I spent time growing up in the Okanagan, so I was fortunate to enjoy many summer days at the beach. My happiest memories are sun-drenched and sandy! Stretching out on a beach towel to enjoy the sunshine, or sitting on one while building sandcastles, is such a great sensory memory.The softness of the towel fibres on my skin contrasted against the roughness of the sand at my feet is ingrained in my mind with its textures and sensation. As a mom, I want my son to have those kinds of warm, happy memories of carefree time spent at the beach as well.
I am newly postpartum, not quite awake, standing in the checkout line at the grocery store, shush-shushing a 4-litre jug of milk and rocking it back and forth, soothingly, the same way I’ve been rocking a screamy baby for what feels like a week straight. Through bleary eyes, I read the headlines jumping out at me from the glossy magazine covers featuring impossibly beautiful women.
“How to Get Your Body Back!” Like I’ve disappeared so far into motherhood that I am no longer here. My body grew a tiny, furious human. It laboured for two days and birthed nine and a half pounds of gumption and tenacity. But now, as my belly is no longer satisfyingly rotund but instead soft and sagging, I have ceased to exist. How to Get Your Body Back. How to Erase the Parts of You We Don’t Want to See. How to Look More Visually Appealing so We’ll Acknowledge Your Existence.
There’s no way to sugar coat it: pumping sucks. Literally. It’s time consuming, finicky, and can be extremely frustrating. There’s no way to make pumping enjoyable but there are ways to make it suck less. Hacking your pumping routine can save you time, energy, and even breast milk.
Join us for a guest post from our friends at FestivalSeekers:
Taking the kids on a road trip is a great way to make the most of a summer vacation. But it’s not like the good old day where you and your best buddy could just pack a bag and hop in the car and go. With kids in tow you need to get a little more creative at keeping them happy, and yes, a bit more organized.
The Interior of B.C. offers plenty of kid-friendly activities, and when done right, makes for an unforgettable experience that the whole family can get into.
A good way to get through Vancouver’s sometimes dreary winters is to make sure the whole family has a storehouse full of bright and happy summer memories.
July’s almost over, but it’s not too late to seize the sun. One of my favourite ways to do that is to escape Vancouver and explore British Columbia’s other cities while checking out local festivals. And one of the best will be happening in Nanaimo Aug. 24 to 27, 2017 – the Summertime Blues.
Are you looking for something fun for the kids to do over summer so they can make some great memories and learn new things? Have you considered a tech camp? We did this summer and sent our son to LevelUp Minecraft Camp at BCIT. My son is a huge Minecraft fan so when he heard about the camp he desperately wanted to go.
No, he didn’t just sit in front of a computer all day (after all, he can do that at home!) – they had outside time for fresh air and healthy movement and they also did hands on STEM activities.
Some women love flowers. Some women love shoes. This woman loves bacon. Crispy, smoky, delicious bacon makes my heart flutter romantically. “True love is sharing your bacon” – this is my life philosophy and also why Hallmark probably won’t ever buy card concepts from me (but wouldn’t you want to buy one that said that? It’s just so relatable.)
There is nothing I love more than breakfast in bed. My friends actually used to host an annual bacon potluck where each guest would bring their own bacon related dish to share. It was so much fun (and so much bacon!) One year we actually had 13.5 pounds of bacon on the table and in all the years it was held no recipes were repeated. I wouldn’t have minded if they repeated the bacon wrapped stuffing. That was lovely.
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Preparing for race day is a mathematical equation for me. Hydration + Nutrition + Stretching = race day success! Now all people measure success differently. Crossing the finish line with minimal recovery time is how I measure my success. Time doesn’t mean much if I can barely move the next day. As a mom, my children rely on me being able to play, run and get out the door on time.
Our mornings move at a sloth like pace in on a good day. This can make preparations somewhat challenging. I have learned the correct amount of food and water is crucial before racing. Eating and drinking too much or too little close to the start time can hinder your performance.
I recently took a trip into the city to marvel at a new exhibit at the Museum of Vancouver called Unbelievable. I was fortunate enough to attend a behind the scenes tour led by Gregory Dreicer, MOV’s Director of Curatorial and Engagement who was both riveting and expansively knowledgeable. The exhibit was put together in a relatively short period of time by museum standards (3-4 months) and was in fact still being assembled before our very eyes. The central theme of the exhibit was around stories, the multitudes and power of stories, competing narratives and how our stories define the past, present and future.
This post is brought to you by the makers of MOTRIN®
Running is one of my passions but when aches and pains take over, that joy can quickly diminish. In general, this type of exercise is my escape from a place that can sometimes be chaotic. As a wife, the mom of two girls, a small business owner and blogger, life can be hectic! But when my feet hit the ground for a run, I release all the worries and my day makes sense. What happens, however, when every time one foot hits the ground the pain intensifies?