projects

 there have been a few projects on my 'home' list that i was hoping to get to this spring.

it's so much easier to tackle projects with some help.

my mom came last week to lend a hand

(have i mentioned that she's amazing?!)

the goal: 

paint an antique rocking chair and refinish our dining room table top.

 we've run out of room for this chair in the house...

i thought if we painted it, it would be a lovely edition to our porch.

and it is!

we also painted a muskoka chair that was looking quite sad.

one done, one more to go (on the list for next week).

our table came from my grandparents.

many meals have been served and

many crafts have been created on it.

it was due for a facelift!

the plan was to sand, stain to match and varnish.

once we were done sanding i loved the way it looked,

so we skipped the stain and varnished away!

my mom taking a rest after all our work.

she's a machine...

and so beautiful!

thanks for all your help mom.

and to the rest of you:

come on over for some dinner on our new table,

and a rock on our porch!

five

i'm in love with this photo from yesterday at the park.

still can't believe my little girl is 5!

linking up here today:

mommy confessions

life as a mommy is a bit of roller coaster.

oui?

last weekend (and the weeks leading up to it) 

i poured myself into planning and creating 

wonderful birthday memories for selah.

it was an amazing weekend and i was thrilled with how 

everything came together.

happy to see me little girl happy...

i have to say - this week with my 5 year old 

has been a bit of a challenge.

she's been grumpy and defiant at times.

not wanting to go to school, refusing her dinner, saying no to my requests,

claiming she is going to stay up all night and play...

it's so easy to for me to get frustrated and pull away in those moments.

tonight had some frustrating events... 

i rushed through bedtime, 

hoping to get some space to be alone and unwind.

about 30 minutes after i had said goodnight, selah called down to me:

"mommy i feel funny inside..."

i have to be honest, 

it was a real push for me to go to her and be with her tonight...

i didn't want to.

but deep down i knew it was what we both needed.

we talked about how she was feeling. 

we talked about why she might be acting the way she has been.

we talked about how i was feeling. 

i told her i loved her.

she knows...

she cuddled into me on her bed and gave me a kiss on my cheek 

and told me she felt better being close to me.

shedding a couple tears - i was suddenly feeling better inside too.

sometimes when i need to unwind, 

i like to catch up on some favourite blogs.

doing so led me here.

these words resonated with me tonight:

"there is no way to be a perfect mother, 

but there are a million ways to be a good one"

like any parent, i have expectations for my girls. 

i'm realizing that i have even higher expectations for myself as a mom.  

i seem to need repeated reminders that i can't be a perfect mom.

when i'm hosting parties for my girls - i feel like a pretty good one.

when i'm losing my patience with them and rushing through routines...

it "feels funny inside"

first i tend to blame them for my frustrations and tension, 

but if i'm honest i realize i'm frustrated with myself 

for not being the mommy i want to be.

i'm still working through how to relax these expectations

tonight was a good reminder to give love and time even when i don't feel like it.

because when you do, you just might get that love back tenfold...

~

and i just want to thank all of you who take the time to visit my blog.

sharing photos and memories,

processing life as a mom,

hearing your thoughts...

it's good my soul.

i hope your weekend gives you something to smile about!

have a good one.

selah's pet shop party

my beautiful girl ready for a party...

and boy did we party!

~

as you know, selah chose a pet shop party this year.

we had fun learning about pets and how to take care of them...

 first we made dog tags for the furry friend
that each child got to take home.

if you  haven't done shrinky dinks with your kids,

i highly recommend them!

 after craft and snack time, we were ready for some games!

for the first game we practiced feeding our pets.

take one bag of corn pops, one large spoon,
and one bowl on the other side of the room, 

and you have a dog feeding relay!

trying not to spill - until they realized how fun it was to clean up! 

for another game i had a tray of items that pets need, 

and i secretly took one off the tray to see if anyone 

could remember which one was missing.

whoever guessed what was missing 

got to remove a new item from the tray...

 we also played musical lily pads.  

you hop around while the music plays,

and when it stops, you find a lily pad.

instead of being eliminated, you have to share lily pads as they disappear,

until there is only one lily pad left for all the kids to squeeze on to.

there were a few other games, but the most amusing one had to do with 

a litter box.

i filled a bin with litter (oatmeal) and droppings (tootsie rolls).

each child had to take a turn scooping the litter.

this is selah finding the courage to eat her tootsie roll...

 after the games selah was excited to
open her presents and give thank you hugs!

then a quick group shot before cupcakes!

i guess it was a little chilly with the door open for more light...

 enjoying the cupcakes!

a successful party and one happy 5 year old!

hours of prep - but so worth it...

party planning is right up there with photography for me!

many of these photos were taken by judah.

 thanks hon!

pet shop prep

here is a glimpse into the planning and decorations that went into 

selah's pet shop party!

 decorations were easy with all the lps toys we already had around here!

i also found some fun animal print paper in the right colours 

that the girls made paper chains out of.

(fun idea to replace streamers...)

 this was my first time hanging balloons from the ceiling,

i'm a fan!

who needs helium now?!

pet shop cupcakes.

 i think this was my simplest party cake to date,

and i love how they turned out.

(each child went home with a little pet)

 a friend of mine made these pretzels for her daughter's party.

i was excited to give them a try for selah's...

they were very popular!

and this is what each child got take home at the end of the party - a pet!

here is the birthday girl excited to see her first friend arrive for her pet shop party!

i'll tell you more about the crafts and games we did to 

'learn about caring for pets' in my next post... 

first time...

for emery's birthday, i made marshmallow pops for her class.

simple and fun to do.

for selah's birthday, auntie beth and i made cake pops.

it was my first time!  

not as simple - but still fun!

since selah's birthday is during easter this year, 

she requested easter egg pops to share with her classmates.

so fun to work with these colours!

there are many tutorials already online on how to make these pretty little treats...

but i have to share the great trick 

that beth found:

to add the decorations, let the coloured chocolate harden completely,

then paint designs with corn syrup and dip in the sprinkles.

love it!

happy easter everyone!

birthday surprise

it's selah's birthday tomorrow!

5 years ago, she was born on good friday...

i didn't know if she would be able to fall asleep tonight, she is so excited.

i'm excited too!  

for her birthday we got her a...

 betta fish!

i think she's going to love it...

i wonder what she'll name him...

any suggestions?