Thursday, 28 December 2017

To Mila, at 7 Months

December 28, 2017
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Words)

Today marks 7 months of being at home, raising our darling, sweet baby. It also marks my (almost) halfway point of maternity leave.

Dearest Mila,

 My days are filled with loving you. 

When you wake, I'm utterly sleepy and groggy until your beaming smile clears the fog. You squeal and stomp your feet so excitedly; your whole-hearted joy turns into my whole-hearted joy and I forget the sun hasn't even risen yet. I watch your curious eyes take everything in - new and old. They follow sounds, and search for the familiar and favourite. I see the sun cast a glow around your face. Mimicking exactly how you feel, in my heart. Sometimes I do the dishes, make a meal, or tidy up... but most of the time I tell myself it can wait - because being present with you is my most important job. I nurse you and close my eyes to lock in how it feels: your warm chest, the sound of your quick breaths, the tickle of your soft fingers and palm dancing around on my arm, and the push of your pillowy feet tucking into my belly. I breathe you in when you cuddle in close, and that's all it takes for my heart to overflow. And oh, the kisses. Not a single day passes without showering you in hundreds of kisses. Kisses for no reason, and for every reason. We dance. We sing. We giggle at the dog. We marvel at the trees, swaying in the wind. We listen to the birds chirping, then to the crunch of the leaves, then to the crackling of the snow and ice. We play and learn together. You are learning sounds and textures and tastes. I am learning unconditional love, simplicity, and the value of being present. We are together.

My days are full. Full of love, of energy, of laughter, of cuddles and kisses. These simple days are my most valuable memories. They are my most important accomplishments and my biggest source of pride. They swell my eyes with happy tears, and grow my heart. They make me better.

Love Always, 
Your Mama

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Tuesday, 12 December 2017

A Modern Dollhouse Reno: The Beginning

December 12, 2017
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I am working on renovating a wooden dollhouse as a gift for our little love's first birthday...which is still far off, thank goodness! I wanted this to be a project I could work on during the entire length of my maternity leave. I love making - anything really - and I start and pause projects all the time. This project, however, is special. Even though my darling girl won't be playing with it until she's 4ish years old, there's something special about a first birthday - and giving her this dollhouse will be my way of honouring our precious first year together... now where are my tissues?! (Has anyone else turned into a complete pile of mush since becoming a mama, or is it just me?) Let me also say that this dollhouse reno project is probably bringing me equal, if not more, joy than it will bring her in the future. My husband often asks if I'll actually ever let her play with it, haha. (The answer is yes. I think.)

I've always enjoyed the creative process, figuring out how to make things myself, and being resourceful. Making things makes me happy and calms me. I also find it's incredibly mindful: my brain gets a break when I'm making, because I have to focus solely on what I'm doing (and not on the million other things my mama brain thinks about 24/7).

About the project: in short, woodworking is an area I haven't ever really explored  yet I've always wanted to give it a proper go. So here we are! At first, the plan was to build a dollhouse from scratch. Then I thought that might be a bit tricky without any real experience using heavy duty tools. I began to do some research and ended up finding a community of dollhouse hobbyists who renovate existing dollhouses - neat! Thus began a search for a used dollhouse that was in good condition, and not too expensive. After about a month of persistent searching, Kijiji came through for me: I scored a Melissa & Doug three-level wooden dollhouse for $60, and it was in great shape! The original house was a pastel dream: a completely pink and purple exterior with a natural wooden interior... not exactly the look I was envisioning. The dollhouse also came with its original furniture (also mostly pink and purple), but I'll get to that in another post.

As I've already mentioned, there is an online presence of dollhouse renovators and so I had gathered some ideas here and there, for the overall look I wanted to achieve. Our (real) house is also fairly monochromatic in its colour scheme - lots of white, grey and black - and so that is also what my vision for the dollhouse is modelled after. 

I started with painting the exterior, using this craft chalk paint. The bottle seems small but it goes a long way! I decided to use chalk paint because I didn't want to bother with sanding and priming the house. The pink walls needed 3 coats of white, and the purple trim (and roof), needed two coats of black chalk paint. I decided I really liked the wooden trim work and left it for the time being. Just like in a real painting job, the taping was the most painstaking part - and the part I enjoy the least - who's with me? Once the exterior paint job was complete, I decided to stain the wooden trim and balconies; I wanted something with a slightly darker, warmer tone. The walnut stain I chose did the trick! 
The (nearly) finished exterior!
Up next: I'm still trying to decide what to do with the steps (not pictured here) - whether I should use the same stain colour or do something more exciting. I'm also planning on adding some flower boxes to the second floor windows but for now I've moved onto the interior for a change of scenery! 

 Part two to come! 

 PS. Can't wait to see more of the dollhouse improvements? Follow along on my Instagram :)




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Thursday, 7 December 2017

Top 10 Christmas Books for Littles

December 07, 2017
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As an elementary teacher I am guilty of mostly two things - keeping EVERYTHING, and owning far too many children’s books. And now that we have a little one, I find myself updating her book shelf constantly to fit the season (I know: how very teacher-y of me). The one thing our daughter will never be able to say to us in this house is, “I have nothing to read.” 

Since December and all things holidays are now in full swing, you better believe that the shelf has not been exempt from getting a holiday makeover. Although there are literally oodles of lovely Christmas books out there, here is my top 10 list of Christmas-themed books (in no particular order):
10. All I Want for Christmas is You (Mariah Carey) - there are a whole bunch of song-turned-story children’s books out there, and when you love the song you can’t help but also love the book! This one stars an adorable little girl (who looks like a young Mariah), who is hoping and wishing for a little pup for Christmas. This is mildly reminiscent of my childhood except for the fact that unlike Mariah, I never got a cute puppy in a box (isn’t that every child’s ultimate dream?!). Nevertheless, it’s a cute book - but try reading it without singing the words… 

9. My Pen Pal, Santa (Melissa Stanton) - if you’ve ever wondered what Santa gets up to the other 364 days of the year, this is the story for you! It is written entirely in letters sent back and forth between a little girl and Saint Nick himself. Letter writing is a lost art form that I find truly endearing. I suppose emails do a good job of filling the void but there is still something so special about writing a letter to a loved one… and getting one back! 

8. When Santa Was a Baby (Linda Bailey + Genevieve Godbout) - one word: adorable. This story tells us about Santa’s childhood and how he came to be the jolly guy we all adore. Kids love this one; they really enjoy the ‘sneak peek’ into Santa’s early years!

7. Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree (Robert Barry) - there are so many lovely themes to pick up in this one: sharing, being resourceful, community, ripple effect, and of course, Christmas joy! The repetitive nature of this story makes it a fun one for kids - they love guessing what’s going to happen next (and being right about it!).

6. Home Alone (original story by John Hughes, illustrated by Kim Smith) - do I even have to write a blurb for this one? If you were around in the 90s, chances are you have a nostalgic, love-love relationship with Home Alone (but only the first two in the franchise, obvi). For me, this is the quintessential Christmas movie and now I can enjoy it in book format. Not to mention that the illustrations are SPOT ON. I love everything about this!

5. Red & Lulu (Matt Tavares) - a new one for 2017. The illustrations are stunning and the story is sweet. As my husband put it, "it's a bit touch and go" in some parts! Meaning our eyes welled and our hearts were caught in our throats a few times. You'll see what I mean when you read it. I love that this story takes place in New York City - it becomes a fun game of spot the landmark, and there's a neat little nugget of trivia about the Rockefeller Centre at the end of the book.

4. The Polar Express (Chris Van Allsburg) - a classic! A lovely story about the power of believing. I think the true theme of this book is lost on the really little ones - for them, Santa is reality! But nevertheless, it's a wonderful Christmas tale... and it has special significance for hubby's family so it'll always be a yearly repeat in our home. If you're reading this one in the classroom, it's fun to bring a special bell into the class as a reminder of the true spirit of Christmas.

3. Pick a Pine Tree (Patricia Toht) - I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but how can you not, with this one? Impossible. (Side note, I judge books by their covers ALL the time.) I knew as soon as I saw the cover, that a) had to have it and b) would love it. This is a story about all the loveliness that goes along with picking and trimming a tree—written in verse, and illustrated beautifully.

2. Olivia Helps with Christmas (Ian Falconer) - Olivia happens to be one of my favourite children’s book characters. She is totally sassy and under-cover funny. I also enjoy her mom, who is always very CCC (calm, cool, + collected). Anyway, as the title suggests, in this instalment of the Olivia series she helps with Christmas… try not giggling as she tries to untangle the lights. So sweet. 

1. How The Grinch Stole Christmas! (Dr. Seuss) - ok, I know I said “in no particular order” but the truth is this one really is number one, in my eyes. I absolutely love this Christmas story. I love that the Whos are like super into Christmas, I love how sweet and innocent Cindy-Lou Who is and that even though she’s so young she makes a big impact, I love that the Grinch is mega grumpy but learns a great lesson (and grows his heart), but most of all I love the message in this book: “‘Maybe Christmas,’ he thought, ‘doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!’” (Seuss, 1957). Seuss nailed it with this one!

Do you love a Christmas book that I didn't mention? Please pass along the title, I'd love to give it a read! :)



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