I AM - BECAUSE YOU ARE

A couple of few weeks ago I started to go through my collection of images to work on the August wallpaper, but things got busy and I decided to put it aside figuring I had more than enough time to pull something together. Today, over lunch, I looked down at my office phone and noticed that it is already the last day of July! This month has gone by in the blink of an eye! Being work-widowed, pulling together DH's birthday picnic, a few trips to the clinic and hospital for the LO's recurring ear infections, a mini family getaway to our nation's capital and poof! Gone! I will find some time to write more soon, but for now here is August's wallpaper! August 2018 And for a lighter touch, Wallpaper 2.0! August 2018

In my opinion... You abused your power. You attacked my character. You humiliated me. You intimidated me. You lied about me. I was shocked. I was angry. I felt helpless. I became anxious. I was hurt. There is a fine line between tough love and bullying, but what occurred behind those doors has always been clear in my mind. I lost the respect I once had for you, but what I lost in you I found in myself. Days went by and turned to weeks, weeks turned into months, and those months have now turned into a year. I am changed... but not negatively as I had first expected. I have realized that sometimes change is good. And, sometimes, unexpected change is exactly what you needed to figure things out for yourself. I've realized that sometimes the things we hold onto most are, in fact, the things we need to let go of.

Another week as a work widow is coming to an end... 8hrs and counting! And, tomorrow is not only Fri-yay but it is DH's birthday too! The big 4-2! Which means he should have all of the answers to the meaning of life, the universe and everything, right? Yes, geek reference, but it's appropriate! I don't have much planned for him this year. Dinner somewhere or other tomorrow night and hopefully a family picnic if the weather co-operates. Right now they predict rain so we shall see. Things may turn out to be more low-key than we planned!

She called us monsters… This happened 2 years ago, but the memory is still quite raw; like it happened yesterday. There are periods of the year that I am haunted by memories of my past, and this is now one of them. Very few people know about this experience, but it’s time I finally get it off my chest. We took our second, ever, extended family vacation. We were all staying in one wood cabin; our little family of 3 with the, then, 8 month old baby and my in-laws - a family of 4 plus Nonna too. This was their first time at the campground DH and I frequently called home during summer and my first time venturing out, traveling, with postpartum anxiety… only a month and a half after starting treatment. Not great timing although, with or without meds, this trip would have been high on my anxiety scale. Every fiber of my being worried. My mind was scattered and my heart was racing. Not only were we all under one roof, but Nonna was also in the car with us – a total invasion of my pers

Recently I saw that our Indigo Bookstore would be holding a free event, for children aged 3-6, introducing a relatively new toy from Fisher-Price called the “Think & Learn Rocktopus”. I was excited because a lot of the events they hold are usually aimed towards slightly older children and we never really get to participate, and because getting to try something before you buy is priceless! I immediately registered for the event and looked up the toy as well. It wasn’t easy to find as it has only been out for a few months, but I managed to find it on Amazon at about 55USD or 77CAD! Quite a steep price tag, so it had better be good! Think & Learn Rocktopus by Fisher-Price As you can see from the picture, it is super cute! But aside from cuteness, it is a mini music lovers dream! The toy boasts 15 musical instruments, 5 musical styles, and 3 separate ways to play. It incorporates Math, Music and Play at an appropriate level. It has fun lights and colors that help guide

I never thought I would be referring to this, but you know that scene, from Family Guy? Stewie Griffin: Lois! Lois! Lois! Lois! Lois! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mama! Mama! Mama! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Mum! Mum! Mum! Mum! Mummy! Mummy! Mumma! Mumma! Mumma! Lois Griffin: WHAT?! Stewie Griffin: Hi. [Runs off giggling] That scene used to be hilarious for me… until it became my everyday life. And I am not even referring to being a mom! Lately I feel like too many people have become overly dependent on me, both in my personal life and at the office. And, as their needs grow exponentially I am plain and simply becoming tapped out! I have needs too! And right now I honestly just need to NOT be needed for a while! Without getting into depth about my job, let’s just say that I am part of a team of people who support thousands of clients every day, and approximately 1300 of them are more specifically assigned to me. And, the majority of these clients are “Millennials”... a generatio

When parents mix together more than 75 years of combined medical history into the DNA of their LO, sometimes they just need to hope for best and pray they don’t end up with the worst! You can never truly know what will happen once you mix up the genetic cocktail that becomes your child. We would often joke about whose teeth we would prefer our future child to inherit (mine) or whose eye color we hoped for most (his), but it is quite clear after her short 2.5 years that we are currently following my medical history so far; recurrent ear infections and then ear tubes, and then her sudden onset of strabismus as well. While it is comforting to be dealing with familiar territory, it is also painful to watch your child struggle and know that there is just nothing you can do about it but hold their hand and be strong for them when they are scared. It’s my job – right? So, earlier this week we followed up with Ophthalmology, Audiology and the ENT… not necessarily in that order, and some more t