Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for:

#Spring30for30: Week One

The Spring 30 for 30 challenge has begun!  The purpose is to use 30 different pieces of clothing to create 30 different outfits in 30 days.  Each Sunday I will post my outfits for the week (we started on Friday so this will be short.) It is very interesting to me that people care about what I'm wearing so if you don't care, I totally get it.  I feel so awkward taking photos of myself because I feel like I'm saying "Hey everyone! Look at me!" but it's sort of the best way to see an outfit put together so...

Five Ways to Support a Grieving Friend

It was ten years ago that my mom passed away at the age of 53. Although I do think of what might have been almost every day, grieving throughout her illness and then after her passing has allowed me to move through the pain. I can still feel sad but it doesn't hurt like it used to. I'm thankful for all those who supported throughout that time until this day. Each person is entitled to their feelings when going through loss or struggle or pain and we can't decide who deserves to feel what amount. When you have a friend that has experienced loss – whether it's the loss of a hope/dream of physical loss  – what do you do? I'll tell you what I appreciated.

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for:

Connecting With Your Preteen

We are entering new territory here: The Preteen Era. I have very little experience with this age as I've raised young kids and taught teenagers–the in between stage is an interesting one!  Our oldest son is turning ten.  He has some typical first born traits (you know, awesomeness...how did you guess I'm a first born, too?) but something unique to him, is that he does not like to share his feelings.   Maybe he's just like his father in that the doesn't feel like I do.  In one day I experience excitement, fear, anticipation, nervousness, impatience, love, thankfulness, hopefulness, helplessness...I'm all over the place and I just ride it out.  I know he is quite even keeled but no matter how or when I ask, it is difficult to get to find out what's going on in that mind of his (unless it has to do with a video game–then he's an open book.)

#Spring30for30 Challenge

If you've been following me for a while, you know I don't talk about clothing or fashion that much.  I do like to share companies that I love, deals that I've found, or awesome nerdy shirts, but that is not the focus.  This April I am participating in a #Spring30for30 challenge with a few other blogging friends.  You choose 30 items of clothing to wear for the month and make a new outfit each and every day.  The items do not include shoes or accessories or work out gear.  I am a person who is tempted to wear the same five outfits all month so this will challenge me to use what I have a little more creatively.  I also want to resist the urge to buy more clothing and instead just appreciate what I already have.

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for:

Visiting Ucluelet, B.C. {Vancouver Island}

For the past eight years, we have vacationed in Ucluelet, BC on Vancouver Island. It is not only incredibly gorgeous but allows us to have the true West Coast experience at an affordable price. We love the laid back feel along with the beautiful trails and beaches to explore.  

Green Lake 2016

Every Spring Break we head up to Green Lake with my sister's family who also has four kids.   The drive is about five hours with the stops that we take and our first one is usually Alexandra Bridge! It's a great 30 minute walk and you can go over the old bridge where there are holes to see right down to the Fraser River below! I'll be honest, I'm a chicken.  This was the first year I went all the way across.

Five Sanity Savers for Parents

Life can get loud and crazy really fast.  For me, a lot of the stress in parenting comes from noise– whether that's kids bugging each other or asking me for snacks over and over or bouncing a basketball right next to me while I'm trying to read.  Here are five sanity savers that I recommend for parents:

1. A minivan.  Separating the boys results in an optimal travelling environment.  We have tried putting all three kids in the back of our car and it works for shorter trips but anything more than an hour and it's just not worth it!