this, that and the other

This week I am:

• getting very, very excited that our Vancouver trip is only 2 weeks away!
• writing lists of all of the things we need to do before said trip, and all of the things we need to pack for 6 weeks of winter with an 18 month old, oh my...
• glad that I was the first person on the waitlist at my local library to get The Rosie Effect; it was a wonderful sequel to The Rosie Project
• eating this chunky chocolate buckwheat granola for breakfast every morning
• using our air conditioner more than I should
• putting the finishing touches on a little toque for Clementine; it'll be on the blog very soon
• watching the Death Comes to Pemberley series, and loving it (I read the book while we were in Colombia last year)
• wondering whether to buy an umbrella stroller
• thinking that I need some alone time
• squeezing in a few last minute family shoots before we go away
• enjoying this Canadian blog
• addicted to the latest seasons of Downton Abbey and Homeland
• pleased to have some new expat friends in the neighbourhood who host hockey parties (ice hockey, obviously)
• obsessed with the tiny desk series concerts, especially this one and this one
• asking everyone I know for traveling-with-toddler-tips (long haul flights, jet lag etc…) - if any of you have any words of wisdom, please let me know!

one thing at a time

oh how I would love to drink my coffee and do nothing else! this is a shot from my session with Stella

I have this terrible habit of trying to do 10 things at once, and not succeeding at any of them. It's multi-tasking at its worst. Let me give you a concrete example from this week…

I struggle through the door and up the stairs with a baby on my hip and shopping bags on my arms. I dump everything outside the kitchen and think, "I really need to put a load of nappies on to wash." I get the washing machine started and then walk back to the kitchen to start putting away the shopping. I notice the mess on the counters and start trying to wash dishes as I put fresh food in the fridge. I'm hungry so I'm also shovelling bites of food into my mouth as I go. Then I notice that the floor is disgusting and I start sweeping up the remnants of lunch. It's at this point that I realise that I've forgotten about the washing machine, which is now halfway through its cycle with no nappies in it. Awesome. The kitchen is still a mess, the laundry pile is as high as ever and Clementine is whining for my attention. Utter fail.

I was recently re-reading Sara Avant Stover's book (as I tend to do at the beginning of each season) when this passage jumped out at me:

"Knowing the reality of these women's lives as wives and mothers, Dipa Ma offered the most practical advice she could: Practice mindfulness. Feel the cloth as you fold your laundry and hang it on the line. Notice the temperature of the water on your skin as you wash the dishes. Sense your baby's lips on your breast as she feeds. Turn away from your thoughts and become present to moment-to-moment sensations as you do your chores."
                    - Sara Avant Stover

It was just the advice I needed to hear. Instead of trying to do five things at once, do one, but do it mindfully. 'One thing at a time' has been the mantra I repeat to myself many times a day. I still find myself trying to multi-task but when I do, I pause, take a breath and commit myself to just one task. And when I do, I no longer feel like I'm running around like a headless chicken and I get more done.

for the love of tv

completely unrelated photo because my TV is not at all photogenic

Lest you came away from this post thinking I'm a book snob who only ever reads, I'm here to tell you that I love TV. For so many reasons (here's a good list), I enjoy watching TV shows and found that I watched more after having a baby. Blame it on all that time spent at home nursing and watching the baby nap. Broken down into a few categories, here are some of my favourites:

Shows that are cancelled: Big Love, Sex and the City, Gilmore Girls, Flight of the Conchords, The Vicar of Dibley, Black Books and 30 Rock. I had been telling my husband about 30 Rock for years, but he only just got into it a few months ago. Re-watching it was just as good as watching it the first time; it is quite possibly my favourite show ever made. I love Tina Fey. And if you've never heard of The Vicar of Dibley, do yourself a favour and go watch it! I wouldn't necessarily call myself an Anglophile, but I do have a weakness for British film and TV. The English sense of humour just kills me. Speaking of which, Black Books would also have to be in my top 3, and if you're a Black Books fan, click here.

Shows I watch with my husband: Homeland, The Newsroom, Game of Thrones, Elementary, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Seinfeld. To be honest, all the violence and gore in Game of Thrones finally got to me (hello red wedding) and I didn't watch the whole last season. I still can't decide if I'll go back to it. I'm bummed that The Newsroom is only getting one more season, but I am eagerly awaiting it. And as for Homeland, not sure how I feel about Brody being gone, but I'll give it a shot.

Guilty pleasures: Arctic Air, Hart of Dixie, The Bachelor. Oh man, I can't believe I just admitted to watching these. For the first time ever, I'm watching The Bachelor. I have to say that my favourite thing about it is reading these recaps the day after and also rehashing last night's episodes with a good friend of mine. I really hope that no one is ever listening in on our conversations because we sound ridiculous! As for Hart of Dixie, yeah, that one just keeps getting worse and worse but I can't stop watching. And I'm team George, in case you were wondering…

A few others: Downton Abbey, Girls, Orange is the New Black, Offspring. I think you all know by now that I can't get enough of Offspring. It's most definitely my favourite Australian show, and just as much as the show, I love obsessing over Nina's wardrobe and home. Oh, and I cannot wait for Downton Abbey to come back!

And because I'm a hypocrite, I've been thinking a lot about Clementine's TV consumption. Katrina Kenison has a really good chapter in this book about going TV free, and while I agree with everything she says, I just can't seem to survive without it. Clementine doesn't watch a lot of TV, but I do find myself using it to distract her most days. My husband doesn't usually get home until 6, and in the period from 4 to 5pm when I'm trying to make her dinner, make our dinner and tidy up, she's grumpy. She will whine unless I'm holding her, which makes all of those tasks impossible. Inevitably I find myself turning on ABC for kids just so I can cook. I'd love to hear your thoughts on kids and TV, especially if any of you are a no-TV-household.

currently

I don't mean to sound like a broken record here (and it's a refrain that I seem to be hearing from a lot of bloggers) but goodness it's hard finding the time to write, and I'm missing the blogging of yesteryear. In any case, I have a few spare minutes before Clementine gets home and there are lots of bits and pieces I'd like to share. This week I am:

• pretty sure this is one of the funniest things I have ever seen, closely followed by this
• planning to take the leap and launch a photography website in the near future
• excited that Liv has teamed up with Blog Society to host a makeup workshop
• speaking of workshops, my friend Stella is running the best named workshop ever: Manifest Like a Mofo
• determined to make this for Clementine, even though I've never knit a sweater before and I am terrified
• finishing Wild, and wondering if the movie will be any good
• thinking that both Wild and The Rosie Project (which I recently read) are as good as everyone says
• grateful that I signed up for this course since the sniffles are back, grrr
• so sad and disappointed that I can't be at my bestie's wedding next weekend, why does Australia have to be so far away?
• loving Bon Iver's new song
• laughing over the fact that my husband and I are now sleeping with separate blankets, but we're both so much warmer!
• glad that I listened to a recommendation from a friend and watched this wonderful movie
• needing wanting this bag
• giggling over these jokes (#2 is my favourite)

a list

I haven't meant to be absent from here for so long. We're in the middle of nap transition hell, and my to do list just keeps growing longer. Times like these, I always opt for a list. This week I am:

• hoping that Clementine gets back into a good rhythm with napping soon
• glad that we spent the day at the beach yesterday
• working on streamlining my yoga class planning process 
• consumed with all things photography, and reading way too many tutorials from this site
• hoping to make a hot water bottle cover out of an old sweater
• coveting this dress
• trying to take my camera out with me more often in an effort to capture the everyday
• speaking of, thinking of participating in this project
• warming my hands with a mug of chai with milk and honey
• loving her new blog and swooning over her wedding video
• wondering what to make for dinner tonight, the eternal question
• listening to The Paper Kites (and Raffi, Clementine's a fan)
• wishing my bedroom looked like this
• reading this
• looking forward to the weekend, when I will make these pancakes (a new Sunday morning tradition)
• thinking that Kate is pretty damn cool
• obsessed with this amazing home, which my fellow Offspring fans will surely recognise

in the meantime

Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post; your sweet words were such an encouragement to me. We're still hoping for a miracle.

In the meantime, I am:

• thinking about food! I just made these double chocolate muffins and they are awesome.
• loving this post, from the same blog
• enjoying baking. I've made two cakes recently: the sponge sandwich cake in the photo above and a cheesecake. I followed a Margaret Fulton recipe for the sponge and it was quite difficult. I ended up with a decidedly un-spongy sponge. The cheesecake, however, was delicious. Thank you Katie Lee.
• admiring this French blog.
• pleased that my husband and I went out 2 nights in a row last week. It was awesome.
• looking forward to receiving my copy of Alphabet Family Journal in the mail sometime in April.
• excited that Canada won the hockey game against Sweden. And the women's hockey final was thrilling as well.
• needing a new book. I just finished reading The Snow Child, which I loved, and now I need some recommendations?
• continuing no-buy-February, and it's going surprisingly well.
• re-reading Kate's latest sling diaries post. I love her photos as well.
• very grateful for friends who agree to babysit at the last minute.
• hoping to go to more yoga classes soon.
• getting very excited for my mom's arrival! She arrives in exactly one week.

this week

This week, I am…

• lying down whenever I get the chance; chasing after the world's most active 8 month old is full on
• thinking that homemade iced tea really is one of the nicest things to drink on a hot day
• watching The Newsroom, season 1, with my husband
• reading French books to Clementine and pondering whether to teach her Spanish or French and how to go about either?
• cooking a lot, and I'm so glad
• enjoying this talented lady's 52 project
• deciding whether or not to continue posting my own 52 project here, and leaning towards not
• re-reading some L.M. Montgomery (I love her)
• continuing to hope that my dad finds Scout, doing everything I can to help his search but also coming to terms with the fact that it's not looking good
• seeking inspiration for a newborn shoot I will be doing soon, thank you pinterest
• longing for these shoes but knowing that I really don't need more sandals!
• growing out my short-lived bangs and wishing my hair didn't end up in a messy bun. every. single. day.
• wanting to make this toque for Clementine
• dreaming of visiting Copenhagen and Stockholm, it can't be that hard to travel with a toddler, can it? (ha)

this and that

It seems that Clementine has forgotten how to sleep, and I am tired. Too tired for a cohesive post, so instead, here are some random things on my mind:

• I am loving this cooler weather we're having. It actually feels like spring.
• Tomorrow I'm going to see Dan Savage speak as part of the festival of dangerous ideas. I'm so excited!
• For some reason, I'm just itching to knit. I have my eye on this project.
• I'm dying to see this movie. What can I say? I'm a sucker for an English rom com.
• I'm so glad that Homeland is back on. I'm kind of obsessed.
• If I ever make it back in to the kitchen, I'm making this cake.
• We're back on the cloth nappy wagon, at least part time. We borrowed some different brands to see which we like best.
• This week I've been enjoying fresh kale from my friend's garden in my green smoothies. A bit more intense than baby spinach, but I like it. 
• I really (really) don't need another cookbook, but I want this one. I really do.
• I've been enjoying this blog. Her photos are so inspiring.
• I'm lusting after this dress. Too bad it's not breastfeeding friendly. Not even a little.
• After years of experimenting with every natural deodorant brand under the sun, this video had me laughing until I cried.
• I'm daydreaming about future travel plans. Next year we're heading back to Vancouver for the summer, and we're thinking of side trips. Nashville and New York have both been discussed...
• Yesterday I went to the local greengrocer to buy myself flowers. I paid, and then promptly left them on the counter and went home. Today I went back, on the offchance that they would remember me. They did, and instead of giving me the one bouquet I forgot, they gave me two. Made my day.

the art of doing nothing (in Colombia)

"What if you pulled away from this constant stimulation? Stepped out of this forward-gushing wave of modern life and did something else? What if you found your own rhythm, one that's insightful and nurturing like the lapping of waves on a sandy shore — sometimes rough, sometimes quiet, sometimes still like glass?"

- from The Way of the Happy Woman by Sara Avant Stover

While we were in Colombia, we spent a week in a small town called Villa de Leyva. Several of my family members, including my mom, have holiday homes there.  My mom's house belonged to my grandparents, and as they hadn't been in a long time it was needing some TLC. My husband and my mom spent the whole week gardening, cleaning, decorating, organising repairs and then gardening some more. Me, I took care of Clementine.

The pace was slow and the days were long. With no wifi, I found myself bored for the first time in, well, a very long time. It was so good for me. I couldn't edit photos, write blog posts, watch tv, check comments, scroll through instagram or look at Facebook (boy am I disliking facebook more and more these days!). Instead, I took photos, gave Clementine my undivided attention, ate well, watched the fire, contemplated, admired my aunt's beautiful quilts, did nothing, napped, and read books. Two whole books: Death Comes to Pemberly and Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, both of which I loved.

It was grounding and made me hyper aware of my surroundings in a way I haven't been in a long time. I was present, because there was nowhere else to be. It's a practice I think I should embrace more often, perhaps for shorter stretches here and there and for one long stretch a year.

How do you unplug?

p.s. do you bring your iphone to dinner? and do you check your phone first thing in the morning?

green (and more thoughts on iphones)

I've been AFK (nerd speak for 'away from keyboard') for the last few days so I've only just gotten around to reading through the comments on my last post. It was great to hear everyone's thoughts, and struggles. I wrote this post because I really am the worst. My iphone and I are glued at the hip, and it's been bugging me lately how much I rely on it.

Tania made an interesting point; after her smart phone was stolen, she had to revert back to using an old mobile which she described as her "own little phone rehab." I think I may need my own phone rehab!

Moving along, here are some bits and pieces of green I've been noticing around my home lately...

red

p.s. last chance to enter to win a dreamy print from Alexandra Wallace Photography!

do you bring your iphone to dinner?

(totally unrelated photo)

A little while ago we talked about checking our cell phones first thing in the morning, and I loved reading all of your thoughts! As it turns out, must of us do check our phones first thing in the morning, and most of us are trying to change that habit.

This got me thinking more and more about cell phones, and how I can be more conscious about using mine. One of my favourite yoga teachers, Jessica Stickler, says that she doesn't bring her cell phone with her when she goes for dinner with someone.

I have to say that I hate it when I go out for dinner/coffee/a drink with a friend and they keep their phone on the table the whole time. It makes me feel like they're just hanging out until a better option comes along. Of course, I am totally guilty of doing this as well but I'm trying to change.

For now, I'm trying my best to put my iphone on silent when I'm with friends. I've noticed that this helps me to feel more present and much more connected with the person I'm spending time with.

So I'm curious, do you have any of your own iphone-rules? Do you bring your phone out to dinner, or leave it at home?

(p.s. don't forget to enter the giveaway for a beautiful print by Alexandra Wallace)

right this second

• I am eating muesli and drinking orange pekoe tea after a nice sleep in
• I am accepting that summer is officially over and autumn is upon us in my part of the world
• I am hoping to try this hairstyle that's making the blog rounds right now
• I am glad that I finished reading Bossypants last night. Laughter is good for the soul.
• I am loving this guy's music
• I am dreaming of things I can sew when I have my sewing machine back
• I am thinking that in the meantime, I should probably get back to knitting. It's more portable
• I am kicking myself for having accidentally used powdered sugar instead of sugar in a cookie recipe. Fail.
• I am still trying to understand everything that I learned yesterday in a yoga anatomy session. My brain hurts
• I am wishing you all a great hump day!

Black Milk

Just popping in to say hi! Husband's away so I'm in a bit of a bloggy pickle because I have no one to take my photos. I have a few projects I've been dying to share, but they'll have to wait until my photographer returns...

In the meantime, I thought I'd share this amazing online shop my friend Anna just told me about, Black Milk Clothing. I'm kind of obsessed. Especially since I'm a yoga teacher and I live in stretchy spandex/nylon. I may or may not have ordered myself a pair of leggings, and the receipt I got said "Give me nylon or give me death". Love.

Especially grateful for, 3rd edition

In the midst of yet another fairly crappy week involving the continuing passport saga and me coming down with the flu on the hottest day of the year yet (seriously, it was 32 degrees celsius yesterday and I got the flu, wtf???), I'm really feeling the need to put a hold on the self pity and remind myself of the things I have to be grateful for. So inspired by Whitney, here are 10 things I'm feeling especially grateful for...

1. Husband, who took such good care of me yesterday and came home instead of doing what he actually wanted to do so he could make me dinner, and make sure my fever wasn't going through the roof (it is).

2. My mom who is doing everything she can on the other side of the world to get me a passport, thanks mom!

3. The air conditioning unit in our flat. I think I'd die without it.

4. Visiting yoga teachers who never cease to leave me feeling oh so inspired, both as a yoga student and a teacher.

5. Fleet Foxes. Love them.

6. The fact that another Ira Glass show was added to his Sydney line-up. I'm seriously hoping that this time I actually manage to get tickets for husband and I.

7. Skype. What would us expats do without it?

8. Coffee. I'm not a major coffee drinker but sometimes it's exactly what I need to get me through the morning :)

9. The beautiful skirt from Anthro that my mom sent me. She has the best taste!

10. Inspiring books. Right now I'm reading Women's Power to Heal: Through Inner Medicine by Maya Tiwari (a.k.a. Mother Maya). If you're interested in Ayurveda at all, this a must read!

Do you have an accent?

Source: Uploaded by user via Gabriela on Pinterest

That's a silly question because the answer is, of course, yes. We ALL have accents. So what I mean is this: where you live, are you the one with the accent?

It's something I've never given much thought to, until I moved here that is. Here in Australia, my Canadian accent is an ever present part of my life. Anytime I meet someone new, the first thing they say is "Where are you from?" And quite often when I'm just taking part in a boring transaction like buying a coffee I'm asked "Where are you from?"

Sometimes it's nice. It's been pretty easy for me to meet guys here (hello, I married one of them!) and to make new friends because people are curious about my accent.

But on the other hand, sometimes I get sick of having the exact same conversation over and over again. And sometimes I just want to buy my coffee and not have a conversation about the person's great aunt Mildred who may or may not live in Windsor, Ontario and perhaps I know her?

So I'm curious... do any of you live somewhere where you're the one with the accent? And if yes, how do you feel about it?

Especially grateful for, 2nd edition

Once again inspired by Whitney, I thought I'd share a list of 10 things I'm especially grateful for right now...

1. Brown paper packages tied up with string (see above photo). Otherwise known as the 2012 Frankie calender and diary, so excited about these!
2. My new bike!
3. Husband coming to yoga with me. And liking it.
4. Sweet compliments from friends :)
5. Scoring 3 new summer dresses from Vinnie's for less than $30.
6. Funny French movies.
7. Pretty craft books (right now I'm perusing Scandinavian Stitches).
8. This song by Winter People, which you can download for free here.
9. Passionfruit and mandarins, yum.
10. A rainy Sunday, perfect excuse to be lazy all day :)

Noticing

Some of the things I'm noticing as I work from home today...

my create sign, handmade treat from a friend

a lonely stack of fabric sitting next to my machine and waiting to be made into something, if only there was more time!

my favourite tea from T2: orange pekoe

inspiration in the form of yoga books

What are you noticing today?

What's in my bag?

1. Frankie (my fave)

2. phone

3. moisturizer

4. keys

5. niagara falls wallet

6. papaw (for lips)

7. sunnies in a handmade case (more on that later this week...)

8. agenda/diary

9. pen

10. headphones

What's in your bag? xx