On Mothering Boys

Recently I was approached by a lovely and uber talented friend of mine, Lyndsay Doyle, 

to share my thoughts on being a mom to a little boy.

She compiled our stories into the most amazing book:

"From Butts to Boogers - Surprising things Mothers have learned from their Sons"

I was more than happy to contribute to such a neat project!

Here's my take on little boys:

"I always wanted my first to be a boy.  If you asked me when I was pregnant what I hoped the baby would be of course you would have heard the standard answers:  "one that doesn't cry too much," "one that sleeps through the night," or "doesn't matter, just as long as it's healthy."  But deep down I fervently hoped for dirt and noise over pink and precious, because let's face it, girls totally scare me.  Being the mom of a boy seems far less complicated than that of a girl, with fewer dramas and a lot less pressure to find the perfect tutu.  

When I had Jake I was euphoric, as all new moms are, to be finally cradling my little bundle of joy.  I was also relieved.  Gone where the worries of leggings that don't co-ordinate with blouses, shoes that have to have just the right amount of glitter, and the terror of learning how to french braid.  And although sometimes pee winds up on the floor, with a boy it's easy.  It's ball caps and camo, trucks and lego and playing in the dirt.  Being a bit of a tomboy myself, these are all things I understand, and I'll happily ride BMX's with him till the streetlights come on.  I can teach him how to skate and throw a ball, and how to do his laundry and cook a meal.  When he grows up I won't have to worry (as much? maybe?) about catty teenage girls, or princess complexes that never go away.  And he'll probably never ask me to braid his hair.  

As he's getting bigger we are having more fun together, and I couldn't be happier hanging out with my little boy.  Sure there will be many bumps along our road, but I know I can help him over them, and there are so many things I can't wait to teach him.  And now that there is going to be another addition to our family in the fall, I feel secure in knowing that the new baby will have a big brother to take care of it, regardless if it's a girl or boy.  Because everyone needs a big brother to look out for them."

Please go check it out, it's full of wonderful stories of the lesser talked about bond of us Mom's and our boys!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Egg-stravaganza

One of the things i look forward too the most is when the Little is big enough to do crafts with me.

Now, you all know i want him to stay little forever, but this is one case where i wish he would get a move on.

Knowing my luck, when he is big enough he will most likely rather play in the dirt than play with glitter,

but at this stage i can still hold on to hope....

So this is why i decided that we should try to dye some easter eggs today.

My first instinct was to put him in the tub and let him go to it.  This is precisely what i should have done.

It is not, however, what i actually did.

What went down was more along the lines of him trying to grab the egg out of the dye, stick it in his mouth,

and then attempt to throw it on the floor. (he was only successful once.) 

I learned three things today:

1.  Trust your instincts. He would have had way more fun in the tub, and it would have been super
funny to have a multi-colored toddler for a few days.

2.  Always look online before you begin a project, chances are someone else has a better idea.

3.  I am terrible at dying easter eggs.  Just don't look too closely, mmmkay?

Happy Easter!

A Roaring Success!

I am so happy to say that the craft fair was amazing!  

Suzanne and Kate did a fabulous job organizing and advertising,

and the place was jam-packed full of talent and the most amazing handcrafted items.

Thank you so much to everyone who came out and supported us!

Pins and Needles is Tomorrow!

Just a reminder, tomorrow's the big day!

Suzanne and Kate have done an amazing job organizing this event!

From what i hear there will be somewhere between 15 -18 different vendors,

selling everything from cute baby headbands to gorgeous handmade jewellery to delicious homemade treats.

It's going to be a crafty day, we would all love it so much if you came out to support us,

and to support the SPCA with your donations too.

Hope to see you there!

Pins & Needles

It's only two weeks away!!!

Here's a peek at what i've been up too... just a peek though, you'll have to come see!

Everyone is working really hard on this event, and i think it's going to be amazing!
Hope to see you all there : )

--------------------------------------------------

In other news, did anyone else's house look like this last night?

O.M.G.

Finding Inspiration

While I'm away, i decided i would share a post i wrote a long time ago for another blog,

simply because i like it and want to share it with you guys : )

And i think things like this are important in keeping things fresh and sharp.

Inspiration and Creativity are two of my great friends in life, and without them around I think the world would be a pretty grey and boring place. 

Inspiration can be fickle, and can be often be tough to find.  

But without it our creativity fades away, and we are left bored on the couch with nothing to show.

So here are a few ways to get inspired and keep that creative spirit alive....

Get outside! 

Nature is inspiring as well as awe inspiring.  

I have done so many neat things with stuff I find in the backyard, on the beach, in the woods, you get the idea.  Not to mention the photography opportunities! Nature provides the most beautiful subjects, backgrounds and the perfect lighting conditions. Go. Right now. 

Actually wait!  Go after you've finished reading this : )

Hoard stuff.  Then make something with it.

I have the weirdest collections of things, from felt to shells to rocks to toilet paper rolls. 

Yep, tp rolls.  You'd be amazed what you can do when you surround yourself with supplies.  

The hubs calls it junk, (well he's smart enough not to say it out loud, but i know what he's thinking), 

but he has no idea that i can just look at a pile of branches and sea shells and see art.

Take a camera with you wherever you go.  

If you have it, you'll use it.  

Between the two of us we have something like 6 cameras, and there's always one 

around when there's something amazing to shoot.

So get inspired.

  Read blogs, books, magazines. 

Watch HGTV, check out pinterest, go for a walk. 

Go to other photog's websites, enter photo contests like the ones Kate does here.

Try a new effect, shoot in manual, or experiment with lighting.

Make something out of nothing.

Create something amazing!

Favorite Friday

Just in case you haven't noticed yet,

I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY.

lovelovelove

It's what i want to spend all my time on.  It's what i want to be when i grow up.

It's part of who i am.  It's quite simply my thing.

I have been fortunate enough to do numerous photo shoots, 

and am so looking forward to doing more!

When we were out west I had the honour and pleasure of shooting Justin & Kathy's Wedding

( You can see the photos HERE! )

It was such a beautiful day; 

the bride was stunning, the groom handsome, and the sun shone bright.

And i was so lucky to share it with them.

Thanks guys!

As you can so obviously see, photography is seriously my favorite.

And not just on friday :)

(interested in doing a photo shoot? Let me know! I'd seriously love to)

Happy Friday!

Oh those Swedes....

There is a wonderful wonderful place where the furniture comes
in a box and the lamps are cheap.

A place where 587 square feet can be a perfectly cosy 2 bedroom home.
A place where functionality meets style for cocktails.
A place where dreams come true...

(cue uplifting arias, birdsongs and exclamation points)

( i {heart} storage. for real. i wish i was joking )

( light up my life...)

( the best freaking hooks i have ever found! )

(wall decals turned art in frames-neato)

Dr. Nails is certainly thankful we don't have one within a thousand mile radius;

Sigh, our house would be beautiful but his wallet would be empty...

To those of you who have an ikea in your town:

you. are. so. lucky.

and i am so insanely jealous....

The Price of Progress

I was sitting at the table with little Jakey when I noticed he had a little blister on his baby pinky toe!

I guess Jolly Jumping has it's detriments, so I am now on the look out for baby bandaids.

Do they even make them this small?

I guess he takes after his mother,

 who doesn't like to admit it but has shy little pinky toes 

that like to hide beneath their much larger and straighter next door neighbours.

Quite the legacy to leave.

I was out and blogging about and found these amazing and creative baby pics!

The artist behind this brilliant idea is Finnish blogger Adele Enerson.

Scroll through her blog to see some other cool stuff.

Now, why didn't I think of that?!?!

Love it!