And knowing that they are in the past, makes me recognize that some of my most cherished things today will soon be a yesterday. From the daily pleasures of parenthood, these are the things I’d like to bottle-up forever:

• How Max, who is 3, will run downstairs if he notices that I am in the laundry and chant, “I help? I help!”
• How Max says “Aw-wright” instead of “Alright.” I can’t even bear to correct him, it is just that cute.
• How Stella, who is 9, will get Max some breakfast in the morning and even put his potty seat on the toilet for him.
• How when I come home from work, both kids rush out to greet me with hugs and “Hi Mom!”
• How Stella has decided that she will be an artist and go to the same university that I went to, in the hopes of staying in the same dorm building.
• How Max has the most adorable dimples right above his bottom.
• How Stella shares all her feelings so frankly with us.

I know these things will change with time. So I record them here, and hope it helps me remember them forever.

I don’t even really care for downhill skiing though. It’s just an experience that I’d like my children to have. But when you visit a ski resort for a weekend, it is a HOLIDAY! And I love holidays. So I am so excited that we’re going to visit Smuggler’s Notch, or “Smuggs,” as it’s often called.

I’ve heard about Smuggler’s for ages and the thing that really caught my attention was the stellar reputation of their kids’ programs. The resort has invited my family to visit for a three-night stay this winter season. To help us learn more about the resort and plan our stay, we were sent a package, which arrived this weekend.

Wow, this is no ski hill and a few restaurants. This is like a winter Disneyland — there is so much to do!

We watched the DVD that came in the package on Sunday evening. Stella, who’s nine, is particularly excited about the zipline and the arts & crafts programs. Max, who’s three, is interested in the skiing with other children. And Hubby, who is snow-crazy, is excited that not only can he ski and snowboard, but he can also go ice-climbing.

As for me, I’m looking forward to having a proper ski lesson (normally I just point my skiis straight ahead and hold my breath down the green hills!) and taking part in a guided snow-shoe trek. But I’m also hoping that if the kids’ programs are as great as they are reputed to be, that I can grab a bit of “me time” while we’re there as well. Is that so wrong?

When we celebrated our first anniversary, we went to a bed and breakfast in Kingston. Although it sounds peaceful and romantic, and that was certainly the intention, it really wasn’t. A couple staying above us came in really late and made a whole lot of racket laughing and stumbling around drunk, which was followed by some other, ahem, “noises” that kept us up half the night.

But after that first anniversary, it all starts to get fuzzy and mostly involves me forgetting what the actual date was in January (thank goodness Hubby had the date engraved on his ring or we’d never remember!). We did, however, manage to pull out all the stops for our 10th anniversary. Hubby asked whether I’d like a special piece of jewelry or a trip. I said “trip!” And off to Cuba the three of us went (Stella was 5). We had a fabulous time!

Now, it’s 15 years. That’s a biggie sort of anniversary, isn’t it? In the morning, Hubby gave me this beautiful card:

I looked up what the traditional gift is supposed to be for year #15 and this is what I found:

“Crystal is the primary material for the fifteenth anniversary with glass as the modern material and watches as the alternate modern choice. Beautiful crystal jewelry, crystal flowers, or a figurine would make a nice gift. The crystal anniversary is also a great opportunity to invest in a feature piece of decorative crystal or art glass for your home.”

So in case Hubby was feeling a bit lost, there is some definite clear guidance out there on what is considered the appropriate gift for celebrating a 15th wedding anniversary. Being a man of unique tastes, he instead opted to give me this. He explained that this gift, with its ability to increase the effectiveness of our interpersonal communications, could certainly get us through the next 15 years.

What can I say? The man is genius. GENUIS! I tell ya.

Happy anniversary baby! xoxo

Some of the most cherished homemade gifts I’ve received include a quilt from my mother-in-law for each bed in the house, a quilt from my special Aussie girlfriend Nat, and a scrapbooked collage from my mom. As for gifts from Hubby, I can’t even list the number of homemade gifts he’s made for me over the years. He is crazy-talented and I’ve received everything from jewelry, decorative boxes, and artwork to a cedar-strip canoe and a bed!

This year for Christmas, I was fortunate enough to receive two homemade gifts. The first was a painting by my father. Hubby and I are beyond thrilled with this since it’s the first painting that he’s painted especially for us. And the second is this very groovy tote from my sister and brother-in-law. Check it out! (You know it’ll be on my arm at the next BlogHer or Blissdom, don’t you!)

On the front is the image that represents the age-old saying: “The pen is mightier than the sword.”

And on the back, you can see that the tote has been customized for the blog! Here is a close-up shot:

They also gave me a cookie-mix in a jar. I’m glad it looks pretty in the jar on my shelf since, well, I don’t bake or cook. But it’s the thought that counts, right?

July 2011: By this time, our family had moved into a new home while simultaneously welcoming overseas family to Canada for the first time. It was busy, but we had fun! We shared as much of our area with them as possible, including Canada Day in downtown Ottawa and a visit to Toronto. A sense of relief was also felt by Hubby and I as we settled into our new neighbourhood and adjusted to the change. In total, I published 6 posts in July.

August 2011: Making hay while the sun is shining, I spent some time in the Land O’ Lakes with girlfriends and our family took a camping trip to Algonquin Park. August is also Stella’s birthday month and we celebrated her 9th birthday with friends and family. Last year before she hits double digits! In total, I wrote 10 posts.

September 2011: We managed to decorate Stella’s bedroom in the new house — as per the promise we made her before moving. (The rest of the house remains fairly untouched to this day! *sigh*) I did some mild ranting about the Back-to-School push to buy-buy-buy as well as what I saw as the declining state of Canadian Business magazine. And last but least, I hatched a crazy idea for my 40th birthday called “Month of Me.” In total, I published 9 posts.

October 2011: This month was a wild ride! My 40th birthday was going to take place in October and I decided that the entire month should be a fun, guilt-free time where my priorities and desires would always come first. I didn’t have the time to write about everything that happened in October, but it included a ton of lunches with girlfriends, two blogging conferences, a trip to New York City, time with my Hubby, a massive Thanksgiving dinner outside with all of my family, and a messy celebration at 4 Cats Art Studio! Phew! In total, I wrote 11 posts.

November 2011: This was a busy month catching up on all the things I neglected in October! But I did manage to write a few snippets from the New York City trip and share my new-found love for home decor. In total, I wrote 10 posts in November.

December 2011: No surprise that of the 11 posts I wrote in December, 6 of them were related to Christmas. Surprisingly, the most popular of these was the first Christmas gift guide that I’d created for Coffee with Julie. (A lot of people do gift guides, so I wasn’t sure how it would be received.) But mostly I think I just succeeded in annoying a lot of faithful Ikea folks. Oops.

And now we’re here — 2012! — a whole year has passed. The easiest, but sometimes tear-inducing, way for me to see the passage of time is to look at my children. They have grown so much in the past year. My son Max went from a quiet toddler who was slow to speak to a great big boy who is now happily chatting away to us, while my daughter Stella never ceases to amaze (and amuse) us with the depth of her kindness and intelligence. Both occupy our days (and sometimes our nights) endlessly, and yet they are the source of a type of joy that makes life worth living.

Hubby and I know that the universe has been kind to us, and we are very grateful for the happiness and health of our family. We do not take this for granted, but rather we often look at each other before we go to sleep and say, “We are so lucky.” (Happiness doesn’t come easy to me, but I practice gratitude every day.) I sincerely hope that you can also share in this kind of “luck” in the year ahead, in whatever form that might take … an ignited career passion, adventures in forests, or a hobby that lights your heart.

From our family to yours — Happy New Year! — and may the days of 2012 treat you well. xox

January 2011: The new year started on a very high note when I found out that Coffee with Julie had placed 2nd and 3rd in two Canadian Weblog Awards. Then I started a thread of posts on over-consumption (I had so many other posts I wanted to write about on this topic, but never seemed to find the time to piece them together), that included a fabulous guest post by Pam Dillon. By mid-month, I had already faltered on some of my New Year’s resolutions. And finally, I gave up all pretenses of not being a social media geek and instead proudly announced this with a new piece of jewelry. In total, I wrote 12 posts that month.

February 2011: My grandmother turned 87 in this month, and I wrote about the passage of time. The nostalgic themes continued with a post on my first kiss, and a few other ramblings. In total, I wrote 7 posts in February.

March 2011: In this month, I had my first piece published in Parent & Child magazine and it was based on a birthday post from Coffee with Julie. I also shared a really spooky ghost story and jumped on the bandwagon to comment on “The Tiger Mom” concept embraced by Amy Chua. In total, I wrote 9 posts.

April 2011: This was a busy time for our family because we were getting the house that we’d lived in for 14 years ready for sale. I wrote a semi-pathetic sort of rambling letter to my blog explaining my lack of posts. And we were all quite shaken from witnessing our neighbour’s house go up in flames. In total, I wrote 8 posts.

May 2011: This was a fun month because I was given the opportunity to attend Blog World & New Media Expo in New York City for my work. I didn’t write much about it but did manage to share the trip via tweets. But my absolute favourite post from this month was “A conversation about Twitter and DH.” I wrote a total of 5 published posts and 1 still in draft titled “Misery thy name is OUTDOOR bootcamp.” (Related: I quit Bootcamp in May.)

June 2011: With the end of the school year came the bi-annual conundrum of what kind of teacher gift is appropriate (if any). I also wrote about QR codes and LinkedIn, but in the background we had sold our home — the first home and the only one our children had known — and I had anxiety about change on the mind. Oh, and Stella got a buckle fracture on her arm from rough-housing around outside. In total, I wrote 9 posts and 2 additional posts are still sitting there in draft format (poor neglected things!).

With each year, time passes more quickly. And that’s why this blog is so special to me … it is a chronicle of my life and looking back through the first 6 months of 2011 has brought back all sorts of great memories. Tomorrow, I’ll look at the final 6 months of 2011. Thanks for joining me on this trip down memory lane! Happy New Year to us All! xox

If you want to try it, you’ll need:

• Brown paper bags (Michaels)
• Paper doilies (The Dollar Store)
• Glue for sticking the doilies on the bag (The Dollar Store)
• Ribbon (Michaels)

So, in that spirit, I thought I’d share some gift ideas that I think are “winners” under the $30 price range. Some are products that were sent to me to review and some are simply things I’ve come across on my own.

1. Walrooz sleds: These cheerful sleds have a super-cute walrus design that my kids immediately loved. I admit I felt a tad disappointed when I received a sample of the large sled ($11.95) and a smaller connecting sled ($7.45) — they seemed smaller and thinner than I expected. But then I remembered that my absolute favourite sled as a kid was a Krazy Karpet (if you grew up in the 70s, you know exactly what I mean, don’t you?!). Anyhow, we haven’t had a chance to actually test these out on snow, but both kids (age 3 and 9) keep practicing down the stairs in the house and they are a real hit. The handles have held up to all the abuse and the linking mechanism is so perfect for how kids really do like to sled.

2. LeapFrog Fridge Words: I have yet to meet a child who wasn’t fascinated by LeapFrog’s series of magnet toys ($19.99-29.99). My kids have loved them all. You can read a post here on this toy and “interesting” ways in which my daughter has played with it. Tip: Keep it stored inside the kitchen cabinet and pull it out only when you really need some child-free time, like when you’re cooking dinner.

3. Warriors: Power of Three Box Set: If you’re going to give a book, it always feel a little more special to give a boxed set. Some of my favourites gifts from when I was a child (and I still have them in my book case!) are the Anne of Green Gables, and The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe, and the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory sets. I still love these sets and would still recommend them for kids today. But if you are looking for something a little “now,” both boys and girls are really enjoying this series called “Warriors.” Although the name sounds a tad violent, it is a series about a clan of cats. The starter set in the picture below is priced at $17.10 and was given to Stella on her 9th birthday by a good friend. (For more book recommendations from Stella, check out the right hand column of this blog, where she had identified a number of them.)

4. Sculpey Sculpturing Compound: Available from Lee Valley (the sampler pack is $29.50), this set is for the imaginative child who dreams, doodles and talks of fantasy creatures. It’s a great treat to pull out on a weekend with some hot chocolate, and the bonus is that unlike so many other crafty activities, it makes so little mess.

5. National Geographic Kids subscription: Remember how exciting it was to have a letter arrive to the house with your name on it? Well, even though mail is rarely ever delivered to homes anymore and people rarely ever send letters anymore, kids still LOVE getting mail! A magazine subscription is a gift that lasts the whole year. Owl ($39.50) has a science bent, Kayak ($21.95) has a historical focus, and National Geographic Kids ($22.00) covers a lot of critters and creatures. To present as a gift, pick up the current issue in the stores and wrap with a ribbon and a little explanatory note. Tip: If you are buying more than two magazines subscriptions, you can purchase from the Magazines Canada site and receive the third subscription for free.

6. Little Dottie Bracelet: Stella & Dot have the sweetest jewelry sets for girls. And the best part is that they come in a gorgeous little tin (okay, okay, I am a sucker for packaging!). My favourite is the Little Dottie Bracelet ($16.00) and matching necklace ($29.00). Stella isn’t into jewelry really, but I recently gave my niece the bracelet for her birthday present and she absolutely loved it.

7. The Tiny Perfect Dinosaur: It’s no secret that many children are afflicted by a serious dinosaur obsession at some point in their lives. Stella went through a full year period where she insisted that her middle name was “Dinosaur.” Naturally, then, we have spent our fair share of time at the Canadian Museum of Nature. The gift store is always a highlight, but you can skip it and buy online if you’d like. Here, the Stegosaurus of The Tiny Perfect Dinosaur series is shown below, but the entire series is now on sale for $5.95 each. It includes a book, a poster, and a dinosaur egg that has the skeleton inside which you are to put together yourself.

8. Cook & Play Potsy: My son is three and he just loves to play house and cook like his Dad. But trying to find imagination toys related to the home in any colour other than a gawdy pink, at a reasonable price, isn’t an easy task! So I was quite pleased to be sent this Leap Frog toy to try out. The packaging features two girls playing with this toy, but as you can see, the pot looks pretty gender neutral and has a fun animated face on it. Like all Leap Frog toys, it has a ton of educational features built into it and it’s priced at $24.99.

9. Art workshop with 4 Cats Arts Studio: This studio for kids is an amazing concept that is taking off all across Canada. In Ottawa, we have a location in Hintonburg (which I profiled here for my 40th birthday party). Rather than a concrete gift, you might want to consider giving an experience — the winter workshops that are being offered in the upcoming season range from $18-20 — and really are fabulous value for money. Age ranges run from 3 up to 15 and there’s a variety of offerings.

10. Zoob: For the child who gravitates to lego and building blocks, Zoob is the cool new kid on the block. Bright, colourful and easy to use, it’s recommended for children aged 6 and up. I was first introduced to Zoob sets by the owner of My Toy Shop in Manotick, but since then I’ve noticed that Tag Along Toys, Mrs Tiggy Winkle’s, and Scholar’s Choice also carry them. The 75-piece set below is priced just under $30.

I hope that this has renewed your faith in reasonably priced toys and gifts! There are so many out there, and kids are just thrilled with them. If you have other faves to add to these, feel free to leave a note in the comments. 

That, my friends, is not how multi-tasking works. As any mother knows, multi-tasking is not about getting things done quickly or more effectively by doing more than one thing at once. In fact, we’d love — more than anything! — to be able to devote all of our focus on one thing at a time.

Multi-tasking is not a choice. It is something that one must do, if one expects to actually get anything done at all.

As Exhibit A: My work day is now done and this is how my evening is going to play out …

• Supervise a short homework period with one child (nagging as needed)
• Drive over with above noted child to my Gram’s residence and pick her up for dinner
• Drive over to Swiss Chalet, because both Gram and child will eat there
• Drive over to Chapter’s where I have a meeting scheduled with out daycare provider at 7pm
• Deposit Gram and child into Chapter’s. Let them browse for an hour.
• Discuss other child for one hour with daycare provider to share tips and sync-up
• Re-group with Gram and child and drive Gram back to her residence
• On the way home, stop at drugstore to pick up some face cream and toothpaste
• Arrive home, usher child into bedtime routine (nagging as needed)