That's a Wrap

Well. It's that time. Time to sign off. With over 1000 posts and a surprising 8 years, it's time to say a real goodbye.

This blog has been more important to me than I could've ever imagined. It sounds trite but it's been a really good friend. It let me document the funnest ride of my life — being a new parent — a time I cherish deeply. It let me keep track of our family travels and some of the fun things we did and learned in summer, while camping, and much more. And it gave me an excuse to be creative outside of my work as a designer. It also taught me how to be grateful everyday.

I'm looking forward to turning these posts into a book, so we can browse the pages with our now 6 foot, 11 year old Spud. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you find something interesting or inspiring.

You can now follow me on instagram where I will post my ongoing creative pursuits.

It's been amazing. Adieu. xo

Summer Fun Passport: Take an After Dark Walk

After dark in the summer, in our neck of the woods, is very late for our little Spud to be up and about ... so I thought this little neighbourhood trundle would be a little treat — Potato the pup enjoyed it too. 

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Summer Fun Passport List 2014

Here we go again ... our 3rd annual Summer Fun Passport List. Summertime is just around the corner, and I can't wait. What's on your summer bucket list?

1. GO OUTSIDE

• Watch the Sunset
• Make Art, en plein air (with portable sketchbox)
• Fly a Kite
• Take a Neighbourhood Walk, After Dark
• Bike the Seawall
• Go Camping with Friends
• Go on a New Hike with Puppy (avoid burrs!)
• Have a Water Fight
• Make a Sprinkler Play Area in the Yard
• Host a Beach Potluck
• Swim in the Ocean
• Go Kayaking
• Go Sailing
• Spend a Hot Afternoon at an Outdoor Pool
• Go to at least one of the local Summer Night Markets
• Go to an Outdoor Concert. The VSO!
• Go Nature Journaling
• Go Canoe Camping
• Go Geocaching
• Go Berry Picking
• Spend a Day at the Amusement Park
• Plant a Tree Somewhere
• Grow Something in the Garden
• Train for a 5K fun run

2. READ + WRITE

• Join the library's Summer Reading Club
• Write Letters to Family (using our letter writing kit)
• Write a Book Review (like this)
• Write a Fan Letter
• Start a Journal

3. DO

• Run a Lemonade Stand
• Choose a Science Experiment to do with Daddy (from this book)
• Learn some Morse Code
• Work on Stamp Collection
• Wash the Car
• Play Board Games on a Rainy Day
• Take a Cooking Class
• Learn about an Unfamiliar Country and Try its Cuisine (we did Ethiopia last year)
• Go to a Gelateria

4. MAKE

• Do a Soapstone Carving
• Make a Kiwi Crate Project (like this)
• Draw Castles
• Make another Heart Map
• Create Cityscape with Block Printing
• Make a Klimt-inspired Art Piece (inspired by our trip to Vienna. See here + here.)
• Make a Weaving
• Decorate Mugs with Porcelain Pens (tutorial here)
• Decorate a T-Shirt
• Sew Your Own Zipper Bag
• Make Sprinkle Milkshakes (like this)
• Make a Solar Powered Lunch (Pizza + Tea)
• Make the Parents Lunch
• Make a Spring-form Cake
• Make Freezer Jam
• Make Banana Splits
• Make a New Zoku (popsicle) Recipe

Here's our 2013 list and our 2012 list and here are all our "ticks" so far.
And I'm pinning all kinds of summer fun here all the time.

Our Summer Day Camp Shortlist 2014

SUMMER DAY CAMP 2014 |  VANCOUVER, BC

• Bike Camp  —  Pedalheads
• Cooking Science and Urban Design  —  Pear Tree Education
• Dog Agility Training Camp  —  DogSmart
• Fencing  —  UBC Summer Camp
• Golf Camp  —  The First Tee, YMCA
• Minecraft Camp  —  MineCampKids

Others we've participated in the past with a thumbs up:
Arts Umbrella  —  Fine, Performing, and Media Arts
Christianne's Lyceum — Book Clubs, Writing Clubs, Creativity and Imagination
Dizzy Whisk  —  Cooking
Eliot Creative Arts Camp — Multi-generational Overnight Camp
MacSailing — Sailing, Kayaking and Stand-up Paddleboarding
Seymour Eco-Adventure Camp  — Hiking, Survival Skills, Wilderness Appreciation
Science World  —  Science
YMCA  —  Swimming, Group Games and Activities, Field Trips, Themes

Others that we want to check out next year:
Mozart School of Music
Archery! If we can find something close by ...

Makes Me Happy: Spring Surprises

Our first spring in our new house has been full of surprises, including glorious tulips and bunches and bunches of grape hyacinth popping up everywhere! We happily added those daisy-like flowers into the mix ... the colour combination is making me very happy.

>>Welcome to Makes Me Happy Wednesdays. A photo. A caption. Just a little something for which I am grateful.

Makes Me Happy: The Long Awaited Sun

A recent trip to Toronto meant a couple of days of harrowing walks in -12 °C including the kind of forceful wind that takes your breath away, literally. Made us love the sun that much more when it finally made an appearance.


>>Welcome to Makes Me Happy Wednesdays. A photo. A caption. Just a little something for which I am grateful.

Someone's a Whole Decade Old!

Makes Me Happy: Little Breakfast Maker

This morning I woke up to this ... Spud made be breakfast! The highlight had to be the toasted butter sandwich, with a smiley face carved (subtly) in the top slice.

Makes Me Happy: Our Little Bunny

>>Welcome to Makes Me Happy Wednesdays. A photo. A caption. Just a little something for which I am grateful.

Makes Me Happy: Having a Field Day

>>Welcome to Makes Me Happy Wednesdays. A photo. A caption. Just a little something for which I am grateful.

2014. Let's Do This.

This may seem a little late for resolutions ... but I figure we are still in January, and, well, is it ever too late to take time to reflect and put some thought into what you want your future to look like? Last year had plenty to be grateful for. But it sure had its ups and downs too. And there are some things that will naturally spill over to this year. But nonetheless I'm looking forward to a new, fresh year full of hope and possibility.

Meet my log book. I started this ritual last year and it worked really well. In bullet points, for each day, I enter all those important things that happened. Workouts. Creative pursuits. Completed To Do list items. For items that have predetermined goals I keep track of my weekly progress on a chart on the front page.

And this year I will keep track of my progress on my resolutions as well. So, here are the 6 things I'm resolving to do this year.

KEEP IN TOUCH
I resolve to keep in touch with the ones I love, that are near and dear to me, even if I can't do face to face. That means more "just because emails" to those I can't get to see very often. Sending personal updates to family that live far away. Having more coffee dates with the people that inspire me and make my heart happy. I'm so blessed to have a quality group of great people in my life and it's stupid to be too busy to stay connected to them.

TAKE CARE
· Time to deal with those overdue doctor appointments!
· Do Yoga 3 days per week
· Gym or Fitness class 2 days per week
· Family Fitness Fun at least 1 day per week such as long hike or bike

SLOW DOWN
As much for the kid's sake as mine. His pace is naturally (waaaaay) slower than mine, and we will all be so much happier if I find a way to plan for it, accommodate it and just generally accept it.

BE USEFUL
While Hubs is going to be the VP of our giant reno project this year, I want to figure out where my strengths are and contribute meaningfully to the process. I'm hoping it doesn't include heavy lifting or brute force though. Let that be noted.

BE FRUGAL
We just bought a house. Need I say more.

CREATE!
Everyday. Set mini goals and track them. No excuses.

Spud's resolution, "to send notes and artwork to family throughout the year".

Hubs resolution is definitely revolving around a million home reno projects.

Well, we have a busy and exciting year ahead. Let's do this.

Makes Me Happy: An Inspiring Evening

Above is Spud with the Kenyan Boys Choir after a beautiful performance at a Me to We event supporting Free the Children. So grateful Spud and I could both be present at this super inspiring event. Also did a little shopping! For a great cause! Check it out.

Welcome to Makes Me Happy Wednesdays. Why not celebrate hump day with a little happiness? A photo. A Caption. A smile. The stuff life is made of.

Today is Just About Being Grateful

Yesterday. Full of shock and "what if's?". And reliving that moment. Oh, that moment. That horrifying moment that happens to every parent when they think, believe, worry, that the unthinkable has happened to one of their children. If you're like me ... with an over active imagination ... these mini moments of horror happen way more often than you ever thought possible. In most cases I'm able to keep my cool while I wait for confirmation that everything is fine, with a lot of self talk. But it was tougher this time.

Just around 1 pm Hubs and Spud went down to the bike room to grab Spud's bike. His friend's mom had called that morning to arrange a spontaneous bike ride day since the weather had turned out so beautiful. They met at the front of our building. Sunscreen. Check. Helmets. Check. Hubs sees them off as they walk down the block to the intersection where they will cross to get to the park.

I'm in our apartment when I hear a terrible crash outside. More alarming than I've ever heard from our apartment of 12 years. And followed by screams. And yes, I thought of Spud and our friends right away. As I'm rushing to look out on the deck I'm trying to figure out in my mind where the boys would be at that moment. Would they still be at the intersection? Or perhaps they are already at the park? I have no sense of how long it would take to get the bike from the bike room. Hubs came in the door, right then, with a smile ... "Did you hear the crash?" I asked. It happened when he was in the elevator. From the deck we hear people yelling. All traffic is stopped. People are sprinting to our corner with a frightening sense of urgency.

Hubs' height means he can lean over a bit more than me. He sees a black SUV on the sidewalk. The very sidewalk the boys would be waiting to cross the street. He says "I'll see you down there". He's gone. I can't find my keys. And then I do. "No. This is not real". I find my purse. "You tend to over react. Wait for the facts". I find my phone. Put the puppy in her pen. "Does my boy need me?". I lock the door behind me. And I see in my mind, my precious, crazy little red head crumpled on the sidewalk and I push it out of my mind again. "Where is the bleeping elevator!?" I feel panic. The doors open. I forget to hit "M" for a moment.

Walking through the lobby felt like slow motion. "Why is this taking so long?". There are the two bikes on the street corner. Potato chipped wheels and bent frames. Unnaturally stacked on top of each other which provides no clues. No sign of the boys. "Breathe". Traffic is blocked by emergency vehicles already. Twenty or thirty people are milling around. I walk around the back of the SUV. And there is "R", Spud's buddy. Lying on his back. Mom by his side. Like a rock. Paramedics tending to him. He's conscious. "Where's my boy?". I see Hubs on the other side of the SUV. Standing there. With no expression. I go around the front and there is Spud walking towards me. With a bewildered smile. In one piece. Small bumps here and there but totally fine. "R" was soon taken to Children's Hospital to be thoroughly checked. Sent home later that night with the type of injuries that can heal over time. And we are filled with gratitude that it is only that.

And today we are filled with gratitude for those 15 or so people that rushed over to lift the SUV off our trapped little friend. And for the witness that memorized the license plate of the hit-and-run vehicle involved in the accident. And for the man who gave Spud a towel and helped me realize that my son needed to sit down. And the person who grabbed a chair from a nearby patio for him so he didn't have to sit on the sidewalk. And for our neighbour who told me that having "a small piece of bread helps in times of shock" and gave Spud a slice of warm soft bread from his nearby restaurant. It seemed to help. And for the emergency response people who dealt with the kids with tender and grace.

The rest of the day was an exercise of going back and forth between imagining the worst and being grateful that we still have our precious boys. Shaken, stirred, and little broken. But for the most part in one piece. And today is just about being grateful.

UPDATE: news story about the hit-and-run driver

Makes Me Happy: Board Games on the Weekend

The rain came this weekend. Just the excuse we needed to bust out our Lost Cities game for the 10+ crowd. Spud and I love playing this and it has been awhile. It's about strategy, problem solving, adventure, and a pinch of math thrown in for good measure.

Welcome to Makes Me Happy Wednesdays. Why not celebrate hump day with a little happiness? A photo. A Caption. A smile. What made you smile recently?

Summer Fun Passport: Tie Your Own Shoes!

The kid's got a new pair of shoes. And there is no velcro to be seen. It's time, finally, to step up, take the plunge, and learn how to tie your own shoes, kid. I'm re-introducing the idea this time, with a couple of videos I found on the topic.

First, a sweet and simple animation ...

And a Sesame Street skit!

Here's our full Summer Fun Passport List for 2013 and our passport we made to keep track of everything we accomplish this summer!

Summer Fun Passport: Piggy Back Ride

Here's our full Summer Fun Passport List for 2013 and our passport we made to keep track of everything we accomplish this summer!

Makes Me Happy: Chilllin' on the Deck

Beating the heat on the deck with some reading time.

Summer Fun Passport: Sailing Lessons

"Scary and fun all at once" pretty much sums it up. The first day he spent in the coach boat. It was a choppy day and he was convinced they were going to flip over. By day 5 he was doing capsizing practice and loving it.


Here's our full Summer Fun Passport List for 2013 and our passport we made to keep track of everything we accomplish this year!

Makes Me Happy: Poppies and Sunshine

Passing by a community garden walking home from Spud's swimming lesson, something caught our eye.


Welcome to Makes Me Happy Wednesdays. Why not celebrate hump day with a little happiness, I say? A photo. A Caption. A smile. What made you smile recently?

Makes Me Happy: My Yoga Mat

Every time I roll out my mat I think of the day that I told Hubs I needed one for a class I wanted to take and he secretly ran out on his lunch break to surprised me with it after work.


Welcome to Makes Me Happy Wednesdays. Why not celebrate hump day with a little happiness? A photo. A Caption. A smile. What made you smile recently?