What We Learn Through Failing

The day I failed my driver's test was a huge wake-up call for me. I was used to succeeding in all that I did; to do my best and have it not be enough was something I couldn't handle. I did not have skills or perspective in place to deal with the failure and disappointment and my visceral response surprised me. My self-esteem took a huge tumble. Sure, I was 16 which means there are wild emotions already but this was so out of the norm for me that I wish I had experienced failure earlier – if not going through it, at least considered or taught how to approach it.

Family Fun with Kidsworld Passes

Do you like to discover new educational and recreational experiences in the Lower Mainland with your family?  Kidsworld Vancouver has passes for $52.50 that allow your family adventures ranging from the Capilano Suspension Bridge to the Healthy Family Expo to Castle Fun Park from September to June on specific days.  The passes are for children aged 4-12 and includes an adult entry with each child.

Capilano Suspension Bridge was already one of our favourite places and we look forward to trying out many new ones over the year like Maan Farms, the Ecodairy, and Enchant Vancouver!  The Capilano Suspension Bridge is $13.95/per child (and 39.95/adult) so even after visiting the bridge alone, your pass has paid for itself. (*Note that this event took place in October already).

Investing in Yourself Through Self-Care

Self-care is taking the time and putting in the effort to work on our physical, mental and spiritual well-being. This concept is not something that I grew up with other than being encouraged to stay away from various substances for my overall health. One very important distinction made in Pyschology Today by Christine Mienecke Ph.D. is that self-care is not self-pampering or self-indulgence because that is just a temporary fix and doesn't work on the root of the matter. That new purse or manicure isn't going to make you feel better long-term.

I am not a health care professional or counselor but I am a 38-year-old type A mom of three biological kids and one foster child who has struggled with an autoimmune disease. I know the impact that stress can have on my life and have learned various ways to deal with it.

Here are 10 ways to take care of yourself in order to help have an optimal state of health:

Thankful Thursday

Every Thursday I choose ten things to be thankful for.  To be honest, it's not always easy but I need it.  It helps to keep me focused.  The older I get the harder life seems to be sometimes.  My kids keep saying "attitude of gratitude" because I'm pretty sure SpongeBob said it recently but it's true, I want to have an attitude of gratitude while keeping it real. So, for this week I am thankful for:

My First Mammogram

Most women will have their first mammogram at the age of 40 but there are some cases in which it is recommended earlier. My mom was diagnosed at the age of 48 and therefore I was encouraged to have one 10 years prior to the age she was when diagnosed: 38. I put it off for a few months because it seemed a bit scary to me as both of my parents have had cancer but yesterday was the big day.

All women should be doing breast self-exams and I'll be honest that I'm terrible at them. I feel like there's so many other things I should be doing and just seem to forget. I'm thankful for the availability of mammograms and that it is free to us Canadians.

What is Situational Depression?

This year was exhausting mentally, emotionally and physically. Adding another child to our home through the foster system with less support and higher needs than expected was harder than I thought–that doesn't mean it isn't worth it, it's just that it used up most of my energy that I had. Several months ago we received some information that affected our family and meant that even more would be required in regards to my time and attention. I felt that my energy reserves were depleted and although I knew I could advocate and learn and do all I needed to do, I didn't want to. I felt like I had nothing left in the tank to give. My body responded accordingly and shut down. I wanted to just stay in bed but I was able to still parent– anything beyond that felt like too much.

Thankful Thursday

Every Thursday I reflect on the week and choose items to be grateful for. This week I am thankful for:

Pumpkin Pancakes

What do you do with your pumpkins once Halloween is over? Have you ever thought to roast them and make puree? We don't carve all of our pumpkins so that we can use our decor as food and I've written about it here. One of the newest recipes that I've tried is one of my absolute favourites: Pumpkin Pancakes.

Netflix Inspired Pumpkin Carving

Fall is here and we're living it up with pumpkin pancakes and scones, walks amongst gorgeous fall leaves and visiting pumpkin patches.  Next up is Halloween and the countdown is on!  Gary is our pumpkin carving expert and I am the... encourager.  Each year the kids get to pick one character for Gary to carve and Nya's was the first one he made.

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for:

1.  Gary having a safe trip.  He hiked with his LEAD class up at Garibaldi when "the storm" was supposed to be hitting.  I was nervous for him but all was well.