“Let’s hear it for America Hip-Hoo-Ray!”

I consider myself a seasoned traveler, especially with kids in tow and I know all the tricks, treats and necessities it takes to make it through a flight with children.

Here are my top three rules for flying as peacefully as possible with kids:

1) Provide lots of candy, especially lollipops (longer lasting).

2) Whatever the youngest child wants, the youngest child gets.

3) Keep your expectations low.

Start there and you will be golden.

We are off to Minnesota. Other than Ellinor conking her head on the terminal floor and spilling Starbucks’ black tea all over our boarding passes, we managed to get on the airplane.

As we took off, we encountered a few sketchy toddler moments that even a lollipop couldn’t fix.

I have to wear a seatbelt!!!!???

YouTube Kids doesn’t work??!!!

No pictures please! 😤

When Ellinor wasn’t looking, I promptly deleted the app from all electronic devices. See?? It doesn’t exist, therefore you can’t be mad.

After two flights and a full day of travel, we made it to Minnesota. I am equally as happy to be off the airplane as I am to see my family.

If you need to find me, I will be soaking in July, summer, friends, family, Target and my favorite holiday (next to Christmas), the 4th of July 🇺🇸❤️.

I will catch you in a month.

“School’s out for summer”

~Alice Cooper

It’s been awhile since I last blogged, as we have been occupied with the end of year hullabaloo otherwise known as class parties, field trips, recitals and concerts.

Sophie performed with her school choir.

Elsa had her dance student showcase, performing in four dances. She also received the Citizenship Award for her class.

In the mix of all the chaos, my mom traveled to Canada to spend some time with us in Halifax partaking in baseball, dance, hockey, school, walks around town, lunching and smelling the rhododendrons.

My Mom even got to meet a sloth…dream fulfilled.

Thankfully our goodbyes weren’t sad (we get to see Mema in a few days) and we welcomed Alisha into our home.

As always, I’m grateful for family and friends who make the trek to see us in Nova Scotia. With our long winter, the summer and visitors are both a much needed and lovely change of pace.

Oh, and yes…summer is finally here. The kids completed their first full year in Canadian schools and we couldn’t be more proud of their successes both academically and personally.

Our kids are resilient and continue to work hard and push through the newness of our transition with grace and optimism.

With that being said, we are ready for summer, lazy days, a long month spent in the states and time to connect with family and friends.

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.”

~Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It

Parker and I often discuss the best moments of our lives. Aside from the obvious wedding day and birth of our children, we always come back to our road trip up the Pacific Coast Highway in June 2016.

The day after Sophie graduated from elementary school and Elsa from Kindergarten, we packed up the van and headed out on our weeklong coastal California driving trip.

 

It was amazing. I’ll spare you the vacation summary, but our best moment by far, the one we both always go back to is our lazy day on the Big Sur River.

The trees created this beautiful canopy over the cool, clear river water and as our kids splashed around, Parker and I turned to each other, agreeing this was the best ever.  It felt magical.

Recently, Sophie was watching old videos on the computer and she came across our PCH trip. We all convened around the computer and relived our best day.

I love my family and I’m grateful everyday for the journey we are on, especially for days like Big Sur. Although there are times I miss our lives in California, I’m reminded my family is where I am happiest, which brings me back to where I need to be.

Thank you Parker for sharing in and helping to create these indelible moments.  Happy Father’s Day!

Here is to drinking a Sculpin (or four) this summer, in the good ol’ USA 🇺🇸

“Let me start with issuing you a challenge: Be better than you are. Set a goal that seems unattainable, and when you reach that goal, set another one even higher.”

~Herb Brooks

Soren started his second year of baseball and I would like to give a shout out to my sister-in-law Rebecca and the jacket she bought Soren for his second birthday, which he can finally wear.

Not many gifts have resonated with Parker, but this one hit all the feels. A vintage Lakeville Panthers baseball jacket, which was embroidered with Parker’s high school hockey number, 21.

For my Lakeville friends, this jacket was legit vintage…stowed away in the catacombs of the Ben Franklin and one of the many lost treasures waiting to be dusted off before the store closed for good.

After the fields had dried and the rain had passed (yes, it’s been a wet spring), Soren was all ready for his first day of baseball.

One of the things I have loved most about Halifax is Soren and Parker, connecting over sports, palling around and playing/watching sports both inside and out.

Our new basement floor might be super scuffed and the wall extremely dented but it’s all worth it.

Hockey player or dancer? At this point it could go either way for Ellinor.

“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.”

~Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Tib

I don’t even know if spring is here yet. I’m seeing all these posts of people drinking on patios and kids playing in pools and I wonder if I am missing something.

Kids home sick, lots of rain, temps barely in the 10s (I’m using Celsius at Parker’s insistence…nag nag nag!)…but guess what?

My mom is coming to visit 🥰. She’s making the trek to Halifax to watch Elsa dance in her student showcase and to experience Nova Scotia in June.

And yes, it gets even better because once my mom heads out, Alisha arrives for a week long visit.

Oh, and then we head to Minnesota for the month of July.

Well, I’m not really scared, but you get the level of my excitement.

Incidentally, whenever the kids are feeling bogged down by a mundane week, I make a point to find the positive in what awaits us during the week or even the upcoming months. Something as simple as, our evening is wide open and we can all take a family walk, is enough to get our kids through a tough Monday morning.

We are also fans of the countdown. Five chains all prepped and ready for tearing…Father’s Day, end of school, Mema’s arrival, Alisha’s visit and our trip to Minnesota.

Seeing the blossoms on our apple tree, Sweetie Girl (the kids named her), make us happy as well.

Our rhubarb is popping up and thankfully survived its first year in our yard.

The garden is in and I hope it handles the rain on the way.

We are looking forward to what summer has in store.

“Change happens through movement and movement heals.”

~Joseph Pilates

When I was pregnant with Sophie, I gained a lot of weight. Teaching full time, first pregnancy and feeling hesitant to work out when pregnant, I packed on the pounds.

When Sophie was born and I realized she wasn’t a 60 pound baby, I immediately knew I was in for a long journey, one that would take a long time to get back to where I wanted to be, both physically snd emotionally.

It wasn’t easy and years later, I still felt stuck to the point where I didn’t want to have another baby until I was in proper shape…and then I rediscovered Pilates.

I had practiced mat Pilates in college, but stumbled back into practice a year before Elsa was born, discovering reformer Pilates at a local studio. I was hooked.

I became a diligent Pilates student, taking class three times a week, all the while feeling energized and ultimately getting into the best shape of my life. Beyond the physical, it was part of my life and something I loved which made me feel centered, less anxious and a better person.

I took Pilates throughout my pregnancies with Elsa, Soren and Ellinor, up until two weeks before delivery with all of them. I gained less weight and my pregnancies symptoms eased, ending in three fast deliveries and even better postpartum recoveries. Incidentally, after giving birth to Elsa, the nurses all marveled at my delivery and strong pelvic floor. I felt like a rockstar and happily gave them the name of my Pilates instructor.

Since moving to Canada, it’s been hard to practice Pilates. For one, it isn’t as prevalent and additionally, the few studios that do offer reformer classes don’t work well with my current four kid lifestyle. Add to that a pesky shoulder injury and I was desperately missing something that had been a part of my life for close to ten years.

When I do pilates, I’m happier.

It’s been over a year and aside from a few reformer classes, my in home mat classes have been all that has tethered me to my old physical self.

But, that all changed.

I cried when I ordered it, almost passed out when it was delivered and am forever grateful that I could purchase my own reformer.

With that being said, I want to give a shout out to all the Pilates instructors who have inspired me and helped transform my mind and body. I miss you all and hope one day to take another class in my travels back to California.

Thank you!

Vida Pilates

Avanti Pilates

Pilates of Eastlake

“The Pilates Method of Body Conditioning is complete coordination of body, mind and spirit.“

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”

~John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

The school year is winding down and yet I remain envious of my friends in Florida and Arizona as summer has commenced…we still have 23 days left of school.

Parker took a day off today (a rare occasion) and I was able to attend Soren’s field trip to the Shubenacadie Provincial Wildlife Park. I have no idea how to pronounce this, but if you’re curious, Soren can tell you.

Ready for the day even though it was barely above 50 degrees and raining. I have always admired Soren’s enthusiasm.

Despite the rain and cold, I’m grateful for these moments, especially when I’m in a place where I don’t have many friends or babysitters to lean on.

Soren had hoped to see flamingos and sharks (clearly still operating as a San Diegan), but we saw wonderful wildlife, mostly indigenous to Canada.

According to Soren, wolves like to howl at the full moon. #werewolf

As you might have guessed by Soren’s gloves, we are still waiting on spring. The weather can’t seem to make up its mind, but I’m hoping it gets its act together soon.

The fluctuating temperatures have meant planting our garden, but also keeping some plants inside…I’m so confused!?

Until then, the cold weather is good for dog cuddles. Behold! Princess Pacifica Honeycrisp of the Papasan Chair.

Incidentally, our Princess also received her BS in dog training. Congrats to our puppy graduate even though she fell asleep twice during class.

Snoring away…

Accepting her ribbon like the babe she is.

Luckily, colder temps have also been good for playing cards. Recently Soren had asked to learn how to play cribbage. I told him it’s a complicated game. Despite his confidence in math, I told him it wasn’t a game I played until I was at least 12 years old.

Soren’s “what is this 15-2 and a pair is 4” face….too much.

But then we told him he could cut the cards and move the pegs. Nobs?

A double run of 8…clearly.

The weather HAS to improve, our garden HAS to grow and yes, summer will arrive.

Note: this sign was made in February.