Gratitude Journal Prompts

7. Write about the friends you are grateful for.

I don't like to exclude people by not mentioning them, so know that you're all loved in your own way, but what comes to mind immediately are my friends that I travel with. We are all leading very busy lives and although we keep in touch throughout the year with quick visits, coffee, or texts, I love that we make a priority to go away together. We are looking forward to London this year :)

Last year in Paris.

8. Look around and write about one thing you are grateful for.

If I look out the window I can see the snow is melting and I am grateful that spring is on its way. I love all of the seasons for what they have to offer but there is something special about spring when it is brighter and warmer outside and we feel rewarded for the dark and cold of winter. 

9. Write about what you made you happy today.

Looking ahead to tonight I am happy to be going out dinner at Piano Piano. Now, it is with my colleagues and at the end of a very long week full of the mining conference, social events, executive team work sessions, and late nights, so it would be easy to dread it. But Italian food, of course that makes me happy.

(Not Piano Piano)

Questions 1-3 here and 4-6 here.

Weekend Recap

If you're tired of the ski weekend posts, just stick with me for a few more weeks and then I'll be morphing into baseball and golf ;)

On Friday both boys went on school ski trips.  Q was with his school and E tagged along with one of his friends. The friend's dad is a principal at a school and he took his son and two friends.  It was a fun day for both kids getting to free ski with their friends. Their ski days are usually pretty structured with training and races, so it was fun to just do whatever for the day.

That night E went to a birthday party at The Keg. These boys love a Shirley Temple.

We skied on Saturday but it was not a great day.  The snow was icy and it was very windy. We did ski but everyone agreed it was the worst day for conditions of the year. 

That night Q had his last baseball tryout and then we all got to bed pretty early.

On Sunday we hit the road extra early to head to Devil's Glen for E's last ski race of the season.  I sat in the back with Q for a change.

Devil's Glen is a private club and it is very nice and the snow conditions were 100 times better than the day before.  I had opted not to ski but Dave and Q did a bunch of runs. Devil's Glen is known for its steep pitch and Q had no issue zooming down. 

And E didn't have any problems either, he put in two good runs for his race, better than many people as there were a lot of DNFs and ended up in 17th place, a strong finish to his year. 

We made some frozen Costco pizzas for dinner and watched Mrs. Doubtfire with the kids. 

January and February Books

A look at the books I've read over the past couple of months, all pretty good ones!

Other People's Houses by Clare Mackintosh

Clare Mackintosh is always a reliable author, and her Welsh police dramas are always engaging. I knew the main characters Ffion and Leo from when I read The Last Party and A Game of Lies and I believe this is the third or fourth book that features them, however you can read this book on its own, no need to have read the previous novels. 

In this book Ffion is investigating a suspicious death and Leo is investigating some random burglaries in the nice part of town. Meanwhile they are navigating their somewhat new relationship and encounters with Leo's ex-wife and son. 

Five Star Weekend by Elin Hildebrand 

This was a fun little book by another reliable author, Elin Hildebrand. The main character’s husband has just died in a car accident. She is a food blogger/influencer and decides to host four friends at her summer house in Nantucket for a weekend as a way to relaunch her blog and to try and find something to look forward to after a few months have passed since her husband died.  The four friends will be from different period of her life and the five of them are the "five stars" of the weekend.  There is a bit of drama and interesting back stories but I mostly just like reading descriptions of beautiful places and delicious food.

Nora Webster by Colm Toibin

This is the same author that wrote Brooklyn (made into the movie of the same name starring Saorise Ronan) and the sequel Long Island. This book takes place in the same town where Ellis is from, but there isn’t really any overlap with that story. Nora, the title character, is recently widowed and has two young sons. The book follows Nora over the course of some years, her thoughts about her life, and how she finds a job, mothers her boys, finds new friends and interests. One of the reviews I read about this book says that Colm writes a book that is like “drinking a glass of water” and that is actually a perfect description.  It’s not flashy, it’s plain, it’s plodding, it’s just there. 

Promises to Keep by Genevieve Graham

Another great book by this author, I have read most of her works by now. She always chooses some aspect of Canadian history and gives us more details than when we would have learned in school. This one is about the Acadian Expulsion. In the 1700s, French settlers, known as Acadians, were living in what is now Nova Scotia (my home province). After much fighting between the French and English, the English decided they didn’t like the Acadians being there and shipped them off to the Southern United States. I remember learning about this, but this book really gave me some insight into how it would have been for the actual people and families that suffered this experience. 

This story is about a young woman and her family living in Grand Pre. The story takes place over several months and includes the actual deportation and subsequent events. She becomes acquainted with one of the British soldiers and that features in the fate of her and her family. There are interactions with the local indigenous people, the Mi'kmaq. 

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

I am going to call this now as my favourite book of the year. This is what they call an epistolary book where it is all letters/emails. I didn’t know that when I picked it up and at first I was a little put off as I have read books like this before and they don’t always work.  This one did however and I was very quickly engaged with Sybil, the main character, and her writing companions. Sybil is a retired lawyer, divorced, with grown children, living alone.  She likes to read and she writes a lot of letters, and some emails, to her friends, family, authors whose books she has enjoyed, and others. The book does a wonderful job of giving us all of the details of Sybil’s life, past and present, and introduces the supporting cast of characters in a seamless way. It was a very interesting way to read a novel and kudos to the author to keep it moving along the way she does. I loved the way that Sybil expressed herself in her letters, very candid but thoughtful, and I was just smiling most of the time admiring the loveliness of her writing. But oh my, I found it to be so sad at the end, I was glad I was reading it alone in my house instead of on the subway, several Kleenex were required! It does make one appreciate the art of letter writing that has gone away for the most part. 

Friday Favourites

Happy Friday!

I happened to be near High Park one day this week and snapped this wintry photo of the ravine. We got more snow on Wednesday.  I think after this weekend it will start warming up and the melt will start. 

I just finished the book The Correspondent (reviews of my January and February books coming up on Monday) and then I got my own piece of correspondence in the mail! It was very timely.  This is from my former boss who hired me when I moved to Toronto, we get together about once a year. 

I put away our Valentines decorations and put up a few things for St. Patrick's Day. There is a shamrock banner there on the fireplace but it seems to be blending in in this photo.

Yesterday I mentioned my favourite easy breakfast was something from Tim Horton's so I thought I would treat myself! Bonus that Roll of the Rim has started.

Our trip is close enough that the first day is showing up on my weather app.  When we land in Brussels, it is supposed to be plus 13 degrees Celsius that day! 

Guess what we are doing this weekend - you guessed it, more skiing!

Linking up with Andrea.

Monthly Musings

 

1. Paper planner, digital calendar, or other option?

I use my Outlook work calendar for all of my planning, and Dave and I will use calendar invites to make sure we cross reference plans. We also have a wall calendar at the house so the kids can see what's going on too.

2. Meal planning, meal prep, or wing it?

I meal plan most weeks. Sometimes I will make a few things for meal prep, like egg bites or a lentil salad, but that's not my regular routine.

3. Do you choose your outfit the night before?

No. But as a way to pre-plan my outfits since I go into the office about three times a week I will wear pants one day, a skirt another day, and a dress the third day (in whatever order) but it cuts down on some of the thought about what I will wear.

4. Tips for managing laundry and ironing.

Well to start, I don't iron anything anymore, that's one way to manage it. My way of doing laundry is to keep everyone's separate, and do it once a week. I can often get E to put his laundry into the washer, but less success getting it in the dryer and folded.

5. Grocery shop in store or online?

I do a mix of both depending on how much time I have. 

6. Best tips for getting out of the door in the morning without chaos?

Get up in plenty of time and keep a regular routine. I know what I need to get done in the mornings and I set my alarm accordingly. I do feel like I take forever to actually get out the house, but it's not too bad.  The kids walk to school on their own and if I'm going to the office I'm not there when they leave, so that helps ;)

7. Share your easiest dinners for crazy weeks.

Things that are made with less than 5 ingredients - a pasta dish, meatball subs, quesadillas, or a tray bake. 

8. Best tips for keeping your house organized during the week.

Tidy as you go when making a meal, and do a quick vacuum afterwards. And keeping track of what is in that aforementioned calendar to know what is coming up.

9. Share your easiest breakfast.

Egg bites that were made ahead of time. Or to be honest, breakfast at Tim Hortons!

10. Share your best overall tip not covered yet.

Don't over plan, keep a night or two free of planned events where you can catch up on housework, homework, or just relaxing. Right now we have nothing on Tuesdays and it is always a nice reprieve to know you just need to come home and not go back out again.

Linking up with Patty.

What's Up Wednesday

 What we're eating this week...

Sunday - lasagna and garlic bread

Monday - salmon and lemon orzo pasta

Tuesday - tacos 

Wednesday - turkey burgers

Thursday - pork tenderloin with coconut rice

Friday - out 

Saturday - chicken pot pie

What I'm reminiscing about...

The loss by both Canadian hockey teams in their gold medal games reminded me of the Blue Jays loss in Game 7 of the World Series. As disappointed as we were for all of this, I ultimately felt good about the games the teams played and the excitement that came from watching. I have always been a sports fan and I'm always surprised that others aren't as into it.  I overheard a lady at the ski hill on Sunday morning "so is this the gold medal game?" Uh yeah!!

What I'm loving...

The little things that the kids are making with the 3D printer. I will have to do a whole post about the useful (and not so useful) things they have made.  

What I'm dreading...

Packing for our trip - it seems we will need clothes for early spring, including rain gear, and skiing. How many pairs of shoes and boots do I need!?!!

What we've been up to...

Watching all of the Olympics and feeling good about ourselves as a country. Canadians, in case you missed it, check out CBC's montage reel on their Instagram page (@cbcolympics).

What I'm working on...

Just like last year at this time, I am trying to sort out some contract work before our March Break holiday. Since I will be in different time zone, and on the ski slopes, I'm hoping things settle down so I'm not feeling like I need to be doing work on my holiday.

What I'm excited about...

Baseball season will be here soon. With Q's tryout last week and another one this weekend I have run into a few parents and it is fun to reconnect with them. Dave went out with some of the baseball dads last week and I said we need a baseball moms' night out now!

What I'm watching/reading...

I'm watching Love Story, the JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette story (haircuts with serious supporting roles in that show), The Pitt, and random movies with the kids (all the Spidermans, and Dumb & Dumber). 

I am reading The Correspondent right now.

What I'm listening to...

The Crazy Stupid Love Rewatchables podcast episode, it really is one of my favourite movies. I need to watch it again soon. 

What I'm doing this weekend...

The boys are both going on school ski trips on Friday, then we will do our regular ski day on Saturday, and a race for E at Devil's Glen on Sunday. 

What I'm looking forward to next month...

PDAC (Toronto's mining conference with lots of social events), the end of season ski banquet, our March Break trip to Europe to ski, Dave's birthday, and perhaps some melting snow!

What else is new...

I did not get around to sharing this photo last week, the kids made the pancakes for Shrove Tuesday.  This is a bit of a posed photo with E looking extra helpful, haha.

Linking up with Shay.

Weekend Recap

I disappeared from here last week because I didn't have much to say other than I was watching the Olympics!! Haha. But as much as I love them, I am fine with them being over now.  That chapter is closed.  The Gold Medal hockey games for the men and women were disappointing for us, of course, because I think both teams outplayed their opponents for most of the game. Getting beat by the Americans always stings a bit more, but both our men and women's teams played well and we are proud of them. Same with the curling, men with gold, but Rachel Homan's bronze is nothing to sneeze at. Okay, enough about the Olympics for now :)

If you didn't see it, check out the CBC's final montage, you can find it in their reels @cbcolympics on Instagram. 

Our weekend was filled with skiing again. 

On Friday night Q and I played a game of crib, as a non-screen time activity. He beat me.

On Saturday morning the temperature was pretty good, and although the snow started out a bit icy, it wasn't that bad of a day.  It was quite busy though so I only skied for a little bit after lunch.  

Our ski racers, ready for the day.  They got report cards last week and they got excellent marks, E especially has really improved this year, his coaches have made a point to tell us in person how proud they are of his efforts.

In line for first chair up the hill (and I got on the second chair).

Q and one of his buddies. They have a great time together.

E's ski group had their potluck after skiing and we hung out for a bit with them to enjoy some good food and watch the men's curling finals. 

On Sunday morning, we had a snowy drive up north. Dave dropped me and E off at The Heights for E's race and he and Q continued on to our hill.  I had the hockey game on my phone with an earbud in one year to listen to the game while I skied.  And Dave had brought the Apple TV box to set up the club room TV. It was kind of fun sharing the experience in different ways on the hill, as I updated people around me or noticed that others were also listening under their ski helmet.  When Canada scored the tying goal, I was on the chairlift with some other parents, so we cheered and yelled down to the people below the Canada had scored. 

Ready to race.

It's quite the drop from the starting gate down to the course.  I am so impressed by these kids that can just go for it. 

E ended up having a good race with 13th place.  There were a lot of DNFs and disqualifications for missing gates so he did well to put together two strong runs. 

We got home late in the afternoon and chilled out.  I even got the electric blanket back out, it wasn't that cold on the hill, but after being outside all day I wanted to be extra cozy.