birth and beyond conference

In just over a week, I'm going to see Ina May Gaskin
speak at the birth and beyond conference
I purchased the tickets months ago and now that it's so close,
my excitement level is through the roof.

She's the founder and director of the Farm Midwifery Centre located near Summertown, Tennessee
which has handled more than 3,000 birth with amazing outcomes, low intervention and cesarean rates. She lectures all over the world and is a champion for women's birthing rights.

check out the Birth Story documentary trailer below to catch a glimpse of the Farm and Ina May!
This documentary is so incredibly good, with archived footage of the midwives giving birth to their own babies in the 70's and 80's.

I was an awesomer kid

If you haven't checked out this tumblr page yet, 

I highly recommend you do so. 

I nearly pee my pants every time I read it. 

i was an awesomer kid 

bogs

A few weeks ago as I was surfing the web looking for minimalist footwear
suitable for Canadian winters, I came across these...
BOGS

knowing that I will be hauling three little ones around this winter, I wanted something practical, comfortable but that still has some style. I couldn't be happier with the summit so far, made from super-soft, 100% waterproof fabric with plush lining for extra warmth, it features 2mm of Neo-TechTM insulation, a dual-density, contoured EVA insole with DuraFresh anti-odor protection and molded rubber outsole. Thy are machine-washable and rated for temperatures up to 14°F/-10°! 
I originally opted for the black mix but it was unavailable in my size so I went with the red and am so glad I did, although I'm contemplating ordering the black too...

I also picked up these baby bogs for Oliver and Georgie. I wanted something easy on and off, warm and waterproof. Georgie has tiny feet so these are a great fit. She's still getting used to wearing socks and  boots although she really prefers to be bare foot or wear her favourite pink shoes. 

so if you are in the market for fall/winter footwear,
I highly recommend you check out BOGS.

song of the week

start a war by the national 

from the album boxer

This album is a few years old but I love it and play it constantly, 

 Matt Berninger's voice really gets into your bones. 

kinfolk

my first issue of kinfolk magazine arrived last week!

filled with beautiful photography, recipes and great articles, 

it's such a pleasure to read and peruse. 

Hubs and I have made a pact to entertain more and after some small home renos 

I think we will have an even better setup for doing so. 

Oh yeah and I need to learn to spend a bit more time in the kitchen too. 

Hoping this new mag will help give me some inspiration!

ps. looking for a great gift for the foodie in your life 

or for someone like me that needs foodspiration?

Check out the kinfolk table

recipes for small gatherings- can't wait to my mitts on this.

52 weeks ago

52 weeks ago our life was like this

what felt like a never-ending Saturday at the time, 

would have completely been erased from my memory if I didn't have this wee little blog. 

I've decided to keep more of my personal moments and kids milestones off this space

and use it to persue other topics and personal interests. 

Lately I've been feeling more inspired to write here again 

but I certainly love to look back once and a while!

Amazing how quickly a year goes by...

from cow baby to playing (eating) playdoh with her big brother.
I can't believe in about 2 months this little lady is going to be a big sister!

busy equals important

I read this blog the other day and it struck a bunch of different emotions in me. 

I've never thought that working-in home moms are lazy nor do I wonder what they do all day, I know full well what they do because while I do it after working hours and all weekend and they do it all the time. I also know that sometimes I welcome Monday's because I get to go to work and you know pee alone, or have 5 minutes to myself to think or not think and enjoy silence. Also applause to this husband for being so grateful and appreciative to his wife for mothering their children, raising them and knowing how difficult her "job" is!

I also know that sometimes the judgement is coming the other way too. I've felt it from other moms (work-in-home moms) that look down at me (a working-out-of-the-home mom) for "not caring enough to stay at home" or that I'm somehow less than because I send my kids to daycare. It's tough no matter what your situation is. The grass is always greener or so we think.

"It’s true — being a mom isn’t a “job.” A job is something you do for part of the day and then stop doing. You get a paycheck. You have unions and benefits and break rooms. I’ve had many jobs; it’s nothing spectacular or mystical. I don’t quite understand why we’ve elevated “the workforce” to this hallowed status. Where do we get our idea of it? The Communist Manifesto? Having a job is necessary for some — it is for me — but it isn’t liberating or empowering. Whatever your job is — you are expendable. You are a number. You are a calculation. You are a servant. You can be replaced, and you will be replaced eventually. Am I being harsh? No, I’m being someone who has a job. I’m being real."
 

It's true though, no matter how good you are or how much you care about your job- you are expendable and replaceable. It's a sucky reality especially when you've held a lot of your self-worth in your working life. It's not to say you still can't get satisfaction out of your job but consider this....

"In any case, I’m not looking to get into a fight about who is “busier.” We seem to value our time so little, that we find our worth based on how little of it we have. In other words, we’ve idolized “being busy,” and confused it with being “important.” You can be busy but unimportant, just as you can be important but not busy. I don’t know who is busiest, and I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. I think it’s safe to say that none of us are as busy as we think we are; and however busy we actually are, it’s more than we need to be." 

sound familiar? this hit me like a tonne of bricks. YES, I totally equate being busy to being important. If you are busy and stressed then you must be important, or doing important things. It's rather twisted and definitely something I am working on in my life.

But being a mom is not replaceable, being their mom is not expendable. We make mistakes and we are not perfect but either way we love our kids. fiercely.

So whether you are are stay at home mom or a working outside the home mom- high fives! This is a rough gig sometimes, sometimes it's the greatest too.

the big carrot

I've been adding carrots into a lot of my juice recipes lately, not just because they are so readily available but because the bright orange root packs a powerful nutrition punch,

fresh carrot juice is full of beta-carotene, vitamin and minerals.

  

100 g of fresh carrot juice contains:

 2.1 mg of beta-carotene and 350 micrograms of vitamin A

    Up to 3 mg of vitamin C, which is necessary to maintain immunity

    0.2 mg of vitamin PP, which has beneficial effects on metabolic processes in the body

    0.01 mg of vitamin B1, required for proper function of the brain and nervous system

    0.02 mg of vitamin B2, needed to maintain healthy metabolism and vision

    0.3 mg of vitamin E for healthy cells and synthesis of hormones 

(It’s several times greater than in beet juice.)

Carrot juice is also rich in potassium (130 mg/100gr), calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus. Besides, this juice contains flavonoids, phytoncides and enzymes as well as organic acids, monosaccharides and disaccharides, starch and ash.

  source 

Carrot Juice Benefits, Nutrition Facts & Side Effects
April 23, 2013 Posted in Health Benefits and Side Effects of Foods 

Carrot Juice Health Benefits And Nutrition Facts Fresh carrot juice is the king of vegetable juices. It contains a lot of beta-carotene, vitamins and minerals. All this makes carrot juice indispensable for health maintenance, particularly for people with weak immune systems, skin and vision problems. Carrot juice benefits children greatly.

Read more at: http://myhealthbynature.com/carrot-juice-benefits-side-effects/
Copyright © MyHealthByNature.com

the big carrot juice:
4-5 large carrots
1 pear
1 gala apple
handful of strawberries
makes a full serving for me, the hubs and each of the kiddos (I top theirs up with water)

Benefits of carrot juice:    

• Slow down the aging process
•  reduce the risk of cancer 
• Help cleanse the cells of toxins and impurities 
•  Drinking carrot juice can help you get rid of dermatitis and eczema. 
•  Vitamin C acts as a protector of the nervous and immune systems. 
• A glass of fresh carrot juice perfectly relieves stress after a hard day and calms if one is overexcited. 
•  Vitamin C in combination with B vitamins reduces the level of harmful cholesterol, thereby protecting the cardiovascular system. 
•  Fresh carrot juice improves digestion.
•  It serves as a great resource in atherosclerosis, infections and kidney stones. 
•  Carrot juice is very helpful to women. Carotene normalizes the synthesis of female sex hormones. That allows women to stay young and healthy for longer. Because the lack of vitamin A leads to infertility, carrot juice, in some cases helps to resolve that problem. 
•  it contains a substance related to endorphins, which promotes a sense of joy.

stickygram

have you heard about stickygram yet?

Turn all your sweet instagram pics into magnets, it's super easy and extremely fast (and free!) shipping even though they come from the UK. The kids love seeing the magnets on the fridge and where ever else they end up around the house. Also they make a great gift for friends and family, party favours, etc. 

 Use code FRIENDCWHD to receive $2 off your first order!

magnets not your thing? they recently started making phone cases also...

truth

"the reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel"

  - steven furtick

esty love

I bought these ultra adorable felt masks for party favours 

for Oliver and Georgie's joint woodland themed party last May.

and they were a huge hit with the kids (and parents too!)

I thought I would share as they make a great gift for the littles if you are starting to think about xmas gifting... and even if you weren't.

woodland masks from Mahalo, cost about $10 each

 I also bought this adorable set from magicalattic for about $30

fall days- #1000thanks

we have been having the most perfect fall days lately, 

sunshine and good times frolicking in our little forest with these two! 

my little lady has grown up so much in the past month it's bananas. 

She held out on us for a while, not really saying much other than a few sporadic words

but now that the flood gate is open she surprises us with new words daily. 

Not one to be left behind, she wants to do everything that Oliver is doing!

Thankful for these 2 munchkins 

and our ghill life they get to roam and explore together. 

#1000thanks

three

soon there will be three...

we are so excited to be adding another to our growing family!

We are opting for another delivery surprise but Oliver is confident it’s going to be a brother and Georgie’s sure it’s going to be someone else to boss around. I’m feeling great and lots of movement!

Baby#3 due sometime in December or as I like to say "coming this Holiday 2013 season".