the most comfy jeans



my winter uniform has been a warm sweater (like this one and this one) worn with these most comfy jeans and boots.  they are a legging jean, a pant i avoided because most, well, just look like leggings.  turns out these look and feel like jeans and have stretch to fit snugly on the legs and accommodate a full belly after a meal :)  so i've been wearing them all the time (i have two pairs).  

what has been your winter essential?  

have a lovely weekend.

4/52

kai: he bought himself new soccer shoes... the shinier and brighter the better.  he couldn't wait to get them on his feet (see this weekend pics post).  he tells me that he is going to be a professional soccer player... playing for barcelona just like lionel messi.  he tells me that messi is the best soccer player and his favourite.  he tells me that he wants to visit argentina because that's where messi is from. he has soccer on the brain twenty-four/seven.

juice fast





there comes a time when i have to say to myself… connie, enough is enough, no more daily indulgences like candy cane chocolate and ice cream and carbs galore.  because what happens is that i want to eat more of that stuff, have low energy, become lazy, bloated and grouchy, there's weight gain and just feeling and looking blah.   so, i did a juice cleanse!   

i have heard wonderful things about juicing from friends and they love it.  i have wanted to try it for a such a long time now so when stefan agreed to do it with me it wasn’t so scary anymore.  for 3 days we consumed 100% raw fruit and vegetable juice 5 times a day with a simple salad of kale and apple for dinner.  that #1 was pretty delicious (apple, carrot and beet) but that #5 (tomato, cucumber, celery, parsley, and lime) was gross.

we bought organic fruit and vegetables, prepped them ourselves (time-consuming!) and used our awesome new juicer (it works brilliantly!).  we used the juice cleanse recipes from spud bc (next time we’ll just get them to deliver the ingredients and save the multiple trips to the store!). 

i felt really good during and afterwards.  i feel energized and light, like it was exactly what my body needed.  i did it for three more days... six consecutive days in total!  and the most surprising thing was that i didn't feel starving or anything.  i have now continued to nurture my body with a juice or two daily while paying attention to eating healthier (with the occasional treat :)... the ultimate indulgence.

would you ever consider a juice fast?  this documentary is compelling. and this video about a couple doing the master cleanse (not for me!) is funny.

ps. i haven't forgotten about my 52 weeks post, check back later this afternoon if you like.

weekend pics, food cart fest

we headed to the mountain again - kai in ski lessons, stefan desperately wanting to snowboard but there hasn't been a snow fall for awhile so he tagged along with me to snowshoe up dam mountain.  and while it doesn't seem doable when we start off, we manage to make it to top... it's a heart pounding activity that, i think, is slowly getting easier with each passing week.  it was clear and sunny on the mountain while the city was under fog and cold. 



can you spot kai?

we lunched at the food carts both saturday and sunday... at the farmer's market stefan and i ate at the feastro where i indulged in a fish taco and he had the jerk chicken taco. kai will always choose eli's serious sausage.  on sunday, heading home after our snow hike, we stopped by the art gallery where more street food feasting was happening. this time i devoured vij's butter chicken snitchel while stefan tried the shawarma wrap from mangal kiss.  and we know what kai ate :)  there were macaroons too, from bel café which is conveniently across from the art gallery... i had their peanut butter and jelly one and it was pure deliciousness.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 

forever and always during the fall/winter months, kai has a weekly soccer game.  he loves this sport with his whole being.  so much so that even after an early start on sunday morning to be on the mountain, he still had the energy to change into his "soccer clothes" and head outdoors to play more soccer with his dad.  he feel asleep while i was reading to him. needless to say, he was a tired and content boy.



 

 



 

hope you had a lovely weekend, one filled with gorgeous food and fun activities too. 

the power of empathy

please watch this wonderful animated short feature about empathy.  specifically it teaches the difference between empathy and sympathy.  the ability to imagine oneself in another's shoes is not instinctual for many people.  dr. brene brown explains empathy and sympathy so perfectly and articulately.  she says, "empathy is a choice, and it's a vulnerable choice because in order to connect with you, i have to connect with something in myself that knows that feeling." 

and if you are in the reading kind of mood:

connected parenting through empathic interactions with our children.  jennifer kolari spells out the abc's of empathy.  if you get a chance to see her speak, do so.  otherwise pick up her book.  empathy is a powerful tool and i encourage you to learn it and use it over and over in all of your relationships.  and especially with your children.  it really does work! 

 

what to do when you've made someone angry?  empathize.  simple but not so easy.

what we read influences are ability to empathize.  pick up that alice munro novel :)

 

have a lovely weekend.

call the midwife

i have consumed copious amounts of time watching call the midwife.  have you seen this british television series?  i have worked in women's health for decades and specifically reproductive health so it's no surprise that i am loving the series. 

it's a period drama exploring the joys and the horrors of midwifery.  it's based on the memoirs of the late jennifer worth, a midwife at the royal london hospital, who wrote about the shock of being a sheltered young woman first encountering east london of the 50s.  the more the series unfolds the more brilliant it becomes.  there's a good balance of humour and romance thrown in too.







will you watch?



 



 



3/52

 

kai: he is engaged in his least favourite activity, kumon.  he tells me often and dramatically, "you are ruining my childhood by making me do kumon."  really, he doesn't need it.  he loves math and is good at it.  for my part, i just want to nurture his love of math and thus far keeping him enrolled in kumon hasn't back fired on me despite his proclamation that i am ruining his childhood :)

dried flowers



image from odette

in general i avoid dried flowers.  they collect dust, leave droppings and can be relegated to the 80's.  yet, i can't bring myself to toss my roses.  they've dried out yet remain beautiful.  it would be lovely to have the skill to make a flower arrangement with them.  sigh. 

 



 

 

 

 



weekend pics, sunshine and horses

there's so much about this time of year that can bring about the blues... it's a comfort to know that all it takes to wake me up is climbing a mountain with my guy, cold air to breathe, some hot chocolate and kai's rosy cheeks.  it was such a pretty january day on the mountain... bright, cheery and warm (well, two degrees celsius warm!).  the day didn't start off as such however, early mornings is not kai's thing, rushing and tardiness are not stefan's thing so it was no fun getting out the door but once on that mountain all that frustration melted away. 

the hot chocolate i mentioned above was a gorgeous peppermint patty flavoured one from bel café.  they have taken part in the hot chocolate festival which began this weekend and i am looking forward to trying out more like the one that is peanut butter infused and one with caramel and sea salt. 

 

a lovely bowl of peanut and charred eggplant noodles from the union was the perfect way to end the day.  stefan had a flavourful nasi goring.  and kai dove into the sweet spiced beef.  all of it was amazing.  the atmosphere is chill and casual with long communal tables.  the service was attentive and friendly.  can't wait to go back, so many delicious sounding dishes to try. 

kai and i stole away to watch odysseo by cavalia on saturday afternoon.  what a visually beautiful show.  the scenes were mesmerizing; a lush forest, a desert, an ice cave, a flooded pond all under a big white top tent!  the acrobats i think were this close to defying gravity; the carousel act was my favourite.  of course, the horses stole the show - such beautiful creatures.  you can't help but appreciate the amount of horse training that went into it. if you haven't been, save your pennies if you can and go, it's worthwhile.



and a few pics from the cavalia website...

 

 
hope you had a lovely weekend too.