land and see 2018

How do I adequately put into words, what going to Land and See means to me? It's really hard to explain it all, but I'll try. 
For 3 days (5 for those that took the whole workshop), I was immersed into a world of photography, creativity, deep conversation, and real connection with other artists. It was an experience unlike anything I've done before. Something so far away from my regular every day. It was pretty damn amazing. 
On a practical level, I was able to work and learn along side some of my very favourite photographers. I was able to shoot one on one with a particular photographer, Joni Burtt, who I greatly admire. As well, I was able to collaborate with other photographers, and it was such an enriching experience. 
On an emotional level, it was quite a profound experience. For 3 solid days, I had the time to create, to be able to listen to other photographers, and just to be able to hear myself think. I was able to write notes about my ideas, things I wanted to remember, and not once was I interrupted. 
Going to Land and See is a gift to me, from my family. Winslow had to take time off from work, and we budgeted our limited resources so that I could go. The children, while sad I was going, were at the same time supportive and happy for me. It truly felt like this experience was a gift to me. 
It was a gift of time. A gift of opportunity. A gift to learn, to expand, to create. As I did 3 years ago, when I last attended, I felt such a huge amount of gratitude for this opportunity to go to Land and See. For some, this type of thing (professional development, workshops, education) is a regular/common type of occurrence, but for me, it is not- and I think, this I why I feel such an amount of gratitude for it all. 
It will likely be another 3 years before I attend Land and See again. The truth is, there are other things that I hope to do over the next few years- travel is one of the main ones. But this time that I had recently, is something that I hope to carry with me for a while to come. While I may not attend this specific workshop again, going to Land and See, helped to get me refocused in my goals (specifically towards photography) and I am going forward with new ideas. I'm excited to see what will come next. 
A selection of some of my images from my time at Land and See 2018, on Prince Edward Island. 

art for kids

exploring techniques: marble painting, collage, and process

exploring mosiacs

air dry clay animals 

Art has always been something that I enjoy doing for myself.
It serves many purposes for me, and without it, I would be a lost soul. To me, it is very important that I provide my children with a variety of opportunities  to create. That I share my passion and knowledge for it.
Sadly today, art education is being taught less and less public schools, and it is such a loss for children. As a child, I remember being so engaged in art lessons and really getting an understanding like no other through art education. Art is so much more than just painting pretty pictures or making seasonal crafts. It is a visual and tactile link to so many other subjects.
Art is: about problem solving, expression, language, understanding space, patterns, mathematics, culture, history,  freedom ... creativity.
So with this passion and drive, I decided early in the New Year, that we would start doing family art time on a more regular basis. My goals in this are simple: provide real art experiences for the kids, where we focus on exploring techniques, mediums, process and artists.
While crafts will always hold a special place in my heart, and we will continue to make them, I also want to make sure that the kids are getting a more structured understanding of art. We won't always be doing involved lessons and sometimes our art time will just be about exploring a medium, but I am excited to see where this takes us.
A few photos of lessons and projects we have worked on over the past few months. I'll be sure to share more as we continue on!

directed drawings of snowmen

moving on into September

And just like that, this past week, we said goodbye to a long and adventure filled summer.
It was a good one, the Summer of 2015. With swimming lessons, a cross Canada trip, lots of camping, swimming and exploring, we really got a lot out of those 3 amazing months. But now we are ready to slow things down a bit and to find our rhythms and routines once again. We are ready for cooler days, and longer nights. A cozy home, and simple days.
This week, both Noah and Katia started school and it was one of those important milestones that I really felt in my heart.
While he did so well on his first day, as Noah's mama, I could just feel the pressure and emotions that he was having, and I felt strongly for him. This year, Noah is going to a large school of 600 students and he is giving French Immersion a try. That's a lot for a little guy, who up until now has been at a school of 6 children and only went half days. While I know that he is a bright and resilient child, I also have this strong mama urge to want to protect him and keep him safe and small. How can I do that when I let him go, out into the world, without me?
Obviously this will be an ongoing discussion for all of us, but for the time being, we are committed to making this work. A little sidenote, upon pick up on Noah's second day of school, he came over to me and said, "today was the best day of school ever!". That made me feel better.
As for little Miss Katia, she did wonderfully at her morning program. We picked her up and she was non-stop chatting about all the fun things they had done. Playdoh, storytime, snacktime,the playground. I am happy that she is happy, and I know this morning preschool will bring the right amount of balance and activity to her days.
And now it it is the weekend. We have family visiting us, but we will try to find moments of slowing down after our busy week.
xox

create with love and it will taste better

I wasn’t quite aware of just how much I needed this creative retreat, until I was well into my second day of the Land and See workshops.
On a whim, back in the winter, and upon the urging of my wonderfully supportive husband, I signed up for this, too good  to be true set of photography workshops that would be held in the summertime on Prince Edward Island. Yes, the place that owns my heart, that place.
I had my reasons for wanting to go. I needed professional development, and this is what professionals do, they attend workshops. But deep down, I knew that there were other, more deep and personal reasons for why I wanted to be there.
These past few years in our isolated community have taken a toll on me. I used to feel guilty for admitting it, but denying my feelings of creative suffocation and loss of my authentic  self, didn’t help anyone in my family, especially myself.
For two years, my personal needs were on hold, as we lived in Beaver Creek for Winslow’s work. And while I love being a stay at home mama, and see a great many wonderful things about it, I also began to feel some resentment, as my needs, dreams and photography were put on hold for us  to be in there. It’s ok to be honest. This is part of our story, and one that I would never change, but I know that I seriously needed to get back in touch with my self.
Enter the crazy idea of attending a 5 day photography workshop, all on my own. It seemed luxurious and somewhat frivolous. Some people mentioned in passing that maybe it would be best to pass it up this time, but I knew, deep down that this was something that I so desperately needed to do.
Preparing for the trip was one hell of a headache. Logistics, an impending transfer, child care. As the hurdles came our way,  I began to have my doubts that this trip was meant to be. Yet still, this quiet yet determined voice inside of me was telling me to not give up on my dream, and I am learning that is so important to honour and listen to own voice.  To ignore your voice is dangerous, it is saying something so true and we must all listen to ourselves.
And so, after arranging flights, car rentals, child care (thanks to Grampy for coming up to help Winslow) and more, there I was, on my way. Nervous, scared, excited and elated, I made my way across the country feeling a sense of gratitude, openness and readiness, for something I hadn’t realized that I needed so, so very badly.

...

There I was, day 1 at Land and See, all on my own not knowing a soul.  As I found my way and pulled up to the beautiful country property of Dave and Erin Brosha, I just knew that this setting was magical and unique. Rolling hills of farm fields, big round golden coloured hay bales, green green grass, bright blue skies and the fluffiest white clouds – these details stood out for me, a stark contrast from the mountains and endless wilderness of the Yukon.  I made my way over to the groups of people who were all waiting outside of the 100 year old barn, where the workshops would take place.
One familiar face popped over to say hi, Caitlin Cleveland, a photographer who I greatly admire and respect. Our shared experience in the past brought us closer (we had the opportunity to meet each other last May, when I was in Yellowknife), and I was very much looking forward to hearing her speak and to learn from her.  Right away, she gave me a big hug, which put me at ease, and there I began to feel  that this was going to be a transformative experience  for me.
The days that followed were a nice balance of inspiring artists’ talks, slide shows, break-out sessions (where we followed a mentor of our choice, through their creative process), and hands on free time to work alongside fellow attendees and mentors.  It was hard for me at first to accept these gifts that were mine  for my taking. I kept asking myself, when was the last time that I had this much time to devote to learning and creating, and when was the last time that I had been surrounded by so many creative types. I quickly began to feel mixed emotions (cue pregnancy hormones). It had been 2 long years, of not experiencing those things, and here I was, with as I said, these gifts before me. I was overwhelmed with gratitude.
As it is to be expected, at the beginning of the week, there were many nerves and shy faces. By the end of the time there, the mood and comfort level had changed completely. It didn’t take long for hugs to be exchanged (freely), and for real emotions to come forth (think a room full of adults in tears). Many of the artists shared some really personal stories and experiences with us. Love, was the repeated theme of many of the talks, so was compassion and empathy. We heard about how photography acted as a form of therapy for one artist deals that with PTSD through his work as a paramedic.  The messages and topics were far beyond the parameters of what I expected we would learn about, they were life lessons, on how to live a true, authentic life. How could someone not be moved?

As I made my tired and weary way back across the country, I took the time to reflect on just how I had been impacted by this week. I think if I had to sum it up, I would say that I truly feel a sense of connectedness (with myself and the others that attended the workshops), and that I needed that sense so much.

I will leave off with this quote shared by a Cape Breton artist, Jon Brown. It spoke to me in many ways.

~ Remember to listen to your heart. When we create with love, it always ….. always tastes better. 

taking it all in

Our days have been filled with the most simple of activities, yet, at the end of the day, we are all happily tired and satisfied. We haven't experienced boredom, nor have I had to provide endless amounts of activities for the kids. No, summer is providing us with all that we need.
Quintessential summer things, like swimming lessons, nature walks, impromptu park play dates, trips to the library, garage sales, campfires, bike rides to the gas station for ice cream, summer reading clubs.
 It feels so nice to have so many options, yet I am thankful that we still are managing to find a slowness to our days, and that there are no big pressures or commitments on our calendar.
We are able to walk to and from the pool, stopping to pick up rocks and pick bouquets of wild flowers. I like the slow lazy days, this is the true feeling of summer and I am happy to share it wth Noah and Katia.

...

In about 2 weeks time, I will be embarking on a very exciting and important journey in the development of my photography craft.
Last winter, I got word that there would be a 5 day photography workshop taking place this summer in no other place than PEI (be still my heart!).
The line of of guest speakers and mentors is beyond anything I could of ever dreamed of, and after talking about it with my business partner (and life partner), we both agreed that this was something that I needed to do, in order to further myself.
Recently, there have been a string of events in my personal and family life, that have had me question whether this is the right thing for me to be doing.
The logistics of getting there, and finding child care while I am gone have been giving me headaches. I'll admit, I have had my doubts and have had people feed those doubts too.
But I am happy to say that after collecting myself (and after a few good phone calls to my cheerleaders), I am now more than ever excited and stoked about this opportunity.
I'm ready to be inspired. I'm ready to learn. I'm ready to step out of my comfort zone, and to try new things. I am ready for this and am so thankful for the opportunity.
To learn more about the workshops that I will be attending, see here.

...

And finally, as soon as I return from my trip to PEI, we will be hitting the road and beginning our 20 day trip across the country, to our new posting in Nova Scotia. At this very point in time, I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, I've wanted this move and transfer (to this specific place), for such a long time, and I am excited for it to happen. But on the other hand, I am scared to leave the comforts and familiarity of the simple lives that we live here. Walking down that path, daily, as we head to either the school, community club, library or pool. Knowing that I will see Winslow at lunch and dinner. These are things that are about to change, and I know I will miss them.
But onwards we march. New adventures await us. New friends, new hobbies, new sights. We are ready and we'll be just fine.
xox

reflections on our year of homeschooling

I wanted to take a moment and reflect on our journey in homeschooling this past year. It most certainly was a challenging and rewarding experience for us all, and although I had my moments, I am glad that we stuck it out (as much as we did).
It was last summer that Winslow and I decided that we would like to supplement Noah and provide Katia with some homeschooling. Noah attended the local school in our community, but the kindergartners only attend for half days. We felt that he would need some structured learning time in the mornings, and that Katia would benefit from it too, as there are no pre-school programs here in our isolated community.
Last summer, I did some pre-planning, and decided on units that we would do together. I made a list of subjects and found that more or less, this was a good way for me to stay on task. Some of the units were: Owls, Fall, Apples, Hibernation, Christmas, Friends. It was easy for me to plan around these themes. I used Pinterest for a lot of my craft and books ideas, as well as, games and worksheet ideas.
Some ongoing activities that we incorporated into our days were: nature walks, baking and cooking, sensory play, quiet reading.
Some reflections on the year. 
I am proud of what we accomplished and how we found a natural rhythm to our learning time together. I have some very special memories tucked away in my heart, of moments where we were cozy in our home, learning together and being creative.
Some of my favourite memories were the puppet shows that Noah and Katia reenacted, the many crafts that we made together, building our nature table collection, writing letters to family faraway,  witnessing Noah learn to read, sound out words and spell, and spending quality time together.
While homeschooling worked for the children, and I do believe they gained from the experience, on a personal level, there were some challenges that were really hard for me to overcome. While the children loved homeschooling for the majority of the time, I'll be honest, there were days (weeks actually) that I did not enjoy it. With a combination of feeling extremely isolated out here in Beaver Creek, feeling lonely, and stir crazy, there were moments where the thought of getting through a morning of activities, crafts, lessons just made my skin crawl. It was not a good feeling for me, and I knew that this would be felt by the children too. I also suffer from mild to moderate seasonal depression, and so the winter months were really hard for me to get through. Although we still could have continued with homeschooling until June, I decided that in April, we would finish up the year. It was the best decision for myself at the time, and I knew that the children would benefit from the break too. They deserved a more relaxed and even tempered mom, not a stressed out and unhappy teacher.
If there is one thing that I learned this year, it is that as the teacher, it is so important to take care of yourself. I am no use to anyone else, if I am unhappy and not at my best. Our circumstances were hard here. There were things that I simply had no control over (lack of friends, being so far from a major town, lack or resources). There were many nights that I stayed up, lesson planning for the next day, and also taking care of household duties. I think it's so important to find balance and time for self. If I am to ever do this again, I know that I will need to have a better balance and be in a place where we have access to more resources.
So, the big questions of the day.
Will we homeschool next year? 
Next year, we plan to have the children in public school (Noah) and a preschool program (Katia). I think we all need to experience what a larger community and public school can offer our family, and I think both of the children will benefit from the social aspects of being around more of their peers. I also need a break, and that is ok to say.
Will we ever do it again? Never say never, is my motto. I still do believe in the amazing benefits of homeschooling. It is a sure way to cater your child's education to their interests and strengths. You can tailor their units, go out on field trips (if you live somewhere that is not isolated), and have hands on learning. It has amazing potential, and if we ever find ourselves in the position where we need to rely on the option of homeschooling, I know we can do it.
Final thoughts. 
While we may not be continuing with our homeschool journey next year, I like to think, that we laid down a strong foundation of loving to learn together, and we will always continue with that love, desire and excitement about learning. Next year will see us in a new province, a new town/community and we will have all kinds of wonderful places to visit and things to do. I am excited that we will continue to learn together on our evenings, weekends and days off from school (I bet I will even pull Noah from time to tie, just so we can go off on a field trip or two) .
This past year we learned about taking the opportunities that present themselves and learning from them. We learned that it is important to carve out time for family and getting outside. Most importantly, I think, we discovered that when we allow our interests to lead the way, that the learning aspect just falls naturally, and that my friends is a beautiful thing to witness.
Thanks so much for joining us this past year on our homeschool journey. It's been quite the ride!
Looking forward to the next chapter!
xox

Leaving you with some pictures from a recent Story and Art lesson that we did. I think this is where my next teaching journey will take me. I love excellent children's stories with beautiful illustrations and I love bringing a story to life by including a special art project.
Here we read The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds, and then we did a large mixed media painting that included stamping. The kids loved it! You could also show the kids this video (which we love) at the end of the project.

happy at home

It's been nearly 2 weeks since we've returned from our oasis trip to Maui. It was bliss. It was paradise. It is now in the past, but parts of it linger in me. Just as a good trip should.
Growing up, I was always told by my mother, that we had gypsy blood in us (this was something that she was proud of!). Every summer, my mother and I would take off for a long roadtrip to the East Coast, and it was always full of spontaneity and side roads. Those summer trips taught me, that my heart thrives when it is given adventure and freedom. 
It's been almost two weeks of back to life. Back to homeschool, back to meal making, bread making, our usual walks on the fire break, our daily rhythms and routines. And while we have settled back into our lives here in Beaver Creek (for a few more months at least), I am happy to say that something in my heart that was awakened on our trip has stayed with me, and I have been feeling a very nice sense of balance in my heart and mind.
On our trip, I began a new journal. In it, I started to write about my search for happiness, peace and balance. I wrote about ideas and ways to implement some of those bigger ideas into daily practices. And I'm happy to say that I am doing it.
Painting, meditating, yoga, walks. Good gentle music, deep breathing, simplifying and praying.
It feels good. It feels like fresh air in my heart and soul.

 ...

In other news, we have been moving along with some new literacy activities in our homeschool studies.
A realization hit me the other day, that Noah will be in grade 1 next year, and I really want him to be well prepared for it. While talking with my good friend Natalie (an RCMP spouse and teacher), she gave me a good idea on how to use a morning message with Noah and Katia.
A morning message is a simple note that I write each day to the kids.
We read it together and then I ask Noah and Katia to look for certain words (site words), sentence structure (periods, capital letters, spacing) ect. It is also a fun way to talk about an idea or special event that we might be doing (St.Patrick's Day).
Another fun activity that I found via Pinterest was a word "sound it out" activity. I drew some very simple images of 3 letter words (bat, sad, mad, cat, dog, web, bug ... ect). Then I taped up the picture on our white board, and I get Noah to sound it out. He has done really well with this activity and seems to like it alot.
Finally, the last literacy activity that we have been working on are the Bob readers. Noah has caught on to these books and has already read through the first 3 books in the series. He really enjoys the books (they are simple and easy), and I can see that he is so proud of himself (as he should be!).
I really enjoy sitting down with him, or laying in bed, as we read the books together. It is such a nice bonding time and we are all so proud of him.
On a complete separate note, I bought the kids Where the Sidewalk Ends, and we have been reading a few poems every night at bedtime. They LOVE the poems.
So that's it from out end.
A few pictures from the last 2 weeks. Katia making lasagna from start to finish, family movie night, a visit to a White River First Nations culture camp (pictured, raising a wall tent and an elder starting a fire), a collaborative drawing done by Noah and Katia, and homeschool.
 xox

ps. the cat ears have returned!