Ten Books I Loved This Year

 I love reading. When our neighbourhood built a community center with a library within walking distance, I shed a tear; I probably walk there two times a week. I try to always have an audiobook, for my walks, and a paper book on my night stand. Although I have read some lighter reads over the years, I really appreciate solid writing with inspiring and informative plots. You can follow me on Goodreads; I generally only read books if they have a rating over 4/5 there. Here are ten books that I really enjoyed in the past year. That said, I do love a memoir and didn't include any on this list. The last one I read was "Here After" and it's incredibly sad about the sudden loss of a spouse, if you're in the mood for immersing yourself in learning about grief. A "must read" memoir would be Educated by Tara Westover. 

*I highly recommend getting books from your public library or buying off Marketplace but if you want to buy them, I have included the Amazon links for each one--I am an affiliate so would make a small percentage*

Me in all my book attire from socks to shirt to earrings!

Okay, ten books I enjoyed this year? Here we go:

Tips For Parenting Teens

All right, I am not an expert in parenting but I am a mother of two teenage boys and a preteen girl AND I have been teaching teenagers since 2001. I did write earlier on parenting tweens but haven't talked about the teen years. There seems to be an endless supply of parenting advice for newborns and toddlers but what about the wild ages of 13-18? What to expect when you're...a parent of teens?  This is what I would say:

Graduation Speech

Our oldest has graduated from high school. I'm so glad we were able to process this over time with a last basketball, volleyball and ultimate game. Prom. Last day of school. Exams. There were many, many "goodbyes". On the big day, I had the privilege of giving the parent speech at grad. Here are a few things that I said to them. I took out the personal parts/names--just trust me when I say I made it more personal and funny than this.

This is terrifying. But, in the wise words of grade 12 students of 2024, “Don’t worry. I’m locked in.”

Thankful Thursday

 Thankful Thursday time! It's been months and nothing has really changed; I never imagined any of this (pandemic for a year)  happening. Let me just share some photos of things that we have been up to...

This week I am thankful for:

Thankful Thursday Fall Edition

 Hi friends! Wow, so I  was a faithful blogger for about ten years and then took a break while going back to work teaching. Every time I log onto here to update it in some way, the platform/dashboard is so different and I feel myself aging rapidly. I do love having updates here for several reasons:

1. I love seeing what we were doing so it is easier to make our photobooks.

2. If anything ever happened to me, my kids would have a record of sorts. That said, I am really trying to limit personal information about them because, well, the Internet is a wild place and I want their consent on all I post.

Well, it's Thursday so you know what that means: Thankful Thursday. This is what I am thankful for this week:

Thankful Thursday: A Pandemic Summer

Hi friends! It has been a while since I have spent some solid time on here and I want to thank you for checking it out. Well, this has been a unique summer! I went through all the feelings, like many of you did, from "What are we allowed to do?" "What is a proper bubble?" "Will we have school in person?" "Will we have sports camps?" and "WHAT ARE THE RULES EXACTLY?" (in caps because I am a rule follower). I have been able to practice gratitude throughout the time and I recognize my privilege of having a home, steady income, healthy family members, medical coverage etc which has made life a lot easier. Also, the fact that Gary and I are both teachers and able to stay home this summer has been huge. We have truly used this time to restore our bodies by getting ample fresh air, enough sleep, healthy home cooked meals AND Gary and I have been able to work out almost every single day. Besides resting and trying to figure out the rules, here are some things we have been up to this summer that I am grateful for:

Parenting During a Pandemic as a Perfectionist

 

"Do we have to wear masks in the classroom?" "Will we have cross country races?" "Will there be running club?"  "How will Halloween work this year?" "When will we have sports?" "Can I hug my friends at school?" Those are just a few of the sample questions that I get asked daily that I do not have answers to. I recently read this article "Your 'Surge Capacity' is Depleted–It's Why You Feel Awful" and it touched on so much of how I am feeling. 

"It’s harder for high achievers,” she says. “The more accustomed you are to solving problems, to getting things done, to having a routine, the harder it will be on you because none of that is possible right now. You get feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, and those aren’t good.” 

 

Getting a Pet: Our Three-Month-Old Kitten

Introducing our three-month-old kitten, Kinley Cuddles Chapman aka Kinz. She is our first official pet other than a whole lot of fish that we have tried to keep alive over the years. Nya has begged us for years to get a kitten and we always said "no" because we travel a lot and I don't want to have to worry about would care for the kitten. 

However, once COVID hit, we knew we would be home for a long time and were craving any cuteness to add to our Quarantine Crew, so we considered the idea. Gary sort of said "okay" finally after making it clear that he was not going to take care of her in any way. It was more difficult than I thought to find a healthy little kitten and finally I found one through a friend of mine; she had one left...

Thankful Thursday: Pandemic Edition

Hello friends! I wasn't going to post because I feel with social media everyone knows how I'm doing but then I realized, this time is a once in a lifetime and perhaps my kids will want to read back on what life was like. COVID-19 has shut down our schools, non essential businesses and travel and has had us in our homes for nearly two weeks already. Canada has just under 4,000 confirmed cases (with 659 in BC) and we're hoping flatten the curve. We did go to Ucluelet at the start of Spring Break but did not leave the car on the ferry and only visited beaches in Uclulet/Tofino. We have been going for walks as a family each day but definitely adhering to social distancing rules of 2 m between us and others. We have not had anyone in our home in almost 2 weeks. We have yet to visit the grocery store so we're getting to some interesting meals with those cans of artichokes we have.

Alongside the anxiety, fear and sadness have been peace and gratefulness. So many of our loved ones are out there working in healthcare and here we sit at home. Yes, balancing the kids' needs with our own may be hard, but if we just stay home we will be okay!

What am I grateful for in this time?

Monday Musings

It is has been a while! I love this space because it has recorded our family growth over the years but also my personal development as well.  I'm teaching every day and dream of having a couple of days off each week--I wonder if a job share option would work in a high school semester situation looking forward. We will see. One day a time!

Here are some things that have happened over the past month or so:

1. My niece got married! It was a beautiful wedding and just what I would dream of for my own kids. I'm so happy for them both as they are such a wonderful couple together. Nya was able to be a flower girl which was special for her and I'm grateful she was invited to be part of it. My niece, Delaney, was a flower girl in our wedding 15 years ago! Nya Bear was fighting a respiratory virus on the day (and since) so it was not ideal and she didn't get to dance but she did really well.

Thankful Thursday

Hello, friends! Welcome to 2020. I wrote a post about my highlights from the last decade and my hopes for the next (health and financial freedom). I hope your start to the year has gone well. Here in the Lower Mainland we are looking at a forecast full of snow which we have yet to see this winter so it is kind of exciting.

Here are some things I am thankful for over the past week (and going back into the holidays we had). My goal for the winter break was rest. I was quite sick going into it and it took the full two weeks to get my energy back. This week I am thankful for:

Highlights of One Decade and Goals For the Next

I love looking back to see where I have been and then goal setting for all that is ahead. Here are five main highlights from the past 10 years:

My 2020 Goal: Not Buying New Clothes

A new decade is upon us and I feel that the awareness of the impact of our decisions is increasing rapidly. Whether the issue is climate change and our carbon footprint, use of social media or the amount of screen time our kids have, most recognize changes could and should be made. In the past, my New Years Resolutions have varied from working on marriage to fitness. There was one simple one in in 2018 where my goal was to wear lipstick each day and offer more hugs–I did it!

My goal for 2020: Not to buy any new clothes for anyone in the family.

Thankful Thursday

Good morning, friends! Thank you for checking out this space which is not getting the time that it used to. Purposefully. Instagram and Facebook have taken over the role of connecting with others and recording memories for me in a way. Also, going through my priorities (have you read "Essentialism"?), this was one area where I had to let things go when I went back to work. However, I will not let this blog go completely as it is a big part of my life; a journal of sorts of the years and a place to connect, share and grow.

What are some things that I am grateful for today?

Thankful Thursday

Hi friends! It's Thankful Thursday time. I had a rough month with an ulcer and minor concussion (warm-up spiked volleyball to the side of the head unexpectedly...not an exciting story) but I am on the mend. Gary and I had been doing so well running in the morning but when I was sick we got up early and walked and talked–still a great start to the day. We just started running again yesterday.  

Here are some things that I am thankful for today:

Thankful Thursday

Good morning! I love Thursday mornings only because this semester I have the morning off to get all the things done (laundry, cleaning, errands)–so nice to have alone time. I love October and the fall leaves; I wish the beauty of fall remained all through November.

I've been thinking a lot about my lifestyle...I am a very productive, efficient and passionate person and to some it comes across as stressed (as I've been told). I am actually not stressed, I'm just balancing full days with kids and a job and I'm not worried about it. I don't want anyone to think that I'm not enjoying my life, I truly am. Is it busy? Yes. Am I always running here or there? Yes. Do I take time for myself each and every day? Yes (6-7 am). I wonder if we saw a productive, efficient and passionate man if they would be told the same thing? Anyway, on to my thankfulness for the week.

 Here are the things I am grateful for this week:

Thankful Thursday

Oh do I love thanksgiving weekend! It's not necessarily the family gatherings (we're fortunate to get two with both sides of our family around), it's that:

1. It's a long weekend! If you're a teacher and made it to Thanksgiving weekend, you get a breather!

2. The fall leaves are incredibly gorgeous and the crisp air is invigorating.

3. I love gratitude.

Here are some things I am thankful for in the past week:

How to Help Create Balance in Your Life

I am in a brand new stage of life. Our youngest is now seven years old and I'm guaranteed child-free time from 9 PM until 7 AM each day. Our oldest is a teenager and responsible enough to be left in charge of the other two for short periods of time. Heading into another year of work this September, Gary and I talked about our goals as teachers and parents. We both had the desire to balance our physical health with all that was expected of us (I would add mental health to mine as well). 

In the past I have felt that there was no time. Sure, there were evenings but by that time I was just so tired. I had heard of people getting up at 5 AM but memories of my dad waking us up at that time to go fishing as teenagers filled my head and I just could not do it. I read the book "The 5 AM Club" and decided to go ahead with some of it's main principles. It has been life-changing and let me tell you why...

Thankful Thursday

I probably should make a new Thankful Thursday cover photo.

With the second week of school/work almost under our belts I have to say we are doing okay! The early morning starts (6am) for Gary and I definitely make a world of difference. I mentioned it last week but getting up before the kids to exercise, shower and have coffee makes us much nicer parents and people. Our kids never used to sleep in until 7 am so this is a great new routine. All right, what am I grateful for this week?

I am thankful for:

Thankful Thursday

Happy first week back to school! I realize this isn't the case for anyone but it definitely is in this family with three kids in three different schools (primary, middle and high) and two teachers. One thing I have been doing each morning is some brief journaling of my stresses and gratitude's (which I'll talk about below) and I'd really encourage you to try it out if you think it would be helpful. It only takes about two minutes/day and I feel it really helps to reset and focus.

Being that it's Thursday it's time to share my thankful list of the week! I am thankful for: