weekend adventures.

incrediblehusband & toddlergirl on a stroll

daddy consoling toddlergirl

a horse in a nearby field

pitt meadows, british columbia

toddlergirl in her “adventure suit”

movement and colour.

 

embracing mommyness (for today)

it’s a bright monday morning.  mid-june. our pantry is void of coffee beans.  i refuse to drink decaf in the morning.  toddlergirl and i each slip into our pink flipflops and head out the door to the nearest largest retail coffee chain (hint: they wear green aprons.  and if they’re really good baristas- they wear black aprons).  i admit that i’m usually a drive-thru gal (slap on hands for idling my car).  but come on!  i have places to go and dirty diapers to change and costco lists to complete- i truly am a suburbanite. 

today is different though.  it may be that the sun has finally made an appearance and with it the casualness of summer has arrived.  we park the car and go in to the coffee shop.  toddlergirl likes her hot cocoa.  i am deliriously happy with an americano.  we go all out and order a ginger cookie as well.  i stake out the place.  there are two distinct “districts” happening.  there is the business people district:  laptops open, papers shifting, cellphones placed trophy-esque on the corner of the table.  and clear on the other side of the coffee shop is the parenthood district: sippy cups, diaper bags, crayons, and soothers readily placed right beside our cellphones.  our cellphones are no longer for the business of work.  they are used for the work of busyness. 

we sit.  we sip.  i remind toddlergirl to “sit on her bum”.  i remind toddlergirl to “be careful.”  i remind toddlergirl again to “sit on her bum.”  she wants to turn around and observe the mom and two little girls sitting behind us.  the little girl at that table informs her mom that she needs to go potty.  the mom gives a small sigh.  i know what she’s thinking.  really?  now?  but consistency is the glue of parenting and that is what i am learning.  so if little girl needs to go, well- consistency.

the mom stands up and turns around to take her to the washroom.  our eyes meet.  i am already offering to keep an eye on her table and her bag.  before i even get my full sentence out, she asks if she can leave the 8 month old baby (who is happy and in her carseat) with us as well.  “sure,” i say and kind of shrug my shoulders and smile. 

the mom comes back and thanks us.  the little girl is protective of her little sister and reminds toddlergirl that the baby is “her” baby.  we turn our chairs and begin to chat.  we become friends.  we exchange cards with emails and phone numbers. 

as i pulled away from the coffe shop in my car i began to think…

is this… the mommy pick-up?  we get along.  we have similar tastes in clothing, children’s names, photography, handbags, and we were even both wearing the same nailpolish color.  she seems to have similar parenting styles to me and we both have moved to the outskirts of the “big city” within the last year.

is this how it works?  i admit that it’s taken me a long while to get used to being comfortable even being a “mom.”  at times i would prefer to be sitting on the other side of the coffee shop in the business district- wearing a crisp white blouse (with no worries of coffee spilling on it) and dress pants and making phone calls to clients. 

i feel like i am standing in the middle of that coffee shop.  somedays i want to be on the mommy side and other days on the business side.  is is possible to really have them both right now and to handle both well?  i know it’s not impossible, but what will give? 

***********

today is a rainy thursday and i am embracing the mommy side.  we had a playdate this morning that involved eating peanut butter cookies and dancing to jitterbug music.  yesterday was the business side that involved scouting out wedding shoot locations and touring a golf course. 

for now i’ve decided that switching hats is alright.  today it’s yoga pants and no makeup and glasses.  and macaroni and cheese for lunch.  and i’m okay with that.

to better things,

steph

 

brother. sister.

don’t these two look alike?! 

too short a visit with incrediblehusband’s sister, but so fun.  (we’ll be back!)

a clown-free zone.

i just spent a good 45 minutes through lunchtime debriefing with toddlergirl about the “mister rogers: a day at the circus” dvd that she just watched.  mister rogers is his usual, dependable, cardigan wearing self, but this time he tours the circus and meet the clowns backstage getting ready for the big show.  they are putting on their makeup and costumes and saying how excited they are for the circus to begin. 

toddlergirl was fine (so it seemed) during the dvd.  i would say she was even entranced by the lulling voice of mister rogers.  but over scrambled eggs and cheese sticks and prepackaged applesauce- the questions began…

“what are the clowns doing?”

“where are they going?”

“they’re just regular people, right?”

“why do they have white makeup all over their face and a tie and…funny clothes?”

“they won’t come in our house, right?”

“they won’t come in our backyard, right?”

“they won’t come and knock on our front door. right?”

then some statements:

“mommy is nice.”

“daddy is nice.”

“i’m nice.”

“clowns are…. weird.  i thfink (translation: think).”

“yes, clowns are rweally weird.” 

sunday love

on our way home from sunday errands… fresh peonies from a roadside stand and field strawberries sweet and delicate.  this is some of the best of where we live.  sunday love.

 

green.

my garden.  for now. 

i have aspirations one day of having a small vegetable garden and some herbs- but for this year it’s just some moss and hens & chicks in containers.  next year i’ll plan earlier.

gardening makes me happy.  i think green is in my genes.

 

to better things,

steph

toddlergirl golfs

*

*she accessorizes her own outfits. 

the water shoes matched the leggings, alright?  the hilary headband was to keep the curls out of her eyes.  and the beads? well… they’re just sassy.

 

mango salsa

 

i picked up this recipe somewhere along the way and it’s a summertime favourite at our home.

mango salsa

3 ripe mangos

1 red, 1 green,  yellow pepper

1 bunch cilantro

1 green onion

1 red onion

crushed garlic

lime juice – of approximately 3 limes (don’t use the fake stuff!)

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

dice up mangoes and peppers- place in a bowl.  add torn cilantro leaves, chopped onions and garlic.  juice the limes and add to bowl, along with red wine vinegar.  chill for a few hours- serve with nacho chips or grilled chicken.

flavourful and good for you!

let me know if you make the recipe and how you like it.

 to better things,

steph

i turn 30 today.

i turn 30 years old today.  and i’m okay with that.  i’m actually happy to embrace a new decade.  the last week has been fun to reminisce memories with vintage photos. 

below is a poem audrey hepburn wrote when asked to share her “beauty tips.”  it was read at her funeral years later.  i aspire to the wisdom and grace that she portrayed.

 

for attractive lips, speak words of kindness…

for lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

for a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

for beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.

for poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone…

people, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

***

 my 2nd birthday.  1980.