be ordering more cakes from her in the future!
I have a love affair with all things Etsy and so naturally I gravitated to the site when I was looking for a few personalized birthday items to make this party special. I found the perfect birthday banner for the occasion from the Seattle Etsy shop Get The Party Started. The quality was perfect and I can reuse this banner for future birthday parties. The owner of the shop was easy to deal with. There is just something about heavy card stock that makes me happy. I wish I had a crafty (patient) bone in my body but I do not, so I am glad for Etsy.
I might be pulling a bit of an Oprah here but I think every event should have fresh flowers. I connected with local boutique flower shop Queensberry Flower Company and gave them my requests for a smallish flower arrangement and was so happy with the final product.
The birthday girl only lasted an hour of her party before she needed to go to bed. We dined on my husband's fabulous homemade lasagna (he made the pasta from scratch), ate cake and had a nice evening together in celebration of family, and of love and of each other. I feel content and eager knowing that there is so many people that love our dear Josephine.
Of course, nothing quite says a party like a fancy party frock! Bought month in advance because that is just how I roll with my tendency for preplanning. This was a perfect first birthday celebration and I'm so happy with how everything worked together.
One of my favourite activities to do is to have a quite soak in a warm bath. Alone. Just me and a trashy magazine and a plethora of bathing products. I usually don't just have a plain water bath, I'm always adding something to the tub to make it an experience rather than just a chance to get clean. I might drizzle in some aromatherapy oils, bath salts or maybe some bubbles. I pair my soak nicely with my use of body scrubs, facial masks and anything else that I might have in stock!
"He'd snuggle in on my big pregnant tummy and feel the baby kicking at his cheek and I'd just soak in the warmth. When I remind him of these morning baths we had together he has no memory of them at all, but I do and they are dear to me."
If my children had it their way they would hop right into the tub with me every chance they got, bringing in their water toys, bath books and stacking cups to play with. Of course, on occasion, I do haul them into the tub with me but it isn't a truly relaxing soak. It is more about playtime, or a time killer, or even a mood reset for a case of the grumps. A bath is almost purely medicinal when it comes to fussy babies or upset children!
Last year when I was pregnant I'd wake up with a lot of pain everywhere. Even my fingers ached badly by the end of that pregnancy. So, every morning just after I woke up I'd draw a warm bath and heave my big belly into the tub, letting Ben play in the water by my feet. It gave me moments of not having to do anything but also the comfort and joy of being with my tiny boy as he played with me watching. He'd snuggle in on my big tummy and feel the baby kicking at his cheek and I'd just soak in the warmth. When I remind him of these morning baths we had together he has no memory of them at all, but I do and they are dear to me.
I have pretty strong memories of my mum taking a bath when I was a girl. Sometimes she'd allow us to come in and chat to her while she soaked. My childhood self thought that she must really enjoy having me their in the bathroom with her during her bath. Why wouldn't she want one of her children with her at all times? Now I know that she was merely just appeasing my entrance and would have probably really enjoyed being left alone.
Of course, I have a list of my very favourite bath products and they range from drugstore finds to boutique splurges. This past Christmas stocked me up very well in the product department and I currently have many new bottles and sachets to last many many baths. If you aren't sure what to buy me as present you can be sure that I will always appreciate anything bath related.
Let's hear it for bath bombs from Lush! Scrubs from Khiels! Lotions and potions from Skoah! Mmmm hmm! This girl is in heaven as I've currently been gifted all of these lovely products!
Are you a bathing beauty like me? Do tell!
For Christmas I asked for a pair of chunky fingerless gloves. My husband helped Ben pick some a pair of grey gloves for me and I love them. As a stroller pushing mama in the city, I thought fingerless gloves would be helpful in holding my latte without it slipping to the pavement below. Err....I mean, help me tend to the baby during those cold morning walks to Ben's school. Clipping her in and out of the stroller, wiping her little nose, snapping up Ben's buttons on his big coat and carefully dishing out goldfish crackers. All of these things are a little bit more frustrating when I'm wearing my regular gloves. Hence, the necessity of fingerless gloves.
Celebrity mama, Katie Holmes, working her fingerless gloves.
My husband thought it was a bit of a silly thing for someone to ask for but went along with it anyways. I think the logical part of his brain was likening it to wearing shorts out on a cold cold day. However, I was thinking about the motherly function of fingerless gloves. Many people who choose this hand warmer actually wear these for the ease of texting and tweeting out and about while keeping warm. Of course, on a truly blizzardy day fingerless gloves would prove to be a bit ridiculous and I'd opt in for something that covers all of my fingers!
What do you think about fingerless gloves? Yea or nay? Apparently they are also called, 'glovettes'.
It appears that I've taken a bit of an unintentional blogging break. I'm not sure why as I've been churning out amazing blog posts in my brain and I really really love writing my posts. The truth is, I haven't had much time to sit by myself with out anyone touching me or without something to wrap. Which is okay, and I've embraced it, but in the mean time my regular blogging posts have sat on the side lines.
I've been celebrating Christmas with my family and planning a special first birthday celebration that happens in a couple of weeks. Don't fret, I've got some fun stuff up my sleeves for the New Year. Tomorrow I will celebrate my seventh wedding anniversary with my dear husband over a swanky dinner out with expensive cocktails.
Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Image credit
When I think about celebrating special occasions I tend to think about cracking open a bottle of something alcoholic and bubbly. My husband does not love bubbly adult beverages, so I'm often left seeking out moments that I can bust open a bottle with girlfriends or family. Despite even having authentic real champagne, my husband still turns his nose up at the taste and the carbonation. I quite like sipping on sweet or dry wine that has a sparkle added to it.
Of course, most bubbly beverages are not truly champagne but a sparkling wine, and I'm okay with that. Currently residing in my fridge is a chilled bottle of Oyster Bay Cuvèe Brut from New Zealand that I'm going to open with my girlfriend this Wednesday when we have a little Christmas celebration at my place. I haven't tried it before but it has got me a little bit excited. Hence the blog post about sparkling wine.
I would really love to have a dozen or so of beautiful champagne flutes in my collection of glassware, but I have zero. Currently, any sparkling wine will be sipped out of a wine glass which will work just fine, but a girl can dream. I quite like the simplicity of the Viv Flute from Crate and Barrel and at $6.15 a glass it isn't too outrageous to wish for a set of flutes! Recently I was browsing for Christmas pressies at Fine Finds in Yaletown and was offered a glass of sparkling wine as soon as I walked in the door. I graciously accepted the flute (obviously) while I looked around the shop. How could I say no? Even sweet Josephine's upcoming birthday next month will be kicked off with a boisterous opening of a bottle of bubbles.
Well, we just got back from more traveling in the sunshine! I know! I'm back in the city and finding my groove again amongst the raindrops. I've also already had sushi and done all of the holiday laundry, so that's a win win. We flew to Phoenix and then on to Tampa to meet up with my husbands l-a-r-g-e family for a much overdue family reunion. For the last week we have been hanging out at St. Pete beach in sunny Florida, which is a pretty decent place for a family meet up. I'm also pretty sure that this past week I ate Josie's weight in fried delights, including alligator that I tried for the first time.
When I was growing up I had no aunts or uncles, and subsequently no cousins. Which left our family meet ups to be small. So, it was a real treat to see Ben running around with the troop of his American cousins. They are quite a bit older than him so he'd call them all, 'the teenagers' and admired them insanely which never got old to watch. Luckily for us, they were so good to him and put up with his 4 year old antics.
It has been great to be able to do a couple of trips back to back like this and I give full thanks to my year long maternity leave for making that happen! I go back to work Feb. 9th and I'm starting to stare at the calendar. This has been a fantastic year off from work and I'm so glad of the time that we have been able to spend together and make use of Josie's passport that I got back when she was 8 weeks old.
I'm loving this photo so much and can't wait to get a print made. Josie is on the verge of walking and having Ben hold her hands in the water made her squeal.
*** The contest is now closed! The winner via random number generator is Swank Mama!!***
Last week on a cool crisp blue sky day, we had the opportunity to have some professional photos taken of our family. It's always my husband documenting our life behind the lens and that leaves us with very little photos of him and the kids. When Justine Boulin, the talent behind Vancouver's B Life Photography, offered our family a complimentary family session we were totally excited!
Justine was able to arrange a time that worked around naps, preschool and everything in between and came to our neighbourhood to document us in our element. Right from the very start Justine was personable and at ease with both of my kids. It was actually pretty hilarious as Ben felt very comfortable around her and was extra cheesing it up for her.
The thing that I love about Justine is her photojournalistic approach coupled with her use of natural light. She focuses on keeping you in your element without relying on props or staged situations. For our photography session we walked around our neighbourhood, stopping for some playtime at the park and visiting special little spots along the way. We even grabbed a coffee along the way! Justine has a real passion for capturing life's moments as they are unfolding and I think you can see that in all of these photos.
B Life Photography is giving one reader a very generous photography prize package. The winner will get their choice of newborn, maternity or family session. You will also get to choose 12 edited images from an online gallery and receive a customized disk of the 12 images. You will also get to choose one 8X10 to have printed. This prize package is valued at $500. This is a really fantastic prize and I'm so glad to host this giveaway.
How to enter!
I'm going to try and make this super simple for you to enter. You can have a total of 4 separate entries per person. ***TO GET YOUR 4 ENTRIES YOU MUST LEAVE 4 DIFFERENT COMMENTS***
1. Enter the contest by leaving a comment on this post telling me when you last had family photos done. This entry is mandatory to enter the contest.
2. Follow me on Twitter and leave me a comment on this post telling me. If you already follow me, just leave a comment to get your extra entry!@Apartment_Mama
3. Follow B Life Photos on Twitter and let me know via a comment on this post. @blifephotos
4. The last way to get an additional entry is to go over to Facebook and like their fan page B Life Photography. Of course, come back here and let me know!
The Fine Print!
You have until December 2013 to redeem your price. The family photo session is just for your immediate family members. My family can't enter to win this prize. The session will take place within the Greater Vancouver area and as far out as the Langley area. The winner may give this prize to someone as a gift. This contest will close Dec.1, 2012!
