Dear Summer…

You have been a gift, and have come and shown your presence in so many different ways…

In the rays of the sun that shine down on our skin, feeling as warm as a hug, giving strength to our bodies.

In the rustle of the leaves in the lush trees above as a breeze flows through, bringing true refreshment.

In the sounds of the birds singing their songs early in the morning, until late in the evening, they are calling out their praises for this bountiful season too.

In the way the daylight dances across the ripples of the water, showing off as if a brand new diamond catching the light for all to see.

In the calls of the crickets at night that bring comfort as we lay in bed, to the sounds of the cicadas during the day that remind us to enjoy the warmth that shines down.

In the chimes on the back porch that sway in the wind and remind me that simple moments are the best moments.

In the many colourful flowers that bloom at different times, they are all so unique and different, just like us.

In the smells of freshly cut grass, summer rains, and the lingering smoke from a fire that was made just to toast some hot dogs and marshmallows.

In the sound of the paddle slipping into the water as it pulls our canoe further, and the drips that fall off it’s edge as it lingers in the air waiting to dunk again.

In the croaks of the frogs, who sing their songs at night as loud as the birds, understated in their place, swimming by lily pads that flow with each small wave.

In the way the evening sun brings a warm glow to everything it touches, as it prepares to take a nap and let the moon start it’s shift.

In the feeling of bare feet on the grass and sand, free to walk and explore and filled with stains by night to be washed off in the tub.

In misty mornings on the porch drinking tea and watching the sun peak over the trees, to afternoons by the lake, reading books and listening to the splashes of children jumping into the water.

In the taste of wild sour berries that are picked with little hands, getting prickled by the thorns that try to protect their bounty, leaving pink stains across happy cheeks.

In the colour of the sky, so vast and blue, with big white clouds passing by that look so fluffy you could lay your head down on them and fall asleep.

In breathing in deep and feeling refreshed with the air that fills up my lungs.

In the daily strolls that have us walking a little slower and a little longer, our eyes lingering over all the signs of life that pass by.

In the freedom of just being still, and living as many moments soaking it in, not taking it for granted, because we know what is coming soon.

Summer you are the season we need to get through other seasons, the season that brings so much life,

the season that is so bittersweet to say goodbye to, as we see those green leaves turn yellow and detach from their limbs..

floating softly to the ground ready to start a new season...

Summer, you have been so good to us.

Writing about a ‘diet’ or a way of eating seemed so silly to me at first, who wants to know how I eat, or even cares really? But it’s been a big part of my life the past few months and I knew it was something I definitely wanted to share about in some capacity, so here goes! I don’t believe in pushing diets or eating lifestyles on people, if you eat meat and it works for you, that’s awesome! And if you are vegan and that works best for you, that is amazing too. We all have different bodies that are properly fuelled in different ways, and I believe everyone can find their own ‘sweet spot’ in what works best for them, and their family when it comes to food.

I was always typically an ‘everything in moderation’ girl for many years, and I still go with this approach for how I feed most of my family, but a few months ago, when a doctor strongly suggested omitting dairy, gluten and refined sugar from my son’s diet to help him with some struggles he had been having, it really made me think. The doctor had explained that these foods caused inflammation in the body and brain specifically in decision making, and that were likely making his (behaviour disorders, without going into too much detail for his privacy) worse. At first I thought, Ok this guy is trying to tell me that eating BREAD is what it causing my son so much struggle? I didn’t buy it. Yet, in all my research I’ve done over the years trying to help my son, I had read many times about how gluten makes certain behaviour disorders worse, but I didn’t want to believe it. My second thought after thinking it was ridiculous that omitting these foods would help my son, was that it would be far too difficult to feed him no gluten when the rest of the family was still eating it. But in an effort to try everything I could to help our son thrive, I decided that we would try this diet and that I would do it along with him, so he wouldn’t have to do it alone (as I knew it would be very hard for him) and also because I was very curious about how it would effect my body as well.

So on May 1st this year, we went ALL in on the no dairy, no gluten and no refined sugar diet. I spent the month of April planning for it, finding recipes and making meal plans. I wanted to be prepared so that we didn’t have the urge to ‘cheat’, I wanted to really stick to it as much as we could, so that we would truly see what kind of affect it would have. The easiest part to start off was not having dairy, because to be honest I haven’t really eaten much dairy at all for the past 10 years anyhow, except for yogurt, as it’s never really agreed with me. The refined sugar wasn’t as hard for me either, as I don’t have a sweet tooth, but it can be sneaky because they put sugar in EVERYTHING, so I really had to keep an eye on reading labels to make sure we didn’t get any sneaky sugar in our meals. On the other hand, giving up refined sugar WAS hard for my son, as he does have a major sweet tooth, so I was put to work finding homemade recipes for granola bars and treats that had no sugar in them so that he wouldn’t feel completely put off by this new way of eating. By far the hardest part for both of us was giving up gluten. If you would have asked me even a year ago about giving up gluten, I would have probably said “Never!” gluten is bread, and bagels and pasta and baked goods, I can’t say goodbye to those! So the first week or so was probably the trickiest, especially when we were feeling ‘snacky’ because even most crackers were not on our new ‘diet’.

What really helped us was having a solid meal plan, I literally wrote out every breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack we would eat every day for the first month to get us into a routine. I wanted to make sure that in those ‘hangry’ moments we didn’t reach for something that we would regret. So I made sure we had meals ready to go as well as proper snacks so that there wasn’t ever an excuse. We originally wanted to do the diet for a month, just to try it out, but as we got to the end of the month and started seeing so many positive results, we decided to keep it going. This time with letting in a ‘treat’ day every Saturday for my son, so that he would have a reward for all his hard work with sticking to this diet. He mentioned his first ‘treat day’ when he was eating a splurge, Poutine, that he could barely finish it. Which was crazy for him because he is normally a bottomless pit, but after not eating food like that for so long, his body had already stopped craving it, and he said he found he didn’t feel the ‘need’ for those treat foods as much anymore. He was honestly bummed that he couldn’t finish his treat meal, but he was realizing how this way of eating was really helping him.

So how did this new diet help us? For my son, it helped him exponentially, in being more level headed, being able to control his anger and emotions, and having a more positive attitude. My husband and I noticed a difference in him after the first week, and we held our breath thinking “No….this is not actually helping is it?” I think we both didn’t really want to believe it, but it’s was undeniable, it was helping him and helping our whole family in return. It was not a ‘cure all’ for his struggles by any means, but it was a tool in him thriving, and anything that helped him thrive was a big win for us all.

For myself, I was pleasantly surprised by a lot of benefits I had from cutting gluten, dairy and sugar from my diet. The biggest one I noticed first was that I had WAY less headaches and when I did get them, they were a lot less painful and wouldn’t stick around as long. As someone who has had frequent headaches and migraines since I was a child, this was huge! Some other things I noticed was my crazy intense heartburn was gone, my monthly cycle pain started to get more manageable (sorry TMI) my head felt more clear (I could focus on things longer and wasn’t so distracted), and any bloating, puffiness/inflammation in my body had gone way down. I had more energy in general, and just not having to deal with so many headaches was amazing! I also feel like my blood sugars were evened out. I used to think I was ‘hypoglycaemic’ and would have crazy hangry moments, but since cutting these foods I haven’t felt those big low blood sugar drops, I am thinking mainly because I am fuelling my body a lot more properly with more nourishing foods. I hesitate to even write all of these things, because I feel like if I say it out loud it will stop helping me (which is completely ridiculous) but it is now mid-July and apart from a few ‘treat days’ here and there I have stuck with this diet and I hope to continue to see such positive results. Because going forward, my son and I have decided to stick with this way of eating for the forcible future.

Again, if you had asked me even half a year ago if I would eat this way I would have said NO WAY, because I thought it was too hard, and that it wouldn’t be worth it. Now that we are in the routine of it, and we know what things we can and can’t eat, it has gotten much more ‘second nature’. We eat a TON more veggies and fruits, way less junk food, and we just feel so much better in general. I think my son would agree with me that we are craving those junk foods less and less also, as we know when we eat them how they make us feel and it’s just not always worth it. I am really glad that I gave it a shot and pushed past my skepticism. We don’t know how long we will eat this way, but for now we will continue and be thankful for how it is helping us both do well in body health and mental health. I have realized that I love the philosophy of ‘eating intuitively’ which is knowing what foods your body needs and what foods it doesn’t and listening to what it wants when it wants it. Your body will usually never steer you too wrong in this way if you listen to your ‘gut’ (no pun intended) ;)

Now I can’t pretend it’s as ‘easy’ for my son to stick to this diet as it has been for me, he has had trouble many days if he see’s someone eating something he can’t have, but I try to keep the meals things he likes and things that fuel him so he’s not searching for snacks all the time, but feels full and energized. I also try to remind him WHY we are eating this way and remind him how much it is helping him, and that seems to help in those hard moments. Having the ‘treat day’ for him to look forward to has been great for him also, as he feels the reward for his hard work on those days. After all, he is a pre teen and what pre teen doesn’t LOVE pizza and ice cream and burgers? Overall I am so proud of him with how he’s stuck it out with me!

I would love to start sharing some of the recipes that have been keeping us going and that we have been enjoying the past few months, and wondering if making some ‘recipe videos’ would be fun, would you guys be interested in that? Let me know in the comment section, as I would love to start helping others if they are feeling overwhelmed by this way of eating also, but know that it will be a help to a family member that they love. Just know that you CAN do it and there are so many good and yummy options out there! Maybe a ‘what we eat in a day’ video would be helpful and interesting too, I know those are one of my fave videos to watch on youtube.

Well, I did it, I wrote about a ‘diet’ and it was a bit weird, but it needed to be shared ;) so I hope you got a little bit of good info out of it! And if you have any questions, let me know as I would love to help and share :)

stay cozy friends,

Shelley

This past October I was hunting for old pictures and videos on my computer, and there were a few that I couldn’t find, I knew where they were though….on Facebook. I had deactivated my Facebook account over 3 years ago, and had never since had the urge to open it, but I really wanted to see those photos and videos, and save them to my computer that Autumn afternoon. So, I clenched my teeth and signed back in again…hello FB. The main reason I had left facebook years ago was because at the time it was just too much. Too many opinions, too many things I needed to do, articles I needed to read, too much information and too much pressure. I also found it was just taking so much of my time and mind space, and for what? It definitely wasn’t something that was filling me back up, but actually draining me, and so it got the cut. I never looked back, I felt free without FB, and I didn’t feel like I was missing out at all. I decided to still keep Instagram to post pictures and memories on and interact with people online and so I was good to go.

Over the years I have realized that I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with social media. It can be great for so many things, it can connect you with people all over the world from different walks of life. It can be an amazing tool for our business, in sharing our photos and videos and meeting new clients. It can be a way to keep up with old friends and stay connected in some way to them even though they live far away. And of course an awesome way to store and log your pictures and memories. It can be an encouragement on lonely days, a good laugh when you really need one, a way to lift up your friends, it can be so many good things! Yet, It can also be something that can bring you down, and others around you if your not careful.

When I think back to when my husband and I first met there wasn’t anything social media available yet, the most cool thing we had on the internet was ‘MSN’ (if you remember that you have to let me know!) Even just ‘dialling in’ to connect to the internet was sometimes a 10 minute and very sketchy process (LOL) We didn’t need to ‘update our relationship status’ to ‘dating’ or ‘engaged’ and we even planned a lovely little wedding without Pinterest (skills! haha) Sometimes I really miss those days! Your probably thinking….well you don’t NEED to have social media Shelley, and your absolutely right! And my thoughts are not to say that I want to boycott it altogether (though I have definitely felt like doing that many times), because I know it is a part of the world we live in today, but what I do want to do is to learn how to use it well.

I want to use it to share joy, happiness and light. To encourage others and share God’s word and love. I want to know when to step away from it and take breaks and when I should hold my tongue. I want to know to take information in with a grain of salt, because everyone is different and God made us like that for a purpose. I don’t have to do something because someone else posts about it, we all have our different passions and convictions. With all those AD’s we see now begging us to buy everything, I don’t have to feel like I ‘need’ all these material things that I really (really) don’t need. My goal in social media is not to push my ideals on others, but to share in a simple way that glorifies the Lord, and hopefully encourages others, makes them laugh or smile, and to log precious memories for my family. My hope is that I can learn how to do this well, so that social media in the world we live in today doesn’t become something I need to boycott and leave altogether, but something that encourages me and encourages others. Here are some things I do to try and help with this…

-I keep my phone in a set spot (kitchen counter) and not in my pocket or right with me all the time.

-I have set time slots that I check instagram or facebook, that don’t drag on too long or interfere with family time, or productive time.

-I don’t bring my phone to the table or any family meal or gathering time.

-The things I say and write online are the things I would say and share about in real life, I am the same me online and in real life.

-I take breaks every once in a while, even just for a weekend, it’s good to step away (the years I stepped away from facebook was needed and such a good eye opener)

-I try to stay positive and encouraging and use social media for good

lastly…

-I know this one may sound harsh, but you don’t have to ‘follow’ those that you don’t want to, I know that sounds like a ‘no brainer’, but just because someone sends you a friend request doesn’t mean you need to accept it. Unfollowing someone who is bringing you down is ok too! Cultivate the kind of feed that encourages you.

I have found since I took that three year break from Facebook that I definitely don’t use it as much anymore, during that break it brought in good perspective of how much time I should be spending on there, and helps me keep it ‘in check’ now. I am definitely still learning and figuring out this whole social media way of life, and I think how we use it will always be evolving, but I hope this encourages you in your own journey with social media, that it can be used for good and in a non consuming way. What do you do to monitor your time on social media? I would love to hear, let me know in the comments if you have any favourite tips :)

stay cozy,

Shelley

The last few weeks since the weather has been more sunny and the temps have been warming up I’ve started ‘nesting’, Spring cleaning nesting that is :) Every year about this time, I always get the biggest urge to clean, organize and re arrange ALL THE THINGS! Are you like that too? It’s like all of a sudden you need to clean every baseboard that you never cared about, and organize every drawer that was obsolete last week lol. One of the spaces we always need to tend to and organize a few times a year are the kids rooms. And when I say 'tend to’ I mean do a BIG deep clean. Part of the kids routine during any given day is to do some picking up in their room, make their beds, put away their laundry and toys, wipe surfaces, water their plants and take out their garbages etc. But even with this upkeep, somehow their rooms get super crazy unorganized FAST and need a lot of help at least twice a year. I decided to start with Mia’s room, as she was wanting to fit in a new table, and that meant we had to rearrange and get rid of some things to be able to fit it in.

Usually when we are doing a proper deep clean of our kids rooms, it’s takes a whole day! So this particular day I decided I would film the process (with Mia’s permission of course) because I thought this was PRIME blog material ;) To give a quick run down, the first thing we do is gather any laundry and or sheets/blankets that need to be washed and get those going in the washer. Then we start opening up drawers and bins and take everything out and begin going through them bit by bit. We pull out any garbage (yes for some reason my kids like to keep packages, and tags and every little crumpled piece of paper they can) so we have a big garbage bag open and start throwing out anything that is garbage and or broken. Then we set up various piles, ‘hair accessories’ is one, (you wouldn’t believe how many clips and elastics we find when we organize!) Then we have a Barbie pile, a doll clothes pile, a book pile, a lego pile, all the little nick knack toys pile etc. And we sort as much as we can into their respective piles to get ready to go back in their proper bins and places. We always do a big clean up of under the bed, which is always the kids least fave, but somehow they always end up stuffing SO MUCH STUFF under their beds and it needs to be dealt with. On this day we we were actually moving furniture, so we wiped baseboards and walls, and did a lot of dusting and vacuuming to get the space ready to go. I always bring out the ‘magic eraser’ and go along their walls and scrub off all the scuffs and marks that have built up over the months. I wipe down their dressers and shelves, and put the clean sheets back on the bed. I like to open the window while we clean to bring in lots of fresh air! The thing that takes the longest is always sorting the toys, but once it’s done, the kids are always so happy to have their toys back in place and they often play with their toys much better and longer after organizing them.

It’s a lot of work, but so worth it to teach the kids about taking care of their things, and keeping their rooms a nice place to live in and play in. I also find it a great way to start teaching about not holding onto material things, which my kids find SO hard not to do. They want to keep every little thing, and I am trying to show them that that isn’t necessary or good. It will take years I am sure, but every time we do this, I know it helps! We filmed clips throughout the entire day and compiled them in the video below, so take a peek and enjoy seeing our crazy cleaning organizing day ;)

Thanks for watching!

Happy cleaning and stay cozy friends,

Shelley