Embrace Life

LIST 01 | realized lately

I'm a list person.

I thrive in order and control, especially with a calendar in hand! In my effort to "keep it real" around here, I'm hoping to post the occasional list of some kind - preferably relective in nature - and this is my first effort. Things have been a bit chaotic over the last few months and I need a spot to collect those things that leak from my brain!

I have come to realize, fully, lately:

1. My concept of "sexy" has changed. It is no longer defined by a melodic voice, broad shoulders and a twinkle in the eye; it is now defined by employment, humour and more than a little acceptance of humble. Oh, and super sexy is a man who is a good dad to his children. Swoon.
2. We eat a lot of chicken and too many of us prefer dark meat. I have to figure out what to do with the white meat left on the rotisserie chickens we buy!
3. I am disappointed by those in authority who use "privacy" and "confidentiality" as a means to manipulate. The problem is, as a result, they have given far too much power to those they are supposed to guide and protect. Transparency, on the other hand, has very little downside to the genuine and honest among us. I fully embrace transparency. With it comes a feeling of security and calm.
4. This new home of ours is lovely but I miss one thing from the old house: my connection to outdoors. For five years we lived in a house with floor-to-ceiling windows and it really connected me with nature and the weather. I'm trying to figure out how to continue that feeling of connection under very different circumstances.
5. I crave, of all things, oatmeal. Every morning. I have forgotten to set the crock pot a few evenings and it really does ruin my morning!
6. It is way harder to look at the bright side and approach the world with positive intent than the alternative. I'm learning that only the weak and lazy rely on negative energy. I no longer care that my staying away from toxic people makes me appear rude. I'm not rude, I'm just not willing to waste my time on the weak and lazy.
7. A full king size bed to myself? Bliss.
8. I always think I have way more time than I do. I never account for life getting in the way. Those 23 boxes in January? Still stacked up! The appliances? Still not purchased, delivered or installed. The painting? I still must call a painter - but I have yet to find one who is not a thief. Sigh.
9. You never hear the full story from your kids until some time has passed. Only recently have I heard about Claire's first "semi" (in grade 7, four years ago) as we were discussing her most recent "semi", on Friday night. I love how she speaks with such endearment about one of the boys who now, in grade eleven, she doesn't associate with at school. I wonder if he knows? And if he does, does it matter?
10. Sometimes my children speak to me in a language I just simply do not understand. Case in point? Caden speaks "gamer" to me. Um, what was that? Sure. I think. Maybe.

This has to stop! I could go on and on. And on.

What have you realized lately?

525,600 minutes + 1,440 more

Are you familiar with the song from Rent?

As the chorus goes:

525,600 minutes, 525,600 moments so dear.
525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life?
How about love? How about love? How about love?
Measure in love. Seasons of love.

Well, this year is filled with 527,040 minutes given that it's a leap year. One more day of daylight, sunsets, midnight and plenty more coffee! No inches or miles around here (we prefer centimeters and meters) but I expect plenty of laughter and I hope strife stays in it's place - back in 2011! No matter, it will always be measured in love. Seasons of love.

In order to celebrate each and every one of those 527,040 moments, I've elected to participate in Project Life. The older and more independent my kids become, I find it more difficult to find the time to scrapbook in any traditional way. This knowledge has filled me with fear: I am afraid of losing our stories. Our everyday memories and traditions. So many have been recorded, but there is so much more now that we are all making full and rich lives for ourselves.

THIS project will be the keeper of our life stories for this year. In addition to the ever changing photos and stories, it will hold:

• Mileage (since I spend so much time in my truck)
• Weather (hey, I'm Canadian, it's all about the weather)
• BBM Conversations (a source of much joy and poor grammar)
• Facebook/Twitter Updates
• Blog Articles/Comments
• Gas Prices
• New Recipes/Kitchen Experiments
• Receipts
• New Discoveries: songs, books, blogs, stores, foods, quotes, ideas

I'm hoping to format each week with a Left Page, Insert, Right Page

Inserts will include:

Long journalers for bigger stories, 4 Simple Goals, 10 Things Project, The Current, TGIF, Wishcasting Wednesday, Reflections, and whatever else I discover through the year.

So far it's feeling a bit chaotic, but now that I have most of the elements understood and the opening page put together, things should be manageable. I always find things go more smoothly when it's been thoroughly prepared. Much like my Week in the Life or my December Daily projects, the more time spent in the preparation for success makes the result worth it! The theory also works with painting rooms and laundry :) I'm excited to get started - I'm even more excited to live the stories that will be recorded.

In addition to the Project Life kit (I purchased the older turquoise version), I supplemented with the coordinating digital elements and some Basic Grey stickers I've used in the past and LOVED. I even found a Canadian supplier for my We R Memory Keeper albums and got myself one in orange and aqua. I also got a LOT of cardstock. Oh, and PLENTY of post-it notes which will litter the pages as reminders for what to put where once photos are developed!

Yes, if your keeping track, this is a rather expensive undertaking BUT if this ends up, as planned, being the primary method to store most of my stories - in addition to a couple of other self-contained projects - it should turn out to be more cost-effective than just purchasing at random too much beautiful and addictive scrapbook supplies with some vague idea of purpose. It's about using, not collecting. Right?

What about you? How do you record your stories? Your photos? Your life?

Cape Cod 2011 | The Pages

This year, I decided to create an all-digi photo-based album to celebrate our visit to Cape Cod this summer. Other than deciding on the size: 8.5"x11" and the occasional template: Cathy Zielske, of course; I let the photos determine the stories and the size.

Now that it's complete the album is made up of 40+ pages of photos + words. I'm not sure if I'm going to send it out and put in a bound book or maybe printed out and slipped into page protectors. I shall continue to mull. The "hard" part is done. Most of them you can see below:

There are a few pages of pure journaling. Each of the kids has a page of their own with their personal reflections on their time away and I have a couple as well. 

It is so nice to head back to some place so familiar each year. I'm sure if this was a once-only event the album would look much different, but as it is, so much has already been photographed and said in previous versions that this is a simple continuation of an experience we love.

(I can't believe I finished this post on August 3rd and completely forgot to publish it. I just found it in my Drafts folder! Eek!)

Reflections | July 2011

Are you getting tired of hearing that we were busy? Well, this month things did slow down ... a tad. The pace was a little different with more spontaneous days and complete lack of structure. I have to say, for a control freak like myself, it was a challenge!

Adding to the slower pace: our annual holiday in Cape Cod!

The kids really enjoyed the freedom the month had to offer with requests to go here, there and everywhere. Pushing boundaries and rules every minute of every day. With all that going on, we managed:

• Cole participated in the training camp for Rugby Ontario. He was chosen in the position of lock for the U14 team. Plans were quickly underway for tournaments in Ottawa and BC!
• Both Chloe and Caden needed to get new glasses. They look fabulous in their new frames! Even better? They can see.
• I finally got in with our naturopath with my blood test results. He switched things up a bit and things are all working together now. Feeling better every day.
• Passports were collected and consent papers were signed. We were all set for our annual drive to the seashore.
• Claire has re-joined rugby this year and she is enjoying herself.
• Caden is a hooker and a very aggressive rugby player. He really enjoys tackling! He's pretty good at is as he's had plenty of practice over the years with Cole as his teacher!
• There were a number of pool parties - planned and unplanned. Tons of fun! Thank you to our many friends with refreshing water in their yards.
• Cole managed to keep up a crazy pace of Rugby playing for his local Crusaders club as well as the Ontario Blues. He's being injured regularly, but he loves it. The worst injury was a questionable concussion right before we left on holiday. Good timing! Not.
• We took care of him with regular visits to the chiro and RMT. The boy has to find a sport that doesn't regularly turn him into a pretzel.
• Caden loves his hockey and has managed to run away with the penalty title at 3on3 over at Canlan. You just have to roll your eyes. He's so mild mannered off the ice - and off the pitch :)
• Chloe continues to sing up a storm. We're organizing singing and piano lessons in the fall. Any recommendations are welcome!
• I'm also looking for a math tutor, for all of them :) Confidence is key, right? They are good, but not confident, so I need someone to bolster that aspect. Recommendations?
• My very social teenagers are enjoying life as teenagers. There is a ton of drama, lots of questions, tons of laughter, some very off-colour and crude humour, more spontaneity than I can handle, and I now think I know every neighbourhood in Oakville! There really should be a gas subsidy for mothers of teens.
• Someone has to tell my kids that I really do not need to go onto match.com or any other type of coupling site. Really. (But they are so funny about getting me "out there" and dating. Cracks me up. They are so lovely and concerned and funny.)
• Caden took me by surprise suggesting his ideal change in my domestic situation - which made me react with an extreme "throw the baby out with the bathwater" knee-jerk response. I've now relaxed and realized he's only just eleven and he's entitled to his outlandish ideas. I, on the other hand, am not.
• Claire and her good friend Nikki headed into Toronto via the GO train to see Hugh Jackman in his one man show. They were overwhelmed with how wonderful it was - going on and on about how lovely he was - and how they were the youngest members of his audience! Gotta love girls that recognize good looks and talent no matter the age :)
• Disappointed that Cole was unable to attend the Mini Chowder Cup in Foxboro. We were 90 minutes away, with his equipment, but we didn't want to risk his "possible" concussion and turn it into a more serious issue. Lounging at the beach was better for his recovery than a hockey tournament.
• In order to not disrupt the seaside holiday of all my kids, I took Cole home early to make it to the rugby gams vs Lindsay then on to the Ottawa tournament. Often, due to Cole's athletic success - and previously, Claire's athletic success - sacrifices have had to be made. This time around, with much thanks to a helpful community, the only one disrupted was me!
• We received an impossibly low offer on our house. Insulting, really. What are people thinking? At least offer what we paid for the place!
• Our holiday was wonderful. HOT and sticky, and wonderful. So nice to see Grampy and Nanna in such a relaxed and low-key environment. Lazy days were spent at the beach; playing croquet on the lawn; learning to drive (Claire); learning to play pool; listening to new summer music; eating watermelon, ice cream and seafood; mall shopping (ugh); reading summer fluff; napping and lounging around. It was a bit too hot for a few things - tennis or go carting, but fun nonetheless!
• While away I was featured on the Simple Aussie Girls blog. So honoured!
• We were so happy my sister Beth and her family made it up early so we could have a BBQ with them before we had to leave for home.
• I am amazed at the number of people on the road talking, texting, even using their computers in their cars! And speeding. Sigh. Caden observed this behaviour and commented that it was only mums with kids in their vehicles that seemed to drive the speed limit with few distractions. (Little does he know how distracting the kids can be!)
• I participated in the Ali Edwards-lead A Week In The Life project and it's slowly being put together. I went 100% digi this year. LOVE the results! Now just have to find the right printer.
• It seemed much like the month-without-Cole with him being so involved in his rugby. The Ontario Blues U14 team did well in Lindsay then on to Ottawa for the U16 tournament to prepare them for the competition in British Columbia. All I know is there is a big difference between a U14 rugby player and a U16 rugby player - and that is usually around 40 pounds of muscle!
• The end of July has Cole (still) in British Columbia with his team. They are representing themselves well and Cole has fallen in love with BC.
• Much of our time is spent doing very little inside or outdoors, in order to keep the house spotless. The hot and humid was gone - and now it's back. So tired of summer!
• Upon our return we were right back into rugby. Oh, how I prefer the character of this sport to hockey. It is far more brutal but it is also far more honest. I'm thinking I'd love to see some of those SOBs from hockey try to survive a season of rugby - if they did, they'd no longer be SOBs, of that I'm sure.
• I also returned to some drama regarding the new abode. Turns out the sellers want to back out of the part of the deal that made it a deal. Holy smokes! Heaven and earth has now been moved and we're back on track. Though 15 days delayed. Some stress I just don't need.
• I am reading! Fiction! By chance, when walking through Barnes & Noble I found The Girl Who Chased the Moon and it was lovely, enchanting. Once done with it, I ran out and got Garden Spells and will be on the look out for any and all books by Sarah Addison Allen in the future!
• I may have lost a son for a couple of weeks, but Nikki has filled his spot and I still have four to look after, and I'm happy for it. She's a lovely girl.
• Chloe started private singing lessons with her OCC choir director, Janet. She loves it and I love that she has a passion for it.
• Through summer our Pub Nights are a bit few and far between, but the last evening of the month saw us over at the Abbey Arms. I haven't been there in 10+ years. It was good - as long as they can pour beer and wine it's a good pub experience, right?

And with July finished that brings us to August. We still have six weeks before the kids get back to the routine of school and I desperately miss having a routine! This summer has been far more hectic than most and I'm feeling a bit discombobulated. The kids are loving every minute of it with no structure to our days and the embrace of lazy!

2011 | Personal DO | 06 Who I'm Meant To Be

source

I am so happy Oprah lives on - online :)

Yesterday, while taking a bit of a break, I took a "Who Am I Meant to Be" test written by Anne Dranitsaris, PhD, which was found in the Spirit Newsletter I receive. I always like this kind of test, but it is particularly appealing now that I'm wondering what path to take moving forward.

Just when you think things are changing, they stay the same. Why was I not surprised?

YOU ARE STRIVING TO BE IN CONTROL

You are a leader: You approach everything as though you were born to be in charge. Confident, assertive, and decisive, you know what you want and you go after it. You also look out for family, friends, and community—you feel you know what's best for them—and have no fear of confronting anyone who challenges your ideas. Taking the driver's seat, you also generously donate time and energy to people and neighborhood projects.

What to watch out for: When you feel threatened, or others refuse to go along with your agenda, you can become confrontational and domineering, sometimes to the point of being dictatorial. Practice letting someone else take charge on occasion. Also try meditation; it can help you be-come more aware of your controlling impulses and ease the anxiety that may be provoking them.

Looking ahead: You discover your purpose when you take control of your environment. For you, finding a decision-making role is key. That could mean anything from producing a play to spearheading a global campaign for something you care about. In work, you're suited for leadership positions in education, government, industry, finance, religious institutions, or politics. But you can find satisfaction anytime you're given the autonomy to do things your own way.

YOUR SCORES

Many people have two or three strong striving styles, and they can all be important in leading you to the person you are meant to be. If you have a few "highest" scores, read each matching description, and see what rings most true.

Striving to HELP: 15
Striving to be RECOGNIZED: 12
Striving to be CREATIVE: 16
Striving to be SPONTANEOUS: 15
Striving to be KNOWLEDGEABLE: 16
Striving to be SECURE: 16
Striving to be IN CONTROL: 17

What about you?

CAREER SUGGESTIONS:

Striving to be in control: Decisiveness and authority come easily to this type, so they work best in leadership roles:

Restaurant manager
Healthcare administrator
Sales director
Teacher
Political consultant
Marketing manager
Advertising executive
Politician

Hmm. No writer or photographer in that list, eh? No worries, I'll figure something out as I move along. My plan is along the lines of my old work which would be close to marketing manager - but this time with a twist :)

I have to say, I'm happy given my current circumstances that this is my result. Every skill is being employed. Another result may have had me in a puddle.

If you take the test, let me know YOUR results! Are you who you meant to be, or should you be doing something else?

Photo Challenge | 30 Days | finishing up

A while back, I announced that I was going to dust off my camera and get back into the practice of taking photos every day by participating in Katie's 30-day photo challenge, a couple of months late. I posted my first fifteen photos, which were almost all taken by me. Based on the topics, these are the rest, most of which were not taken by me!

Day 16 | A picture of someone who inspires you.

I am inspired, every day, by MANY someones! I went online and snagged some photos of the top five who bring thoughtful positivity into my life. My life is better with them in it.

Day 17 | A picture of one that has made a huge impact on your life recently.

Without my sister, I wouldn't be confident in my future and my health. No, not a good photo, but as beautiful as she is, she is not a fan of the camera.

Day 18 | A picture of your biggest insecurity.

My biggest insecurity has always been my size - well, my weight. It has been for the last 15+ years. Now that I have the key and the plans in place to lose it all, I'll have to find another insecurity! I wonder what it used to be?

Day 19 | A picture of you when you were little.

I'm guessing this was taken when I was about three - so that would be 1967 - with my other younger sister.

Day 20 | A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.

I've always wanted to go to Morocco. (Click on the photo for the source.)

Day 21 | A picture of something you wish you could forget.

It's already forgotten.

Day 22 | A picture of something you wish to try.

Ever since I saw it on one of my kids television shows, I've always wanted to go INDOOR SKYDIVING!

Day 23 | A picture of your favorite book.

This was HARD! I have so many which include CLASSIC Pride and Prejudice, YOUTH A Wrinkle in Time, RE-READ The Mitford Series, KICK IN THE PANTS Gifts of Imperfection, and ABOVE Lady of Hay which is filled with fantasy, history, scary, mystical, time travel and complete fiction, I think.

Day 24 | A picture of something you wish you could change.

I don't know how to take a photo of my children when their hearts have been bruised. I wish I could protect them, but it's all a part of the lessons life gives us. I just wish I could take away the pain.

Day 25 | A picture of your day.

Every day includes at least one load of laundry. It is the most consistent activity in my life.

Day 26 | A picture of the view out your back door.

Though not technically my "back door" as in opposite front door, our back yard is really our side yard. Love our wonky - and beautiful - location :)

Day 27 | A picture of your favourite hobby.

Photos + Words + Paper = JOY

Day 28 | A picture of something that inspires you.

I like this photo. It really appealed to me the minute I took it and I was happy to see, when I got home, that it was exactly as I expected: a prickly plant and angry looking cactus which, in the right light, is glorious. There are a few lessons in that, I think.

Day 29 | A picture that can always make you smile.

Any picture of any of my kids is guaranteed to make me smile.

Day 30 | A picture of looking forward.

A lot of this will be incorporated into my moving forward. Key word: MOVING.

I really enjoyed this exercise. Plenty to consider and capture.

Cue eye-roll ... mine

otherwise known as why do I even try to get a photo of my kids - together?

A few weekends ago, in between the divide and conquer that is our life, we had all four of our kids in one place at one time! This does not happen often and I wanted to capture it. Even though we were indoors with no natural light and really putrid colours, it was worth an effort, right?

Do you think my kids cooperated?

And with that, our minute and a half window of photo opportunity is done.

Sigh.

At least I got a "keeper" sort of, and a series of photos that really lets you know the personalities of each of my kids: Claire is happy to, with accompanying eye roll, humour her mother and pose nicely; Cole is all about the party and the pick on his brother; Chloe is torn between behaving and enjoying a good laugh; Caden fulfills his role as little stinker brother very well.

The keeper, with adjustments:

Even better:

I'm thankful that I have four children who will humour their mother and pose for a photo, as difficult as it is, in a dull and busy hockey rink when there is so much going on to distract them. They delight in tormenting each other, but usually with good humour and a sense of fun. They are really lovely little people. I'm thankful to be their mama.

. . . . .

I'm also thankful for Ali Edwards and her ideas. On her blog, she has an "occasional series" of Thankful Thoughts. Not only that, but each time she posts a Thankful Thought it will include a free numbered overlay download. BONUS: Included in her first post is a rounded-corner photo mask.

. . . . .

Life is good. Especially if you have a sense of humour and photo editing software!