There has always been a part of me that does believe. I have always been attracted to literature that captivates my imagination, challenges me and inspires me. “What If” has always sparked my passion for reading and stories in general. When Source Books asked me if I would read and review The Fairy Chronicles, by J.H. Sweet I was over the moon with excitement.

These are so the kind of books I would have loved to have got my hands on when I was a child. The girls in the stories discover they are …. Fairies!!!! Can you imagine (hehe I can!), the adventure, the endless exploration, the oneness with nature. Every little girl’s dream, brought forth in this magical series.

Me being a sucker for all this magic, I thought I would put the books to the real test. So I loaned my copies to a nine-year-old girl. The next week, the girl came racing up to me with glee, rapidly talking about the stories and how much she enjoyed them! I was flabbergasted! The books were a big hit with this little girl. In fact her mom was totally impressed too. Nothing brings more happiness to a parent, than a child enjoying books!

The Fairy Chronicles, being all modern have a great, interactive and child safe website that the kids can explore (with their parents of course!). However, my most favourite part of these books was the information included in the back. At the end of every adventure there are facts related to the story about trees, how to recognize flowers, and interesting tid bits about insects and animals! That was also my daughter’s favourite part of the books too (she is a tad young for these). The illustrations are whimsical and fun (just as fairies should be!)

I am so excited that there are so many options out there for young readers. My daughter is positive that she will grow up to be a fairy (and a digger, hunter, scientist …). We are nature enthusiasts so all of this magical Fairy lore is fun to explore.

What is your favourite Fairy tale?

Has magic touched your children’s lives?

Have a fabulous weekend

I am so loving the feedback from you all this week. I wanted to touch on a couple points.

Preschool. We are not anti-preschool. Far from it. In the Fall, Becca will be signed up for a couple city run preschool programs that focus on fun interaction with a side of French and ABC’s.

I just do not want to feel so exasperated I have no choice but to send her to preschool full time. I want to be able to work through these stages with her, grow with her and learn with her. Plus, in a year she will be preparing for school. This is our chance to really bond together. Ethan, Becca and myself (with a side of Daddy of course) have a year to explore this city and enjoy our three-ness. Once Becca starts Primary, it is full time, five days a week. Plus, even the city programs cost money. Does my family benefit more from a museum pass for the year or a month in preschool? Choices.

SAHM vs the World. By no means was my implication that what I do is better or worse than any other choice. I excel in our choice. I may not always be good at parenting, cleaning, organizing, etc but I am a better person staying at home at this point. I have grown as a woman, as a wife and as a mother in the four years that I have been blessed to stay at home with my child(ren).

Staying at home is a rough gig. It is not a choice everyone should make, however it is a CHOICE. I stay at home, not because I am lazy (working would be much easier than this), but because as a family we CHOSE to life this lifestyle. It ain’t easy not having two incomes to make our dreams of owning a home, and other material goodies a reality faster.

I cringe when people say they have no choice, they have to work. Poor people. I know that we are fortunate to have nothing, so we do not miss the second income as much as families that are more established. There are moms that would rock the stay at home gig, and you see the sadness in their eyes, yet still return to work. They truly believe they have no choice.

We all have choices. In Canada, especially, a family can live within their means and raise their family, in my humble opinion. There are families that the Moms are AMAZING at their careers and truly are benefiting by returning to work. That rocks. I never scoff, grunt, snicker or roll my eyes at the working mom. The balance they must maintain leaves me in awe.

Choice. Don’t knock mine.

I do use a Mac … I (heart) my Apple computers. They are amazing tools I use to express my inner creativity in ways I have desired for, like forever. Lately, the Wordless Wednesdays have been fun. I have been working through some designing tutorials and learning a lot.

I have also been working on a new design for this blog. I wanted to give you guys a heads up that the format will change, as well as the colours and overall feel. My blog is forever evolving with my life and it is time for a change. When I started blogging four years ago, my designs changed monthly, as I tried on new looks and challenged myself to code and design beyond my skills. Presently, I do not have the time or energy to change that often.

So watch for a change. Honour your choices. Oh and most importantly, keep coming back and sharing your thoughts!

Have fun with more Wordless Wednesday.

I like to iron clothes.

The smell of the steam, the warmth of the clothes, the flattening out of the wrinkles, leaves me feeling peaceful yet energized. The time it takes to iron each piece to perfection, as my mind wanders from topic to topic.

My husband NEVER lets me iron his clothes. He was all about his grubby chic as a student then researcher. However, now that he is a professor he needs his shirts pressed! Yipee! Before he left I ironed each of his shirts, watching as they magically turned from shabby to pressed. I felt like I was on his side, supporting him, propelling him forward to be the best that he can be.

In all my computer geekiness, photography, gaming, artistic cravings, I really love this domestic gig. Never did I think that I would have this life, this peaceful existence. Wife, Mother, homemaker. Baking, cooking, even *gasp* cleaning give me this odd sense of joy and fulfillment. I am an educated, smart, capable woman …

I like to iron. I like staying home with my kids. Raising them myself. I like to cook and clean. Organizing the house is something I take great pride in.

Why do I feel like making that statement should be made small? Why is it a confession at all? Am I really not contributing to society by raising beautifully smart and wholesome children? By supporting my husband, who educates future great minds in society, am I not therefore a part of this big picture? By what definitions do working women contribute more to society than a mother that supports her family from the inside?

I am a Stay at Home MOM. I am society.

Thoughts?

Just when I am ready to throw in the towel, send my preschooler off to Pleasure Island or worse preschool, we turn that ever sought after corner and life settles down. The last few weeks with Becca has been horrific. We have fought like mad, each struggling for the upper hand. I am shamefully admitting defeat on more than one occasion. I cried, I have lost my temper and I have said things I wish I had not.

This past week has showed such vast improvement it is shocking. I have the sweet, cute, caring, passionate little girl I once thought was gone forever, back. It was an odd time. She did not play with toys, she fought participation with groups (especially soccer, but even familiar places like the library), opting to stay home and mope. She demanded every ounce of me, not allowing me to breath without it being part of her world somehow. EVERYTHING was a fight, eating, routines, even fun stuff. If she received ANY “extras” she DEMANDED more, it was safer to give nothing fun, extra or pleasurable whatsoever.

On Saturday she joined in on the soccer fun, then proceeded to play ALL day. It is like she is back to her old self but new and improved. From what I have read, all of this is typical three and half year old behaviour. It was totally a rough patch. These past weeks she did not play like she did on Saturday at all. It was frightful.

Ethan, meanwhile has discovered the art of DESTROYING everything in his path. Books off the shelves, cupboards emptied, toys EVERYWHERE. If it is there he will move it. If it won’t move he will climb it. GASP the kid is in EVERYTHING. He is like a tornado in a trailer park!

So between Becca the horrible and Ethan the destroyer, I have had my hands totally full. I finally CRACKED, lost my mind completely, blew off a ton of steam at J (of course poor guy) then DEMANDED (wonder where these children get their personalities from?) one morning off a week (if possible) to MYSELF. J the ever sweet (and a little afraid) husband graciously accepted the terms of my sanity and will take the children to work every Friday morning (as long as he does not have meetings).

This has lifted a huge weight off me. I have had one morning to myself so far and I feel like a new woman. It has been since my knitting Sundays in California that I have had anytime to myself. It is true that every evening I go for my walk/run, but that is self-maintenance for one hour that hardly can be counted as “me” time. I need this.

I have had a few moms talk to me about staying at home like I have the plague. “Oh I could never stay home it is TOO HARD” “How do you have time FOR ANYTHING?” “WOW you stay at home with THEM?” It an odd way it is validating, like knowing these apparently well adjusted “normal” mothers are in awe at what I do. Yup I rock. Sanity is overrated anyway.

I actually feel a little bad blogging now about Becca’s phase, since it appears to be behind us. I better not be jinxing myself! She is such a wonderful, sweet, enduing, loving, curious little girl. Those times that are dark and frustrating, fill me with such sorrow and pent up emotion. I want to be her everything, but enjoy it. Unfortunately, parenting isn’t always running through a field of flowers … sometimes it is hard and ugly. Then we realize that the ugliness is gone and we can sit back and enjoy the life we have, the people in it and the children that drive us to love so deeply, curse so softly, cuddle so tenderly.