Summer Fun

WOOHOO SUMMER IS HERE!

Always my happiest at the water!

I appreciate all the seasons that we are lucky enough to enjoy as Canadians, but being the water baby I am, summer is my favorite! Even though this summer will be very different for us then all the others we've enjoyed , I am so excited to have fun with our little boy, Knox, and explore all that the summer has to offer with him!

Some of my fondest memories as a child are in the summer time! Camping, playing at the park, swimming at our cottage or having pool parties with friends. My ultimate favorite is my cottage, I can remember spending weeks at a time up there! We would swim, water ski, explore the woods, pick wild raspberries, camp fires, canoeing and oh so much more! I would fill my days so much that by the night I would crash and recharge for the next day. This evolved a little over the years, but I still enjoy all the outdoor fun and even in my last trimester of my pregnancy I was still the last one in the water at the end of the day.

The guys and poochies loving the summer sun!

Even though Knox is still very little ( 7 months ) and wont remember our summer fun probably for the next couple of years, I am so excited to enjoy our first summer with him! We've already been lucky enough to have him in the water at one of our close friends pools and the park is on our agenda whenever the weather permits. He experienced his first bonfire at the cottage in the late spring, he starred at the flames and Glamma ( my mom) danced around with him till finally the warmth of the fire and Glamma's dancing skills lulled him to sleep. 

Our first swim together!

Safety conscious DaDa was feeling a little overwhelmed about summer dangers, so I have purchased Knox's first life jacket, baby bug repellent, sun screen, uv/bug nets, quick drying hats for the water, swim suits and more. I think we are ready...lol

With Knox on the brink of crawling I can only imagine that this will be a busy, but fun summer. I plan on enjoying every minute of it an soaking up my summer off with my boy. I think its so important we pass on what we love to our children and I cannot wait to share all my loves with Knox and get to learn his.

Lotsa Love,

Natasha 

What are some of your summer memories? Any big plans this summer?

Me on Survivor

I am a fan of Survivor, not a crazy fan, I haven't watched all the seasons, not even half, but i do enjoy watching the show and trying to decide how I would handle a situation or if I could complete that task. I get a kick out of running these scenarios through my mind and thought maybe you would too.

I would have to say the closest I've ever been to a survivor type scenario was when I was in the Rain forest for a week in Costa Rica. I, along with my mom, aunt and sister did a week long yoga retreat in the middle of a rain forest, while taking part in daily activities. Doesn't sound hard? 3 hours of yoga a day (1st session starting before the wildlife was even awake), then as if that wasn't enough we hiked a volcano, rappelled down water falls (several hundred feet tall) and when our path was washed out due to rain, off road hiked through the rain forest. All the while I was terrified that one of the many deadly creatures lurking around every corner would get me at any minute, totally not being dramatic!!! lol So maybe I could survive survivor?!?!

One thing I have to laugh at is the girls on survivor, its been 13 years that the show has been on and yet no one learns that a tiny bikini is not practical for Survivor. Maybe you'd win a challenge if you weren't so focused on keeping your boobs in your barbie sized triangle. I went out and bought a $70 high tech sports bra from LuLu Lemon called a TaTa Tamer just to ensure my ladies would stay put for my trip in Costa Rica. No way i'm loosing reward because my girls wanted to pop out! While on the topic of clothes, why wouldn't people think of wearing lightweight, quick drying clothing? I mean you totally look hot in your saggy dirty dress that is oh so practical!

Food would be my weakness, I could very likely get voted off just because I am so NASTY when I don't eat. There are times when Ryan looks at me kinda scared and asks when the last time I ate was. I may have a little monster who takes over when my belly is empty. Living off of beans and rice I could handle and from what I can see is a fantastic diet lol.  The gross eating challenges...hmmm I'm not sure how I'd fair in those, I have texture issues and am really not a fan of anything icky!

Look at those cat like reflexes lol 

I would have so much fun in the challenges! I think I would be pretty decent at them too, especially since my girls would be snug in my super sonic sports bra...lol My upper body strength is lacking and I throw like a girl, but I have great lower body strength, can swim like a fish and I am FEISTY, especially when the food monster comes out!

What I really don't get is when people do nothing around camp, absolutely nothing to make the stay better. I'm sure sleeping in the rain with the crabs is soooo comfy, but why wouldn't you at least try? I know fatigue sets in and you get hungry, but If you made your space a better place to be it would make everything else so much easier.

So to recap If I was ever on survivor Id have the girls strapped in and be in practical clothing, be a beast in food challenges involving water and have the prettiest camp ever! Yep I totally could handle survivor...lol

Lotsa Love,
Natasha

How about you, how would you do?

Whats hiding on top of your fridge?

I've been room by room tackling my house, de-cluttering, cleaning and organizing. When it came to my kitchen the biggest surprise of all was my fridge and not what was inside, but what was on top. I do have a rather large fridge but I never expected to find as much stuff as I did. I guess over time we just kept shoving things up there and they became lost in the land of misplaced items. So I thought I'd share and see if any of my wonderful peeps have stumbled into the same land.



The land of misplaced items-

Vitamins- and I mean a lot of vitamins

Pens- a hoard of pens, highlighters, pencils, sharpies. I must be subconsciously terrified to run out of pens lol

OFF- which was not used last summer, so not sure how long its been up there

Cards- Thank yous, birthdays, anniversary, invitations... you name it and it was probably up there

Bakeware- yes Bake-ware lol and measuring cups

Candles- and not a few that I was burning, some where still in the bag from the store I bought them at

Other then the vegetables and baby monitor
everything you see on my island was on my
fridge. Can we say hoarding? lol

Party Supplies- streamers and bubbles, I was ready for an impromptu event

Old fire alarm- that one I blame on Ryan lol

Receipts- some have started to fade

Pictures- I cycle through what pictures I keep on my fridge and must of started a pile on top and forgot

Flashlight- for safety, that has been kept on top of the fridge

Pee jars- Yep that's what I said. Unused of course. When I was pregnant my dr sent me home with a big bag of them so I could have them at home to speed up the process in her office.

Lip Gloss- in case i'm cooking and am in need of a little shine

Protein powder- Not sure how long that one has been up there

Remote control toy- again that one is Ryan ;)

And last but not least bottle openers


So apparently i'm a bit of a clutter bug! I am working on it lol and the top of my fridge has never looked better. Room by room, bit by bit i'm going through my house and discovering whole worlds of lost objects, things I forgot I had, duplicates of things because I couldn't find the original and so on.

I think what I've learnt from this is that it is absolutely necessary to slow down and go through the things we have. We are always so busy wanting more that we tend to forget what we have or keep pushing things to the side instead of dealing with them right away. So take a moment to appreciate everything you have, deal with whats in front of you instead of putting it off and every once in awhile slow down and take some time to putter.

Lotsa Love,
Natasha

What about you? Are you a clutter bug or do you need constant order? Share with me your fun stories!

My stages of dealing with infertility

Much like dealing with a loss, finding out you have a fertility problem can be emotionality crippling. The slew of emotions we go through can vary and often mimic the stages of grief, at least they did for me. Denial, anger, depression and acceptance have all taken there part in my infertility journey!

I always suspected that there was a fertility issue lurking in the shadows, my husband and I tried off and on for nearly 6 years before our round of IVF that produced my beautiful son. I always knew something was wrong but neither one of us were ready to accept it. We tried everything, I read books, we tried diets, certain foods, yoga, supplements, temperature charting and of course lots of practice. Denial played a big part of our journey until my doctor told me there was nothing else she could do and referred us to the Ottawa Fertility Center. It was there that we were told that, short of a miracle, our shot of having our own child would be through IVF. Ryan and I both knew that wasn't something we could afford and I got hit with anger and depression at varying intervals. I was angry at the situation and depressed that I might not ever be able to have a child with the man I love. Going through this stage was tricky as it seemed almost everyone around me could and was getting pregnant. Baby showers, baby bumps and constant questioning why we didn't have children yet were a constant reminder of our "failure". It took me several months and a lot of love and support to navigate through the dark phase of our journey. When I finally arrived at acceptance, it couldn't have come at a better time as I wouldn't have been so open to airing our "dirty" laundry, we got the greatest gift we won a very unconventional radio contest Win a Baby and our chance at making our family whole. Going through the stages and accepting our situation made it a lot easier to talk publicly about our situation and advocate for Ohip4Ivf and a change in the perception of infertility.

We all deal with difficult situations in our own way, but we don't have to deal with them alone. Once I opened up people started to come out of the woodwork and approach me with there stories, I realized that everything is not as it seems and I was not alone.  1 in 6 couples in Ontario are affected by infertility, we are 1 in 6. It took me a while but I realized that I had not failed, it was not my fault that I had a medical issue, that infertility was not a dirty word that should be kept hidden and that by talking about it we could help make a difference. So that is what I am doing today.

If you are 1 in 6 realize you are not alone and if you haven't yet, reach out and talk to someone.

If you know someone who is 1 in 6 show them support and help raise awareness, don't judge and just be there when they need you.

If you are not aware of anyone in your inner circle that is 1 in 6 chances are they are struggling in silence, help them out by educating yourself and helping with awareness.

We can all make a difference in infertility awareness, help make a change.

Lotsa Love,
Natasha

Trying something new

As a new parent I think something we all dread is having to go back to work after being off with our little one. Even though I still have five months left on maternity I feel the clock ticking and dread leaving Knox and venturing off to work. If only I didn't have too.

I had been trying to rack my brain about ways I could earn extra money and only have to work part time or even eventually not at all. I was at a jewelry party the other weekend and had so much fun, loved the jewelry and the great promotions. I had a light bulb moment lol. I know of several people who sell varied products in the similar manner, parties or direct sales and they have had success, so why couldn't I?

I did my research and decided to sign up with Lia Sophia an amazing Family run company out of the states that has been in Canada for four years now. I liked how cheap it was to get started, what they provided in the start up kit and the benefits to selling there jewelry. Plus it doesn't hurt that I love the jewelry lol. Compared to a lot of other companies I looked into, I liked that every month they have a promotion for the customer, host and advisors. Great incentives to buy, host and sell! Ive only been signed up since May 1st and already have received my first incentive gift

delivered to my door today! YAY!

Could my venture flop? ABSOLUTELY! But it is also just as likely to succeed. If I never tried it I would always be thinking what if or imagine what I could be doing now with more time at home. So I invested a little bit of money and received gorgeous jewelry (if it doesn't work out pretty jewelry for me lol) and hopefully I have found my way to have more time with my miracle baby Knox.

I think in life it is so easy to dream, wish or hope and so much harder to actually go out on that limb to reach for what we want. Sometimes taking a small risk for a great reward is just what we need to motivate ourselves. I plan on having fun, earning some extra money and spending more time with my hubby and son. Doesn't that sound great?

What is something you have been putting off or dreaming of? What steps do you need to take to make that happen? What are you waiting for?

Lotsa Love,
Natasha

Puddle Jumper Ring

Opaline Earrings

Applique Cuff

These are a few of my favorite things

We are all great at appreciating and celebrating all the things in our lives on special days, like New Years, Birthdays or Christmas. But what about the little things we look forward too or make our hearts warm on a regular basis? Things that you wouldn't normally take time to appreciate.

This morning as I held my son and fed him his bottle he looked up at me ran his fingers through my hair and smiled with his eyes, saying "I love you momma"! My heart melted thinking this was such a special moment and then I realized that yes this was special but happened regularly. Are we too busy every day to realize that we have such sweet moments all the time?

So I took some time and thought about my every day, what do I do, what makes me happy? Here is a few of my favorite daily occurrences.

Checking something off of my list- Seems trivial but the feeling of accomplishment is great and I love when I can finally check something off my list that has been nagging me for some time.

Daddy's home- I say those words and my house explodes with happiness. Bailey starts running around picking up shoes, I bring Knox to the window to see Ryan getting out of the car and he starts bouncing and I love when my honey is finally home for the day!

A sip of happy- That first sip of coffee in the morning, I don't know what it is. Maybe a bit of ritual, something familiar, but I love it!

Me and My love bug 

Say Cheese- We have this daily ritual of sending out a picture of Knox to the grandparents every day. May sound like a lot, but its great! They get to see him every day and I have a picture of him everyday from birth, how awesome is that.

Discovery- Watching Knox discover the world every day is amazing! It may be something little or a huge milestone. But getting to see the world through his eyes is breath taking!

Hi- My daily chats with family and friends. Something as little as a comment on Facebook to a lengthy in person conversation. I love the feeling that we are always connected.

YA YA YA- This one may not happen every day, but I am fortunate enough that it happens regularly. My niece and god baby Harper who is almost One, is this incredible source of light. She always brings a smile to my face. My favorite is when I visit and she sees me, she lets out this squeal of glee, starts chanting "YA YA YA" and (depending on if shes in her high chair or free to run) starts banging her hands and dancing or bolts right for me. This leaves me with an incredible feeling and I know I am loved by her.

This list could go on forever and I'm probably missing a few biggies, but I just wanted to share my list and maybe get you thinking about your own. What is great in your day to day life? I'd love if you'd share!

Lotsa Love,
Natasha

Getting ready to get back on the horse

While being pregnant and breastfeeding my main concern was that I was taking in all the right things, avoiding all the wrong and making sure Knox was getting 100% of what he needed. Well now that I've weaned Knox it is weird not having to worry about caffeine, sugar, calcium etc... Now i'm a free lady lol and am enjoying regular coffee, the occasional alcoholic beverage and not having to worry about when Knox's next feeding will be.

Although I have been thoroughly enjoying having free rang over what i ingest I am very much aware of the warm weather and my "I just had a baby" body. Now i'm not a self conscious person, as a rule, but I would like to look a little less stretched out by the time my bikini comes out of hiding. So what to do?

In the past I have tried many diets and exercise regimes and the one that worked best for me was when i was taking the Body By Vi shakes. I was determined to loose weight before starting my round of IVF and a friend told me about the meal replacement shakes and gave me a sample. I loved it. I had tried other shakes before and always felt hungry or chugged them down because I didn't enjoy the taste. Once I got used to having the shakes for breakfast and lunch (instead of a over sized meal) I liked them and was content. Plus I was dropping the pounds. Running and those shakes seem to be my key to weight loss victory.

The plan? Well I've been putting off replacing the batteries in the scale, but that will be step 1! Step 2 will be getting myself organized and then step 3 to get back on the horse. I'm giving myself this week to enjoy being free to eat what id like and then come Monday YEEHA, back on the horse with me.

Id love to share my experience as I go and hopefully I will have as great of success as I did the first time I tried the Body By Vi shakes.

Gonna get my runners, shaker and can do attitude prepped and ready to go! You with me? Ok lets do this!

Lotsa Love,
Natasha

PS. If you have any questions about the shakes please feel free to let me know and I can answer any questions or put you in contact with who I get mine from.