turning 85

3 generations ~ 13/366

This past Sunday we celebrated my father-in-law’s 85th birthday. He is in remarkable health and we feel so fortunate that he is so active in our lives – in Isaac’s life.

Happy Birthday, Frank. May we all be blessed with  many more years of togetherness.

Much love,
Debbie

39 times around the sun

a present for mama ~ 6/366

Here is what I woke to this morning. Isaac had been up preparing for me a surprise birthday party. He piled everything he owned around my “birthday chair” (recently acquired as a birthday gift from Fred) and waited for me to wake up. Many of his stuffed animals are also in attendance. You can see them on the couch. And when I did, I was most certainly surprised. Just look at that pile of gorgeousness, all in my honour. What a sweet, sweet boy. (Do you see him peeking in from the top of the photo?)

I’ve never been big on birthdays and I won’t lament on getting closer to 40 (I did that last year), but I will just say that as I get older I really do appreciate all that has gone into getting me where I currently am. Getting older happens whether we want it to or not and so I have decided there is no point in fixating on a number. Instead, I throw my arms open and welcome whatever comes my way, and if I’m honest, this has been one of the best years of my life. I wasn’t living  ”this” life 10 years ago, and I didn’t know “this” person (the person I am now) 10 years ago.  I certainly wasn’t a mother 10 years ago. Hell, I didn’t even know my husband 10 years ago. Life has moved at its own pace, as it will, and with it I have gone on such an incredible journey, made some of the BEST friends a girl could hope to have, became a wife and a mother and the women I want to be. I’d say that’s not bad in exchange for getting older.

And so with this being my last year in my 30′s I am going to take every opportunity to shine my light on the world because a) that is the example I want to set for my son, and b) if I’m not comfortable with who I am yet, I’m not ever going to be. But I am. I absolutely am.

Namaste,
Debbie

moments captured

isaac and ted - 2/366

Life goes by at all too fast a break neck speed. Finding time to be still and reflect on all the moments that string together the days of my life is something I am careful to make time for. It may be cliché, but in a blink of an eye I know these moments will be gone and we’ll be on to the next “big and important” thing. And so my motto has always been to slow life down as much as possible, and to take things in with each breath, so that I may never forget them.

Last year I thought I would undertake a  365 Photo “challenge” – documenting my mornings with a photo each day. (You can still see these images under the tab at the top of the blog marked “365 mornings.”) The idea behind this was to help me get up in the morning, as I’ve never been a morning person. I did well, for about 45 days. Okay it’s official – I’m not a morning person. But I’m also not a quitter and so I thought I would try again this year, but instead of focusing on mornings specifically, I’d like to share a moment from my day; a moment that captures that special something in the way we live.  There may very well be words, but I’m guessing more often than not these images will stand on their own (except for whatever I choose to title the image). Nothing more than a photograph offering the viewer a deeper glimpse into who we are, as individuals, as a family.

I’m curious as to how this will all play out come the end of 2012 – perhaps an album gathered of moments captured in the quietness of a day, making up a year in the life of us. Oh yes. I do think this will be fun.

Namaste,
Debbie

edited to add – I’ve just been reminded it’s a leap year…so I get 366 moments to share. Bonus.  

balance, again

tea and knitting - 1/366

A New Years resolution is not something that will be found lurking in the corner of my mind. I’ve never been one to resolve to do something starting with a new year because when something needs changing or doing or inspiring…I do it in that very moment, when it counts. I feel resolutions set us up for disappointment. You know how it is, a few weeks into the new year and we are either struggling to maintain our promises to ourself…or we have completely forgotten what they were to begin with. Who needs that? Not I, that’s for sure. Instead I approach each year with intention. Focused intention.

Last year, I decided I really needed balance. Wow! Did I need balance.  It was missing from many aspects of my life and I vowed to get it back. Um…that hasn’t happened.  And while that isn’t completely true, because I have found balance in plenty of ways, it is true enough that I don’t feel ready to move on just yet. And so here we are,  2012, and I am again intending balance as my theme for this new year.

It’s so important for me that my child grows up surrounded by energy that is rooted in balance. Life can throw at us many curve balls that we are not expecting but being equipped to handle them is paramount. Healthy, nourishing food, plenty of sleep and appropriate exercise all help us to find our balance and to better understand and recognize when we have lost our centre.  For me, meditation and pranayama (breathing exercises) are also tool I use to bring myself back to centre when I have ventured too far one way of the other. As him mama, it is my job to model for Isaac how it is we stay grounded and balanced.

There are so many ways I want this to unfold in my life and I have a list (because it’s what I do, making lists) and I will cross it off and see that things get tended to. But I am happy in this moment knowing that balance will again be seeing me through this upcoming year and that perhaps this time I’ll find a deep rhythm, with balance as my theme song, and we can dance our way through 2012.

Wishing you all the best in this New Year.

Namaste,
Debbie

new years eve

Fred and I have never been big into celebrating New Years in the typical way with big parties and lots of alcohol. I suppose we did a bit of that when we were younger, but even then New Years was more a time of reflection than a reason to party. We still feel that way. There is no place we’d rather be than home with each other, with Isaac, and to usher in a New Year surrounded by love, warmth and laughter.

dinner

Tonight’s festivities started with dinner – I made a shrimp and squid coconut milk curry with spinach, carrots,  and red pepper…served with cauliflower rice. It was incredible. Totally stuffed, we started to get things ready for our little party for three.

sparkling apple-cranberry juice

Isaac is currently really into the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I find it curious the things he discovers given that we do not have a television and yet some how he comes across this stuff on YouTube and if it strikes his fancy then it’s a done deal for weeks. Currently EVERYTHING is about Mickey Mouse and so will I was getting snacks and drinks ready for our party…Isaac was tearing about the living room in the name of “building a clubhouse” in which to have our party.

not sure why EVERYTHING had to come out...but such are the mysteries of building one's own clubhouse

We got the computer ready so we could countdown with those celebrating in London, England, where we have some friends. We couldn’t connect with these friends, sadly…but knowing they were celebrating at the same time as us was good enough.

counting down

We got our drinks ready to toast, our noise makers ready to rattle and we sang Mickey Mouse songs until it was time.

our noise makers - a kazoo, a rattle, a spin-drum

10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 -5 - 4 - 3 - 2....almost there...

Happy New Year

Wishing you all a very happy New Year. May it sparkle and shine like none before it.

Namaste,

Debbie