sunny days ahead

Summer is officially over in my books. School started today.
Last night, I got the kids to bed early. They had baths/showers, we read books, said prayers, and I reassured (once again) Noah, that he would be just fine tomorrow.
Once they fell asleep, I got to my usual chores of cleaning the dishes, sweeping the floors, but this time, I also pulled out the lunch bags, and began to fill them with snacks. Fresh fruit and fresh veggies, always. A little salty snack of crackers or veggie straws. A homemade cookie. A yoghurt (for Noah only). And a note... always a note on the first day. Today begins a new chapter for them. A new year of learning. A new teacher to help form their minds. New friends. I'm excited for them. I truly am.

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Sunflowers.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I adore and I mean ADORE sunflowers. They make me over the moon happy. I can't NOT be happy when I look at one. So this year, with hope that I would have a garden FULL of sunflowers, I planted 3 packets full of seeds.
I started one packet indoors, in little biodegradable pots. They looked great. I even sang to them, hoping it would help them grow (why not?). I have one. ONE of them left growing.
Then I planted a second packet out doors. I have TWO left of those. And then my mammoth sunflowers. As back up and assurance, I planted a third packet of mammoth sunflowers, with high hopes that surely, these would grow into lovely large sunflowers. Well I guess the bluejays had other ideas, and again, I am left with one, yes ONE mammoth sunflower.
And so, for anyone still interested, these photos are of my prize winning (this survivor deserves a prize) mammoth sunflower. It's a thing of beauty I tell you.
Also, just for extra sunflower goodness, the kids and I visited a sunflower maze not too long ago. The price was a bit of a deterrent for me in years past, but this year, I made the most of our visit and brought my camera along for some nice pictures.

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Life lessons.

This summer has been one for self growth. I have come to some self realizations that were hard for me to come to, but now I can see that I am better for them.
I have come to acknowledge and accept that I deal with anxiety on a pretty large scale. Accepting it has been a journey. Recently I began to experience some physical symptoms due to my anxiety, and that made me realize that I need to take the next step.
I have also come to see that I must and need to set boundaries around myself. Saying no, knowing my priorities, choosing carefully who I spend my time with  and who I give my energy to... these are all things that I am learning to do better.
I feel that it's important to remain open and honest about mental health. For me, I have my own personal stigmas with it, due to my mother's history of mental health issues. I often worry that I will end up like her (if I'm being honest), and that is something I don't care to do.
So onwards I go. I'm going to continue to push through, to find strategies and ways to cope with this. I'm going to do better for myself and my family.

embracing the light

The days have been stretching out, longer and longer. At first I felt uneasy with the change in our daily rhythm. I wasn't sure if I could keep up with the extra energy it involves. When the sun doesn't set until nearly 9pm, the kids find their second wind and want to keep on going. Gone are the days of early bedtimes. Instead, they ask for extra bike rides, play time, and they toss and turn till they finally rest. 

It took me a few weeks to come to. I admit, I wasn't thrilled at first. My grumpy mama-self wanted her cherished hour or two to herself in the evening. But then I slowly came to accept the sunlight, streaming into our bedrooms and the extra walks after dinner. And then naturally, I just decided to embrace the longer days, and treat them as a gift. Instead of fighting it, I made my mind up to take advantage of this time we all have together. And I am much happier for it. 

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With the warmer weather, and holidays (Mother's Day and Victoria Day), we have been taking advantage of the free admission to the local Parks Canada sites. We visited the Fort Anne and Grand-Pre National Historic Sites, and both are such lovely places to go to. I highly recommend that people check out their local Parks Canada spots and use the free Canada 150 passes! 

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And back at home, I have been working away in the garden and it feel so so so good. Whoever said that gardening is stress relieving, really is right! Just the simple and repetitive task of weeding, tending and organizing, is so calming and zenful. I am quite happy to wander out into the garden to see what has grown over night, what flowers have popped up, or how my sunflowers and veggies are coming along. I have high hopes that this will be the year that the sunflowers I have planted will produce. I planted some seeds in the ground and also started some indoors. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. Sunflowers are my absolute favourite flower.

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So there you have it. Spring is here. We are getting out a lot. Oh and I forgot to mention, Wesley is especially busy these days, so being out of the house is a lot easier for me, than staying home (more messes to clean up when we are at home).

Happy Spring days to you and yours.
xox

life lately ...

Life lately:
Long stretches of solo parenting. A teething babe. Spontaneous trips to the beach .... because we can. Lunches outside. Playdates at the park. Wind chimes outside my bedroom window. Chasing the light. Getting the perfect shot. Self portraits with my littles. An afternoon in the garden. Getting our seeds started. Chocolate chia seed avocado pudding. Life is short, lick the bowl. Walks in the woods. Chalk drawings on the front driveway. Neighbourhood kids, calling to play. Feeling like this is home. Thankful Spring is here.