Tiny Happy Tuesday: 1

Tiny Happy Tuesday is a prompt to consciously appreciate the small things that make you happy. I truly believe that acknowledging these tiny happy things make me a happier person in general, like I'm piling up pieces of gratitude to sustain me during tough times. And so, without further ado, please enjoy my first edition of Tiny Happy Tuesday:

• The way Poppy wakes up overjoyed every morning. She often grumps her way through the majority of the day but she wakes up thrilled every morning.
• Grady coming home with a Heart and Stroke Foundation fundraiser pledge form and being genuinely concerned about the sick kids.
• Opening a fresh box of lavender chamomile tea.
• Mike Birbiglia's latest Netflix special.
• A pocket of sunshine and blue sky in between snow and rainstorms.

Want to play along? Blog, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram your Tiny Happies and use the hashtag #TinyHappyTuesday so I can follow you. Find the happy, people. It's out there.

Tiny Happy Tuesday is Born

Winter has hunkered down. It's removed its shoes, curled up on the couch, and is looking at us with an icy stare like, "just try to do something." Winter is here to stay is what I'm saying.

I'm not used to winters that drag on unendingly. It's snowing in March, and this is so far from what I know to be reality that when I wake up, freezing, I just sort of stare out the window all crazy-eyed and mutter "thanks, global warming" under my breath.

I need a little happy. I also need a gentle reminder that there are far worse things than a little ice and snow. And so Tiny Happy Tuesday is born. It's a place to pop little snippets of the good stuff. The stuff that makes me smile, the stuff that gives me the warm and fuzzies, the stuff that reminds me that for the most part my life is wonderful and I'm a much happier person when I acknowledge that.

I want my kids to grow up revelling in this beautiful, messy life and the best way for them to learn how is to watch me.

Because if you don't hashtag it, did it really happen?

Will you join me? Tomorrow morning I'll post a short list of things that are currently making my heart sing (even if it is just a warble, muffled by SNOW IN FLIPPETY FLIPPING MARCH). I'd love for you to grab my graphic and join the Facebook group, and share in the fun (don't forget to use the hashtag: #TinyHappyTuesday so I can follow along!).

Let's find the happy, friends.

Meal Plan 03/06/2017 - 03/10/2017

It snowed again today. Not an insignificant amount, either. They're calling for more snow and icy temperatures this week. It's not common March weather for this corner of the world. We're all walking around dazed and half-frozen is what I'm saying. I planned this week's meals bundled up in front of the fireplace so my meal plan definitely has a "warm you up from the inside" vibe.

Monday: Wonton Stewp. Like wonton soup but more stew-like with the addition of white beans and loads of veg. My goal is to get Grady involved with making the wontons in the hopes that he'll be interested in eating the wontons. I like to dream big.

Tuesday: Easy Thai Satay Chicken (thanks, Emily!) served with steamed broccoli.

Wednesday: Lentil & Vegetable Cottage Pie

Thursday: Smorgasbord! (Fancy way of saying we're having leftovers.)

Friday: Appetizer Night! Chicken wings, loads of cut veggies, beer cheese dip, breadsticks made by Grady, fruit plate with peanut butter yogurt dip.

What's on your meal plan this week?

Captain's Log: Operation Road Trip - The Final Leg

You can read more about our British Columbia - Anaheim Road Trip here:

Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five
Day Six
Day Seven
Day Eight

We woke up on Day Nine of our epic road trip to the sound of the ocean. Shawn and I were introduced to Bandon, Oregon by friends years ago and eating chocolate cake on Bandon Beach for breakfast on my 27th birthday is one of my favourite memories. I was eager to go back and this trip provided the perfect opportunity.

I love the sea. Not tropical waters, not swimming waters; I do not mix well with the ocean (sharks!). But give me a seascape with crashing waves and salty air and I'm in heaven. There's something about the expanse and shushing of the water that I find soothing. My mind does very well when I'm on an empty beach staring at the sea.

We headed to the beach as soon as we finished eating breakfast and arrived just before high tide. The rain had stopped during the night and the sun was shining but the beach was deserted. I wore Poppy against my chest in the carrier and Grady ran up and down the beach, throwing rocks in the ocean, and pretending the sand dunes were his castle. I could not have imagined a more perfect morning. We briefly considered staying in Bandon another night so we could enjoy the beach all day but our beds at home were calling our name. We packed up the car, hit the coffee drive through, and started our long journey home.

It was the right decision. We weren't even an hour into our trip when Poppy started getting sick. In the butt region. And continued to be sick all 900km home. At one point we considered throwing out her car seat and starting over. It was unpleasant to say the least. 

We had toyed with the idea of staying in Portland but with Poppy's tummy trouble and the clear weather, we decided to press on. We had next to no delay going through Seattle and there was no line up at the border. It was a long day of driving but I'm so glad we did it rather than dealing with unpacking in Portland, packing up again, hitting Seattle during the day, and attempting to cross the border with a lineup and two angry kids.

By the time we pulled into our driveway, we'd driven a total of 4,600km in nine days with a five-year old and 8-month old. It was long, exhausting, and amazing. We made some priceless family memories and I'm forever grateful to Shawn for being my partner on this adventure we're on.