10 on Tuesday...

My 10 favorite books to read with Evalicious...

In no particular order:

1. "Paperbag Princess" by Robert Munsch

2. "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak

3. "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein

4. "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch

5. "Fancy Nancy" by Jane O'Connor

6. "Oh The Thinks You Can Think" by Dr. Seuss

7. "On The Night You Were Born" by Nancy Tillman

8. "Moo Baa La La La" By Sandra Boynton

9. "We're Going On A Bear Hunt" by Michael Rosen

10. "Baby Bible Stories"

Ev loves to read. At night long after we have put her to bed we hear her continue to read to herself by the faint light of her nightlight. Some of the books on my list have a significant meaning (I can still hear my Mom singing "We're going on a bear hunt"), others are just plain fun; who doesn't like making animal sounds and rhyming Dr Seuss style...either way, these are all books Ev loves and book we love to read.

I have a great book to recommend to all the Mommies of girls out there. It is called "Cinderella Ate My Daughter" by Peggy Orenstein

Us Moms have a lot to worry about when raising our daughters; self image, eating disorders and a culture that teaches women that their worth is valued as much, if not higher, if they are beautiful over brainy. Shocking, I know, because I would think in today's forward thinking society we would place a lot more value of being brainy and witty over being beautiful. In this book Orenstein documents her struggle to "raise the ideal daughter". One who is happy, confident and not obsessed with tutus, tiaras and pink chiffon and the ultra feminine messages that come with all of the above.

While I have only read reviews so far on this book I feel like I can still recommend it. I have read books in the past by this particular author and have enjoyed her style and wit. I look forward to reading more about what Orenstein has to stay on a subject I feel is a consistent struggle.

One of the best quotes I read regarding this book is "Orenstein is the first to admit she’s not a perfect parent. But her advice to others is to pride yourself on saying no... Being a princess may seem simple. But raising one takes a whole lot of brains." Jessica Bennett, Newsweek

Look out, the Roys are moving in!

Erin, Shannelle...I hope you are prepared! We now have a permanent spot at Harmattan next door to you! I am quite excited to be your neighbour...hopefully you feel the same.

Aside from having fabulous camping neighbours I am excited to build some incredible memories with my family just as my parents did with us growing up. Evelyn has officially been at camp every year of her life; including while in the womb. Her birthday falls on the first week of August so she will officially celebrate her "day" during family camp for what I hope is many many years to come.

We are already making plans to get some gravel in, build a firepit and hopefully sooner rather than later get a nice little (or big, if I have my way) trailer.

The pictures in this post are some of my favorite memories from camp last year.

Crafty girl

Today we stumbled up a free craft time at Michaels! Evelyn was excited to make a craft a Mike and I were excited it was free...Below are some pictures of Ev's newly crafted necklace. Make sure you check out her incredible fine motor skills. Mike and I were quite surprised how easily she was able to string the beads.

For all you Mommies with kids off school this week Michaels stores all over the place (not just Calgary) are running free/cheap craft times in their stores from 1-3 Monday though Friday. To find out if a Michaels near you is running crafts just check out www.michaels.com

A little crazy around here...

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is You'er than You.” Dr. Seuss

Things I love Fridays...

There is a great little designer I have found on Etsy/facebook. I have actually been meaning to order some prints from her for quite some time but alas, everything she designs is so beautiful and fabulous I can't seem to decide what I want...sigh

Hop on over to 'Emily Burger Designs' and take a peek...you know you want to!

Emily Burger Designs - Facebook

Emily Burger Designs - Etsy

Conversation with Evelyn

Tonight Evelyn tried to convince us that a toot is a poop. I tried to explain to her that they are different. She didn't believe me so we called MorMor and asked her. MorMor explained to Evelyn that they were different. Evelyn's response was to cover the phone and whisper "Mommy, MorMor is wrong. A toot IS a poop". I tried again to reason with Evelyn that a toot is a fluff of air and a poop is a solid. Evelyn's response..."A poop is not always solid"...lol.

10 on Tuesday...Random things I wish for...

1. To buy a beautiful home on a big piece of land with no neighbours.

2. Sit on a window seat in said home and read while enjoying my fabulous view...every day

3. Wouldn't it be great if I could be able to eat copious amounts of chocolate and never have it return to my thighs.

4. Have more patience.

5. To have better time management. I feel like I am always late no matter how hard I try not to be. (as a side note, I blame my Dad for this. He is exactly the same way)

6. Wouldn't it be great if I was sitting on the beach right now enjoying a fruity, cold beverage feeling the sand on my toes listening to the waves. Oh vacation, how I long for thee...everyday...

7. I not only wish but I pray that I will always have as strong a connection with Evelyn as I do now. I really hope as she grows she will continue to be my friend.

8. Vain I know, but I would love to have long, thick, sexy hair.

9. If only all my ideas could come to life. I literally feel at times that I am bursting with creativity and I have no idea what to do with it.

10. To have a heart for God, always.

Life lately...

Ok, so I am fully aware of the fact that I haven't been on here in quite some time. The worst part of it is that on almost a daily basis I think "I should blog about this" and then...I don't.

It seems like life has taken full hold of us and sent our little family on quite a roller coaster ride since I posted last. Here is a short little breakdown...

We had a "surprise" pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage late in my first trimester. This was tough. We had started thinking about names, told our friends and family, started making plans and then suddenly the baby wasn't there. I truly believe that things happen for a reason so I am working on moving on but every once in a while I catch myself thinking about how big my belly would be by now or thinking about if we would have had a girl or boy. Through this journey I came across an incredibly encouraging saying..."Keep calm. Be still. Humble yourself under the might hand of God and carry on". This has been a huge source of comfort and encouragement for me as I continue on with this thing called life.

We had a great visit out to my family in the states. Evelyn is so nuts about all her American family so we always look forward to visits out there. We had to cancel a few plans along the way due to all of us experiencing the nastiest of flus ever but nonetheless we had great evenings filled with games, movies and visiting with our most beloved people. In those moments it makes me sad that my family does not live closer but alas...

Mike had an incredibly enlightening experience in Haiti. He came home with a new perspective and I am still so proud of all the hard work accomplished by him and his team. They managed to put the roof and trusses on an entire building and the medical team saw 400 people in three days! God is good!

The latest news is that I have started a new job working for a GPS company. This has been a HUGE learning curve for me but I am truly enjoying this new job. I am starting to feel comfortable with my responsibilities and hitting my stride. And it doesn't hurt that I am actually getting paid reasonably well for my efforts ;)

Evelyn is continuing to grow and develop. Princesses are still a very big deal around here as are all thing pink and purple. I took Ev for her first pedi at a great little spa in Okotoks last night. We had a great time and Evelyn is loving her new nail color. I will post pictures and a story of our girly night in the next day or two.

Ok, so, now that we are all caught up I will let you in on my plan for the blog in the coming days. I hope to continue to share our stories as well as add in a few new styles of posts. My girlfriend has been writing a "ten on Tuesday" post which I love. I will be incorporating this idea into my blog. As well I plan on continuing my regular Friday posts with a little switch up. Fridays will now be a "things I <3" post. You will continue to see fun products I am enjoying as well as other loves in my life.