Things that made me happy this week

This.

It's the weekend! I hope you're enjoying every minute of it. I am spending most of my weekend avoiding the sun and heat (who needs the sunshine when the shade is so dreamy?), while visiting with friends and chasing the girlies around the house.  And I'm already looking forward to pancakes in the morning!

Things that made me happy around the internet this week:

Permission to be gentle with yourself, especially for us anxious list-makers.

If you're too tired, just go to bed already. (This was written for me.)

These cookies. Oh, Joy, you do it to me every time.

Pie.

Because we should all have a good blueberry scone recipe.

Inspiration for a summer craft project for the girlies. Friendship bracelets are the best.

A review for a book I'm dying to read. Congratulations, Jessica!

On writing.

Be well!

xo

Weekends

This is about how I feel right now.

Someone stole my iPhone over the weekend. I am so naive. When I realized that I had left my phone in the washroom at my hair salon, I didn't rush back over to retrieve it; I was on a date with Alyce (she always joins me while I get my hair cut and usually tells me I look like a boy) and didn't want to leave our dinner to get cold on the table while we ran the few blocks down the street back to the salon. Because when you find someone's phone in the washroom at the hair salon you return it to the front desk, right?

Nope, evidently you steal it. I hate thievery.

There isn't much I can do and I just need to accept that I am now spending quite a bit of money on a new phone. I need one for my doula business, my camera, and I might as well just come clean and tell you that I'm addicted to Twitter (@mostdaysiwin, in case you wondered). I should receive my new phone tomorrow and so I will quit complaining soon, but not before I moan a bit about the loss of my photos. I hadn't uploaded my photos in a couple of days and lost some great ones. I have plenty of photos stored elsewhere but that doesn't stop me from wanting to show you that photo of Alyce and Shira dressed up as fairies (costumes over snowsuits), hiking through High Park in search of winter fairies.  But I can't, so instead I offer you a photo of Alyce taken last year around this time. She's clearly overcome by something, but I know not what.

Moving on. My weekend was filled with everything a weekend should be.

:: We had a quiet, but lovely Shabbat dinner on Friday. We'd had a long, tension-filled week, and Matt and I were both ready to snap. Actually, we did snap, but only had time to feel overwhelmed and cry (that was me, I'm a stress-cryer) for a few minutes, because Alyce and Shira were determined to welcome Shabbat with joy. It was one of the first times that Shira participated in saying the blessings and Alyce seems to have learned them by heart overnight.  It was just what we needed.

:: We joined the High Park Nature Centre for a nature walk in search of winter fairies. It was a great way to spend an afternoon, with the perfect mix of cheap ($2/person) and a great way to spend some time outside. Add in the fairy adventure and you had me at hello. They have nature walks every two weeks on Saturday afternoons, in case you're in the neighbourhood.

:: I held a snake for the first time and did not die. It was a garter snake at the Nature Centre named Snake, and he was sort of cute. I'd show you a photo of Snake but someone STOLE MY PHONE. (Sorry.)

:: Got my hair cut. I'm growing out a very short cut and I had waited as long as I could before buckling and getting a cut. Just a trim. A tiny one. Mostly mullet removal.

:: Shared a bottle of wine with a good friend. That's always fun.

:: Broke my tooth in half eating Doritos. That was less fun.

:: Spent a few quiet hours working and grading.

:: Watched the Oscars with another good friend (I'm blessed in the friend department) and consumed a delightful amount of sugar.

:: Made plans to give up sugar.

How was your weekend? Did you watch the Oscars? Did you also wonder why Kristen Stewart looked so mad?

Weekends

:: I know. More Instagram photos of the weekend (you can now view Instagram photos on actual computers instead of only phones--follow me here). Bear with me, but I love the photos I steal with my phone, and Instagram's filters are so lovely. If you're interested you can find a great post written by Rebecca about photography, iPhones, and filters here. 

:: Shira discovered a love a doing dishes. I discovered that I can get an hour of things done while she plays with bubbles in the sink. It's a win-win.

:: I made two cakes (I went with the chocolate bundt and olive oil cakes after popular demand on facebook). Sadly, for my Jewish-Muslim text study class, the snow storm had me turning around back home after inching along the blizzard-filled streets of Toronto (and traveling approximately two blocks).  Happily, for my family, we have two cakes to enjoy. Sadly, for my family, we have two cakes to enjoy.

:: Alyce and Shira enjoyed each other's company, at least most of the time.

:: We had so much fun at the science centre. We have memberships, which means we go quite a bit, but some days are more fun than others. This weekend Alyce took such pleasure in building a space station out of blocks and then telling everyone all about it. This includes Matt and I, science centre staff, and other random people who were standing nearby. I also learned to bring a change of clothes after the two of them soaked themselves in the water play area. Note to self and everyone else who doesn't want to buy replacement shirts for their kids in the gift shop, which I did.

:: Everywhere I turn I find tiny little dollies. Such is life at our house.

:: There was much snow. It cancelled plans, gave space for snow angels, and offered itself up for the creation of not one, but two snowmen. We used black olives for eyes and buttons because one needs to improvise sometimes. 

How was your weekend? We never made it tobogganing, which I completely regret. Evidently I was too busy eating cake.

My weekend

I was about to ask about how your weekend was, past tense, until I realized that the weekend isn't over yet. There are still a few hours left with great possibility, like that episode of True Blood that is recording at this very moment in the other room. Or those cookies that are still warm, waiting for some visitors we're expecting tomorrow, visitors of the best friend variety (Alyce's best friend, that is). I think in honour of the weekend I should have at least one more. Maybe two.

Speaking of cookie baking, have I mentioned to you how foreign my oven is to me still? I just can't figure this new oven (or stove, for that matter) out. It runs what seems to be a million degrees (give or take) hotter than the temperature I set it to, with the obvious result that I am over-backing everything. Yes, I realize the answer is as simple as buying an oven thermometer to catch it in the act and to make the necessary readjustments, and I will. But I feel as though we are in a fight, me and my oven, and I'm feeling a little stubborn (my husband knows nothing of this approach of mine, nothing of my unbudgingness). Soon I will grow tired of overdone cookies and muffins and make a peace offering in my new kitchen.

But back to the weekend. It was filled with so many different emotions. There was the constant breastfeeding demands from Shira that made me think about, for the very first time, how I might be ready to end our nursing before she's ready. I hope to write about that later this week. For now, it's too fresh, too wrapped up in feelings of sadness over the end of this particular relationship with Shira, feelings of relief that I might just (finally) make a decision, and amazement that Shira has grown so much that we're here even having this conversation. No matter how I'm feeling I can assure you that Shira is not keen to make any changes. We'll see how this goes.

My weekend also included time with a good friend, someone I've missed dearly all these years we've spent away from Toronto. We wandered together downtown, shopping and snacking (a great combination if you ask me). Did I mention the girls were at home with their Papa? Sneaking away with good friends is reason 3,487 I'm happy to be back in Toronto. (You might want to visit, you know. Maybe this will inspire you further.) Today I spent time with another favourite girl, this time my Alyce. We adventured along the bus and subway in order to meet up with other good friends for a movie and some lunch. A weekend like this reminds me that I am rich in friends.

How was your weekend? I always ask and I always mean it: how did you spend your time? 

Have a great week!

(Follow me on Instagram! @mostdaysiwin)

Resetting for a good Monday

The last week has swallowed me whole and I feel lucky to have made it to the other side. No, nothing monumental is taking place, just a busy life and a busy family (just like you). But at the end of a week such as this one I'm ready for a new start. It isn't that this past week was bad by any means, but I'm just in need of a good reset. For the sake of lists, let's review the past few days:

• visits to the park
• building a house for the summer fairies (thanks to the inspiration over Knitty Gritty Homestead)
• flower picking
• Shabbat dinner
• grading papers
• grading more papers
• birthday parties of best school friends
• planning cookie-baking for Alyce's farewell Kindergarten picnic (no, it can't possibly already be the end of her first school year)
• even more grading
• taking Alyce on a date to see Brave, a movie I hope to tell you about later this week
• packing
• farmer's market
• dinner with family I don't see as often as I'd like

And here is what we have lined up for this week:

• more packing
• more grading
• date with friends for treasure-hunting (I'll fill you in later)
• doctor's appointment I've been avoiding for months out of sheer laziness
• Alyce's last week of school
• some baking for a special thank-you package
• adjusting to the realities of a very big move in one short week!

Was it a good weekend for you?

She rides

How is your weekend treating you so far? In our house it's been a hit. We hosted some friends today for an all afternoon visit, ending with dinner and some fabulous cookies. It does my heart so good to spend time with friends, especially the kind that show up at our door with cheese and fresh coffee beans. There were kids everywhere and only one minor injury. I call that a success.

I feel like our weekend officially started on late Friday afternoon, when Alyce, Shira and I took Alyce's brand new, purple and green, covered in Tinkerbell, first-ever bike around the block. My mum gave both girls the gift of new bikes recently, and they are now prized possessions. Alyce is so proud of herself and I've loved watching her navigate all these new skills she's developing. Friday marked the first time she's taken to the sidewalks and she never looked back. Shira and I simply tagged along for moral support. And to help with the flower picking.

Do you spend days riding your bike when you were a kid? I had the ugliest, most wonderful banana seat bike that I would ride all day long, usually playing cops and robbers with my best friend. Or I would ride to the store to waste my money on candy.

Happy weekend!

Oh, Weekend

Is it a good Monday so far? I was able to sneak out of the house early this morning to get some work done, so it's a Monday winner in my books. I think I will also declare that my weekend was a great one. Friday night I made dinner for everyone in our house, and we all relaxed with some wine and a terrible movie. (Sorry, Drive, but I just didn't enjoy the hours-long pauses and the nightmare-inducing violence. I wanted to like you, I really did.) It was such a nice night with my family, I didn't even mind.

Saturday we went to our old synagogue, one filled with many wonderful memories. It where I began my conversion five years ago and the community into which we welcomed and named Alyce. I have missed this place for years, and I'm very excited that we will be returning there once we move back to Toronto this summer. We were warmly welcomed back this weekend by a few familiar faces and I am grateful for their kindnesses. (When I attended my first Shabbat service there I was dating my new Jewish boyfriend and now I'm the mother of two Jewish children. Life, holy cow.) Alyce, shy at first, played with some new friends, and Shira thoroughly scared all the other children away. She was, ahem, not into sharing. 

Shira needs some friends who aren't her sister. Let's just leave it at that.  And don't worry: she managed to nurse at least three times while we were there.

The rest of our weekend was filled with little things that brought a smile to my face: colouring, a birthday party, cleaning out the closets (I love closet cleaning), devouring my mum's pasta sauce, which I just ate again for lunch. Just sauce. No pasta. Do you know what else I did? I read an entire book. Cover to cover. It was light, hilarious, and I think you might like it, too. Around our house things are feeling lighter for the first time in months. Matt is excited to begin his new position at U of T later this summer and is starting another temp job this week (five weeks this time). I am making some new plans and getting just a little bit excited about them (more to come on those plans a little later).

And did I mention it's spring? Rebirth is in the air, don't you think? Have an amazing week. Maybe you can let me know what you're up to. I a bit of a nosy parker that way.

A good week

 

This photo here about sums up why I have children. Because you can stuff them up in a snowsuit, throw them into a snowbank, and this is the face you get. She couldn't have had more fun in the ten minutes we were able to play outside before the below freezing temperatures got the better of her.

Speaking of cold children. Even though we spent twenty minutes searching for snow pants that have clearly been left at school (admit defeat, Matt), Alyce still managed to enjoy herself in the snow. Here she is telling me that she's not even cold. Raise your hand if you believe her.

It's Friday afternoon and I'm home with The Children before I go into work for a couple of hours (I'm still helping out at the restaurant I mentioned before).  Alyce and Shira are making things out of Play-Doh, we're all dancing around to Tegan and Sara, and I'm settling into quite a good mood.

This week the world opened up a bit and said, Relax, just for a moment or two. We few financial stresses are gone (thank you, government of Canada for reassessing last year's taxes in my favour), Matt is *so* close to his permanent residency, and I was rehired to teach part-time for a university I used to work for. The work doesn't begin until summer, but it was a pleasant surprise, with a capital Pleasant. I am grateful for so many things, but let's face it, the past nine months have been hard. We were all eager for some positive news and I think our shoulders have collectively dropped a few inches.

The hard work of this year isn't over. We still have a lot to do. But I'm relishing a bit in this change of mood. It's an awfully nice way to begin the weekend.

And your weekend? What are you plans? Mine include lots of work on the course design I've got underway, making a cake for my stepfather's birthday tomorrow, a long walk in the snow, and with any luck, a date night with a certain snowpants-at-school denying husband. Oh, and I'm working on a certain school application, details to come!