Wednesday 27 January 2021

Things my Son says as Posted on Twitter

As I reviewed recent things that my kids have said that have been posted on Twitter, they're all Jack! Maybe sometime soon we'll get an all Molly one!


via Wikipedia 


New recumbent exercise bike delivered. J: dad did you buy an X wing fighter? #StarWars


At the dinner table. D: sometimes kids who are bullies grow up to be bullies. One day you may ever grow up and have a boss who is a bully. J: Like horde prime. He made the whole town skiddish. #Shera

Today’s home school hack. J: as long as M doesn’t speak my teacher cant see that I’m not in French. class. So I just run in the room when I hear her talking so I don’t lose participation marks.


Image via Vice

The biggest “believability” issue my husband is currently facing whilst watching Home Alone involves the inflated price of Kevin’s Cheese pizza. Hmmm. #movietwit


via The Canadian Encyclopedia 

The boy has started to refer to the most exciting scene in a movie as “the money shot”. It made for some interesting dinner time conversation tonight.



Today’s lunch J: oh crap there’s a pencil in my soup.



Tuesday 19 January 2021

Introducing The Canadianna Blog

Having been a blogger for nearly a decade and working as a freelance writer and editor for half that time, I decided that I wanted to try to create something additional that I am happy to share with you. If you enjoy my writing on this blog, please check out The Canadianna, featuring writing by yours truly and many other talented writers I've had the pleasure of working with. 

What is The Canadianna?

The Canadianna is a blog for women in Canada written by Canadian women (womxn). With a name inspired by the country we call home, the genre of Canadian Literature, and my spirited daughter, whose middle name is Anna, The Canadianna strives to encompass authentic, engaging and inclusive content for the discerning tastes of women everywhere.

The goal is to produce a wide-range of diverse content to meet the interest of the modern Canadian femme with something for everyone from: current issues, story-telling, to health and beauty. Come on in, we’re glad you’re here!

Even better, please like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and Twitter and participate in our weekly informal surveys to help us generate more wonderful content for your enjoyment.


Here's the story about how The Canadianna came to be: 

Nearly a decade ago I dipped my toes into the world of blogging. This was a way for me to flex my creativity and connect with others as a newbie mom to infant girl/boy twins. Immediately I was hooked and my passion for connecting to the world around me through my writing was ignited.

While writing about parenthood, more specifically about life with twins, helped me find my personal writing voice, I knew I had more to offer my community of fellow women and Canadians than simply my experience as a mother. As my kids got older, I expanded what I wrote about, moving my freelance writing beyond a side-hustle into my full-time gig, utilizing my pen through many different topics in my writing and ghost-writing. One of my proudest moments as a writer was when an article I wrote highlighting the impact of Miss Piggy as a feminist icon was cited in someone’s graduate thesis.

In 2018, I joined a vibrant team of passionate Canadian women in the creation of a plucky health, lifestyle, and self-care publication called Future Female as managing editor and contributing writer. For three years we worked together to share the stories and triumphs of so many amazing Canadian women under the leadership of Kat Leroux. Future Female released its final issue in fall 2020, and today Kat is focusing on other projects, primarily the creation of a digital space, Future Filipina, to pay homage to her Filipina heritage. I want to personally thank her for giving many women the space to share their stories and for serving as one of the many fierce women in my life who have inspired me to launch The Canadianna.

Image care of Viva NZ


I am fortunate to be Canadian, living in a place where I can raise my children to be feminists (in a place where feminists don’t need to live in fear of persecution). I hope to teach them to embrace the perspectives of those around them with empathy and compassion. My daughter’s fourth grade teacher recently told us that she has a strong passion for social justice, something that I’ll proudly wear as a badge of parental honour.

Having gone to an alternative high school near the end of my public-school education I learned a lot about using my position of privilege for a positive cause, advocacy, and charity. I was spoon fed a healthy diet of Sassy Magazine, Ad Busters, and gifted the opportunity to debate among my fellow students to look at popular media with a critical eye. It was there that I first floated the idea of creating my own publication or zine, something parked in the back of my head for years.

There is still so much to share and learn together from the experiences of women in Canada. I hope The Canadianna inspires you, as it has me, to embrace the experiences of real Canadian women, learning from each other.  

Sunday 10 January 2021

Walk on the Wild Side - Winter Hiking in the GTA Rattray Marsh & Lakeview Golf Course

This past year we've made a lot of exceptions. We're being more adaptable because it makes our lives easier in otherwise challenging times. We previously had a 10 degree hiking rule, and then this fall we lowered it to five degrees. This winter we've lowered it to minus five, and it may dip lower since we purchased so much sweet winter gear.

Over the Christmas holidays my good friend E introduced me to this wonderful Ontario hiking group on Facebook where people share photos and tips for winter hiking in their favourite locations. The group has proposed a challenge where people aim to enjoy five winter hikes in the month of January. 

I just started a new virtual challenge (hiking, biking, rowing, walking and running) the length of the Appalachian Trail in 50 weeks or less (spanning 3167.6km) some mild winter weather hiking with the family seemed like a great opportunity to log some KMs. 

Since we're in a grey area lock down in Ontario, we made sure we stayed within the Greater Toronto area, and brought masks to wear when social distancing was not possible.


Our first hike was a 2KM loop on Saturday at Lakeview Golf Course in Mississauga.  

You can hike or bring snowshoes when there is enough snow. Washrooms are open and parking is free.

I suggest bringing boots with good grips, spikes or crampons. We had one fall during our journey where Molly thought a section of pavement was dry when it was black ice.


Our second hike was on Sunday afternoon, along the lakefront trail at Jack Darling Memorial Park and into Rattray Marsh Conservation Area.

The sky looked like something out of the background of a glacier sourced water bottle today and was gorgeous.

Like usual the kids and Chris wanted to hike along the beaches and use their billy goat legs to climb the rocks overlooking the water

From parts of the walk we were able to see the CN Tower and Toronto skyline.

The Rattray Marsh Trail portion of our hike was the busiest and since it's so narrow we masked up for this complete section of our hike. 

For whatever reason, our dog Ted who normally HATES water decided that January was the perfect time to enjoy the water of Lake Ontario.


By the end of the hike we were warm, tired and had logged between 5 and 6kms. Highly recommend. I am so happy that I've found this Ontario hiking group and that we got to enjoy bright blue skies in January, a time of year I normally associate with grey. Only three more January hikes to go!

Got a great, well maintained hike for us to try in the GTA? Please share!









Monday 4 January 2021

101 in 1001 My Second Set of Un-New Year Resolutions

This is my second 101 in 1001 bucket list.  As a list person I love the idea of checking things off, compared to creating one or two resolutions that may or may not happen.

My last 101 in 10001 list was made three years ago (posted here) and was a fun way to reach many goals and push myself to check items off my shorter term bucket list. Although I didn't reach all of my goals, I finished over a third of them which is more than I would have done without this list. The goals that I still want to complete from the last list are peppered in here, but most items are new.  

With us being in lockdown because of COVID-19 right now I focused my list on smaller goals I can achieve right now (and celebrating the little things) as well as bigger plans post pandemic. As with last time, I will continue to check off items as I complete them to keep me accountable and to let me see how far I've come.  I hope this helps to inspire some other people as well







 
  1. Read 50 Books✔ ✔(Grown-ups Marian Keyes, ✔Handmaids Tale Graphic Novel, ✔You Love Me, Green Witchcraft✔, If You Tell✔, Jaws Peter Benchley✔, Nothing to See Here Kevin White✔), Heartless✔, The 90's Chuck Klosterman✔,  The Break by Marian Keyes✔, Freaks, Geeks, & Asperger's Syndrome✔, State of the Union✔, A Heart that Works✔, A Good Girls Guide to Murder✔, Heartstoppers 1✔, Heartstoppers 2✔, Heartstoppers 3✔, Heartstoppers 4✔ Where the Crawdad Sings✔, The Hangman✔, Such a Fun Age ✔, Just Like You ✔, Rachel Again✔,  Mother. Wife. Sister. Human. Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick. Turban. Cabbage.✔, The Friendship Cure✔, For You and You Only✔, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely fine.✔, Fair Play✔, Summer Sisters✔ 
  2. Donate blood
  3. Visit Ireland
  4. Drink at the Guinness Brewery
  5. Take a clay sculpting class with Jack
  6. Write a book of essays based on this blog✔,
  7. Pitch the first 10 years of my blog as a book of essays to publishers✔
  8. Get my blog book published
  9. Successfully complete the license plate game on a road trip (got 48 states on July 2018 road trip)
  10. Run an 8KM race
  11. Run a 10KM race
  12. Complete the Conqueror Virtual Challenge Appalachian Trails
  13. Complete the Conqueror Virtual Challenge Pacific Coast Trail✔
  14. Complete the Conqueror Virtual Challenge Hadrians Wall (in two weeks)
  15. Complete the Conqueror Virtual Challenge Mount Everest (in a week)
  16. Buy and hang a display for my Virtual Challenge medals✔
  17. Learn how to better use photo shop
  18. Hike to a frozen waterfall in the winter
  19. Grow my business by 20 percent 
  20. Attend an overseas family wedding
  21. Read the entire Harry Potter series with Molly  
  22. Be able to complete a 3 minute plank
  23. Learn to do a Kart Wheel
  24. Be able to do a headstand (I was able to do these thanks to a regular Hatha Yoga Class in my 20's but have lost it over the years)
  25. Take a nature survivalist class
  26. Get professional family photos done at least once a year✔✔✔
  27. Take an archery class✔
  28. Pay off the remainder of our mortgage ✔
  29. Send a message in a bottle (with the kids)
  30. Attend a blogger conference
  31. Visit 3 new MLB stadiums for games (with Chris)
  32. Get an updated professional biography photo each year
  33. Run a 5KM colour run
  34. 10 pieces of mail for a friend in one month to show them I'm thinking of them (one per year)
  35. Get an article or short story published in a prominent magazine
  36. Enter a fiction writing contest





  37. Participate in philanthropy that is Molly and Jack's selection✔ (UKRAINE walk with Molly)
  38. Complete 31 days to Building a Better Blog (not necessarily in 31 consecutive days)
  39. Finish a childhood photo album for both Molly and Jack
  40. Have my Multiple Momstrosity blog reach a million hits
  41. Post 100 articles with my new site The Canadianna
  42. Take a photo of the same view in all four seasons
  43. Visit Central America with the kids✔ Costa Rica April 2023
  44. Get more photos of the kids with their grandparents 
  45. Get more photos of Chris and I with our parents
  46. Celebrate a friend with a really expensive bottle of sparkling wine
  47. Visit the Redwood forest
  48. Redo the basement bathroom✔
  49. Visit The Thousand Islands
  50. Go ice fishing
  51. Run a trail race
  52. Treat my family to a themed dinner and a movie ✔ (Young Guns)
  53. Go on a family vacation with my cousin and her girlfriend✔
  54. Stay overnight at the ice hotel in Quebec
  55. Write 150 blog entries about my life with the kids
  56. Practice Hatha Yoga for 30 minutes a week (for a consecutive month)
  57. Practice Hatha Yoga for 45 minutes a week (for a consecutive month)
  58. Practice Hatha Yoga for 60 minutes a week (for a consecutive month)
  59. Practice Hatha Yoga for 75 minutes a week (for a consecutive month)
  60. Take the kids on vacation to New York City✔
  61. Go on an overnight trip just me and Molly
  62. Go on an overnight trip just me and Jack
  63. Re-paint the upstairs bedrooms✔
  64. Fix trim on main floor painting
  65. Fix trim on upstairs hallway painting



  66. Renovate our kitchen
  67. Redo the sink/vanity & toilet for upstairs bathroom✔
  68. Hike at Sleeping Giant Park
  69. Hike Tunnel Mountain Banff
  70. Hike Johnston Canyon Banff
  71. Hike Badlands Trail Dinosaur Provincial Park
  72. Hike Stawamus Chief (Squamish) BC
  73. Hike Helmcken Falls Rim Trail (Wells Grey Provincial Park) BC
  74. Hike the Flowerpot Island Loop✔
  75. Hike Warsaw Caves Ontario
  76. Visit Newfoundland
  77. Hike Torque Mountain Ireland
  78. Hike Muckross Abbey Loop Ireland
  79. Hike The Divis Ridge Trail Ireland
  80. Clear sky full moon canoe paddle The Humber River
  81. Visit the Grand Canyon
  82. Hike in New Mexico
  83. Raise $1000 for a charity with the kids
  84. Take the entire family snow shoeing
  85. Take a story writing class with Molly
  86. Help Jack create his first Stop Motion Short
  87. Visit an Alpaca Farm for an overnight✔ 
  88. Go to Niagara on the Lake with Chris for a post pandemic 15th Anniversary Celebration



  89. Take Molly for High Tea✔
  90. Host a dinner party with the kids helping me cook✔✔
  91. Try traditional Anishnawbe Food✔
  92. Buy a New BBQ✔
  93. Learn to expertly BBQ two new recipes
  94. Enjoy a winterlit night hike with the family✔
  95. Hike Elks Falls Provincial Park BC
  96. Submit article pitches to 10 new publications✔✔✔✔
  97. Learn to drive stick shift
  98. Teach Ted to lay down on command✔ - Thank you for your help with this one Alysha
  99. Try a game of golf
  100. Create a gratitude jar
  101. Take the kids to the top of the CN Tower