Thankful Thursday: End of School Edition

Today is the last day of school for my kiddos! We did it. Phew. The main "work" of it all is just the organization–from agendas to field trip forms to birthday parties to band concert information that comes home in that backpack every day, it's a full time management job. Let's take a quick look at the growth (physical and otherwise) this year for each kid. Please note that I'm mostly focusing on the positive. This is not because my kids are perfect but I don't want to embarrass them publicly.

Last day of school!

Thankful Thursday

Good morning! I'd say I've been slacking in the blogging department but when it's a choice of time allotment, it could be said that it's more about managing priorities. I love this space for connecting with others (I've learned so many things!) and for a record of our memories.  So along with this space, here are some other things I am thankful for this week:

Happy 7th Birthday, Nya!

My Nya Bear is now seven years old and is such a sweetheart full of energy. She does have a touch of attitude but I would hope so because it's important to me that she can stand up for herself!

Here are some photos we took and some things that she said when I interviewed her.

Thankful Thursday

Okay, so this past week was a doozy. I don't share extended family stuff here often because this is a public space (as is the Facebook page) but it's been an emotionally exhausting week. It looks like all will be okay in the near future which I realize is so vague. Unfortunately, being that it was so stressful and busy I ended up catching a cold. I know it's not a big deal at all but when trying to parent and teach, I feel so exhausted and just want to lay in bed. Oh well, the weekend is soon and I may be able to rest!

What am I thankful for this week other than the slow return to health for extended family members? I am thankful for:

Thankful Thursday

My sisters often make fun of me (in a mostly loving way) for being emotional. I actually don't cry a lot but I definitely tear up when someone shares something happy or sad with me. That said, I am feeling a lot of emotions lately with work and our schedules and family etc. and found myself crying today. This is all vague but I guess what I'm getting at is that May can be a tricky month for me to begin with and then throw in the wildest of schedules and uncertainty with what the fall looks like and change and relationships, there's just a lot to juggle. So, here we go taking a deep breath and focusing on what I am grateful for amongst these big feelings...

This week I am thankful for:

Thankful Thursday

Hello friends! On Tuesday it was the anniversary of my mom passing away. I had written something (a rough draft) but did not publish it. I may re-work it, we'll see. It was about a card I asked my mom to write for Kai's first birthday because she wouldn't be there for it. Spoiler alert: she never wrote in it. Not sure how this is in any way a segue to a Thankful Thursday post but just filling you in on life.



So, although this week is not my favourite, here are some things I am thankful for today.

Thankful Thursday

Hello, friends! I do want to say a big "thank you" for checking out this space. I know it's not all that exciting anymore (yup, really pumping it up!) but it's our life and I'm thankful to have it documented. I have had some insightful pieces over the years and I'm grateful for this space and all those that have been a part of it. So, what am I thankful for today?

This week I am thankful for:

What to Do When You Have Plantar Fasciitis

Four months ago I noticed that the soles of my feet felt tender with my left one being particularly bad. I was asking Gary for more foot rubs and I remember saying that it felt like I was walking on bruises. Now, this was not too strange for me for three reasons. I had started teaching three months prior which meant long hours in dress shoes on a hard surface. Secondly, I have always had very "bad" feet (fallen arches) and wear runners with orthotics whenever I'm not at work. Finally, I had gained weight which means there was even more pressure on my feet. These are three of the main risk factors.

When it got to the point where I didn't feel better each morning I started looking into what it could be and realized this was Plantar Fasciitis. I went to massage, physiotherapy and finally a podiatrist.
*I am not a doctor so please go and see a professional if you are concerned.* 

This is what I found worked best for treating Plantar Fasciitis:

Thankful Thursday

The one thing I really want to write about is my foot. Yes. I will probably do a separate post on it in case someone else suffers from plantar fasciitis, but wow, what a process. I don't do injuries well. Four months ago I started having chronic pain in my foot (I've always struggled with fallen arches) which I later learned was plantar fascisstis. I have tried to be patient and do all I was supposed to in order to heal (massage, icing, cast at night, orthotics, podiatrist, meds etc) and it took soooooooooooooooooooo long. However, I was given the "go ahead" to run this week and run I did. I'm "only" doing 3 km each time but it feels very good to get going again. It is still only at about 85% but I'll take it. Getting older is hard, friends!

So, here we go with my Thankful Thursday. This week I am thankful for:

Our All-Inclusive Vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Our family is normally the adventurous type; whether backpacking, road tripping or flying, we prefer to visit places that include a lot of activity and exploration. I should clarify that this is what Gary and I enjoy, not necessarily our kids, which led us to booking a trip that we had never considered: an all-inclusive trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The kids love food and playing in the waves as we learned on our Caribbean Cruise, therefore, this trip would ideally allow Gary and I to relax and the kids to have a blast keeping busy with all of the activities offered.