If you homeschool you know what I am talking about.

The odd responses when someone asks if you homeschool.  "Wow! I could never do that I don't have the patience"  "Aren't you worried about socialization?"  "Are you a teacher?"  "Do you actually think you will do this forever?"

First off......I don't reply with things like "do you like your children?"  "do you want to nuture their character?"  "do you even know what they are learning in school right now?"

I'm a mother....first and foremost and there is no right or wrong way to be a mother.  Everyone is struggling to do what they feel is best for their children and their families.  So before you judge someone just realize something.....they are just a mom like you doing what's best for their family.

Now.  I am going to answer all the lovely questions I get asked when someone finds out we homeschool.

1)  Yes it does take a lot of patience and as my husband would say "I could never do what you do however am so grateful that you do homeschool our children".  Yes I have made the choice to give up some of my "me" time in order to raise my children.  Patience is a great asset when homeschooling.  However let's be honest.....and real, it's something we as parents all have to continually work on.  I do also feel like when you comment like "I could never do that!"  I don't really think you look at it at all avenues.  There is many different options.  Co-ops, partial school, or even online school.  I don't know how many of you mom's get your kids up in the morning, rushing out the door, and making lunches but I don't ask you how you do that.  Let's face it....it just works for your family.

2)  NO I'm not worried whatsoever about socialization.  Our homeschool community is great.  On average we are probably doing 3 activities each week with other homeschooled children.  As well as regular extra curriculars such as soccer, taekwondo, and music.  The best part is our children learn to socialize with adults and children of all ages.  I've found that my children are very well rounded and completely social.  You won't see my child look at a kid younger than them and roll their eyes.  We live in a neighborhood with a lot of retired people and at first I was a little nervous because our children would be wandering around and chatting.  I get told regularly by neighbors that they are an absolute joy in the neighborhood and are so incredible to talk to.

3) NO I am not a teacher (no I haven't gone to school to teach children)  but yes I'm a teacher to my own child.  I give teachers so much credit though.  They have to not only deal with children that are not their own all day every week, but they have to deal with many things parents should be dealing with.  I get to focus on their school yes, but also teach and raise them at the same time.  I get to ensure they have manners, compassion, as well as discipline them when needed.  Also how great is it that I get to learn everything again along side my children.

3)  YES I do hope to homeschool my children the whole way through however I am taking each day at a time.  I'm not unrealistic.  If we ever hit a point where it doesn't work for us then we will evaluate it then.  I also know I would NEVER just follow along and put them into public school, but that's a choice we would make as a family.  There is a lot of amazing resources and things along the way that we will absolutely take part in.

So before you judge...take a minute to realize we are all just mom's doing the best for our families.

It's been one month since I delivered our third child and am now just starting to feel less upset.  Both of my previous pregnancies and deliveries were fine.  This one however wasn't.

Now....let's rewind.  I had a GP during my pregnancy.  One who wouldn't listen to me.  One who didn't trust me.  One who I felt did not care.  Throughout my whole pregnancy I measured very large. I was not diabetic.  I just build big babies.  I have proof.  I have had two very large babies and super strong and healthy.  My first son was born at 37 weeks and was 8lbs 8 oz.  My water broke and 10 hours later he was in my arms.

I began to get antsy near the end of my pregnancy.  Growing larger and larger every minute.  I also knew that I had a wedding to shoot 1.5 weeks after my due date.  This shouldn't have been a stress to me if my newborn was going to come on time.  However my doctor kept telling me she couldn't induce or do anything until I was a week over due.  A WEEK OVERDUE!!!!  Did she want me to have a 12 lb baby?  Did she want me to have a c-section?  Did she want me to shoot a wedding 5 days after a supposed c-section.  I began to really start stressing, and was absolutely miserable.  I was referred to an OB who has the ability to induce.  I felt this was going to be my ticket to holding my baby sooner than later.  She was only willing to induce me at 39 weeks however I was willing to take whatever she would give me because I needed this giant baby to come out.  Many people warned me that being induced was way worse.  I had never gone through an induction.  Even the birth of my daughter they ended up just breaking my water and everything progressed very quickly.

Now the day had come.  We woke up and called the hospital and they advised us to come in that morning as they weren't too busy.  Yeah.  I was nervous but excited to be holding my baby soon and bringing him home for the other kids to see.  We got to the hospital at 8 am, where they changed their mind and sent us for lunch until they had a plan.  Slight disappointment had set in however my husband tried to keep me positive.  We went and had an adult meal (rarely do we ever get that) so figured we should take the opportunity.  They called us and we were back at the hospital at 12:30.  They then advised me that they were going to start an induction with Oxytocin.  This wasn't the plan. The plan was to just break my water and let my body do what it needed.  Turns out they weren't willing to do that anymore.  They wanted me hooked up to Oxytocin and have regular contractions before breaking my water.  I had already had 4 weeks of fake labour and regular contractions so I was not a fan of this plan.  My nurse was really good.  She understood my frustration so she tried to get my contractions going as hard and fast as possible.  Finally after I wasn't feeling what I needed, I begged and begged for them to break my water.  After 5 hours of contractions they finally agreed.  Then the moment they broke my water my body did what it needed to do.  The next contraction was insane!  Within 15 minutes I was 10 cm dilated.  Then the dr suggested I have a nap.  Sorry WHAT!!!!  I feel like I need to push.  They didn't want to listen to me even at that point.  Finally I kept saying "you need to check me because he's coming no matter what".  Not even 5 minutes later everyone was getting ready for me to push.  I decided I wanted to try pushing on my side from the beginning as that worked at the end of my delivery of my last baby.  The nurse laughed and said "sweetie you don't have time to roll onto your side this baby is nearly here you wont push long".  This actually gave me a sense of relief.


Then......things went crazy.



I began pushing and only a couple pushes and he was out.  Ahhhh.....time to relax.  No I was wrong.  When I felt him come out all of a sudden 20 people came rushing into the delivery room, people calling for NICU, and people yelling at me to PUSH.  I was so confused.  Why are they all panicking to get the placenta out....calm down people.  I didn't even know what was going on.  Everyone was yelling at me.  Then three nurses started jumping on my stomach.  The dr was doing her best but he was stuck.  He was stuck in my bones!  I had a birth plan.  They knew I wanted delayed cord clamping and skin to skin immediately.  After everyone jumping on my stomach finally his shoulders popped out.  They laid him on my chest.  That's when I looked at my husband in fear.  He was purple.  SO bruised.  He was not breathing.  They were trying to get him breathing but nothing was working.  So they immediately cut the cord and rushed him off to get him breathing.   After what felt like forever (a minute and a half) they put him back on my chest.  He was breathing.  He was pretty scary looking but he was ok.

They advised me that I had to stay as that was an awful delivery and they needed to monitor both baby and myself.  At this point I was so frustrated that nobody listened.  I was so frustrated that my baby was able to get as big 9lb 11oz at 39 weeks.  I feel the delivery went the way it did because I was left too long.  Could you even imagine 2 more weeks.  How big would he have been then?

I got home with baby the next day and I felt so sad.  Never had I thought I would have had an experience like that.  It took me a while to wrap my head around it.  It took me a while to smile again.  I cried a lot.  I was told to take it extremely easy.  This was the hardest part of the last month.  Having 2 other children and being an extremely busy mommy, how was I supposed to just sit.  This definately added to my mood.  I am not longer angry about it.  Just a reality that unfortunately goes on.  Whether its pregnancy or deliveries.....it happens all the time.  People need to advocate for themselves.

I was so lucky to team up with Anchors & Arrows Baby Boutique to capture images of super cute kids wearing amazing custom clothing.  I had heard amazing things about her products when I lived back in Edmonton, AB.

I saw she too moved to Kelowna, BC and I figured this would be a great business relationship.  I sent her a message and we haven't looked back.  We both have a great client base in both Edmonton and Kelowna.

I'm hooked now.  If you haven't ordered anything from her yet you absolutely NEED to.  Her clothing is unique, quality, and made local.  What more could you ask for.  I've finally hit a point that when I order I don't order anything specific I just tell her to send me something, as I've come to learn I adore everything she makes and when given the choice I am what I would call "boring".

Caroline makes clothing from newborn to approx size 5.  Keep this in mind when ordering.  The quality is phenomenal and can be passed down through multiple children.  Whenever my kids are out and about people stop me asking where their clothes are from.  My only complaint is that she doesn't make adult clothes.

Anchors & Arrows has unlimited ideas just simply check out her never ending fabric album.  I have the pleasure of occassionally stopping by her home and checking out the room of fabric which is absolutely overwhelming to me.  I also make sure if I have a gift to buy I check out her ready to ship album as it's always being updated with fantastic new unique items.  Her list of items is unreal.  Rompers, hoodies, dresses, t-shirts and options galore to make your clothing completely custom such as vinyl, tassles, and patches.


I have found that having my children wear quality instead of quantity has saved us money in the long run along with fitting into our unique one of a kind family.  Now.....to begin ordering baby #3's wardrobe.  Eeeekk.

I am always on the hunt for gluten free dairy free baking that doesn't taste gluten and dairy free.  In our house it's always a test to pass it by the kids and my husband and have them not question it.  When my husband tried these he was sure they weren't gluten free.  YEAH WIN!!!  I ended up making everyone who eats gluten free to try these.  They are soft and chewy and absolutely addicting.  They hit the spot for this pregnant mama.

Enjoy!

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

This is always a really tough subject to discuss.  I had always dreamt of being a mom,  it was something I always wanted.  Now it was really important for me from day one to be a very involved mom.  I never intended to add children into this world unless I was willing to do the work it took to raise them well.

Quite often it is very easy to lose "you" once you have children.  Life becomes all about these little people you are now nuturing and teaching.  It is the most satisfying jobs I have ever had, however it is extremely easy to lose yourself.

How do I balance life now being a mom?  Good question.

First off,  I expect a lot from my children.  This is ok.  I adore the baby phase.  I cherish every moment because it goes so fast.  However those sleepless nights are challenging on families.  Not just us moms.  I am blessed with children who sleep.  Sleep is so very important to me.  I began ensuring that we had regular routines were in place very early on.

Routine is key for me as a mom to balance daily life.  I know personally if I wasn't so strict with routine my life would feel like chaos.  I give parents credit that can fly by the seat of their pants.  That doesn't work for our household at all.  It's important for me to be present in raising my children, but having said that come dinner, bath, book, and bed, we are all done!  I need a balance of kid time and adult time.  I enjoy quiet evenings with my husband catching up on our days, or chatting about things we can't chat about in front of the kids.  I have learned early on to stick with routine, if it's working don't fix it.  However routine does need to be altered.  For example,  my kids start bedtime routine at 6 pm and my littlest was in bed by 6:30 and my oldest at 7:00.  They would always sleep 12 hours however when they started getting up a little earlier each day I realised that they were growing and not needing as much sleep.  So adjusting their routine is important.  We found our oldest slept better when he went to bed at 8 pm.  However the youngest we moved to 7 for a few months and then back to 6:30.  Playing around with bedtimes is so important.  Sometimes we feel it's too early to put them to bed however I've seen the other side where you miss that incredibly important window!

Me time!  Now having said that I don't get much of it.  Literally I just said to my husband "I hope you don't take for granted the ability to go to the washroom in peace".  We have made the choice to homeschool our kids and I'm grateful for that choice.  However that also does mean there is very little "me" time.  I am ok with that.  It's a choice I have made.  However let me tell you, come Saturday morning........it's a little me time.  Even if it's just the ability to have a relaxing shower and blow dry my hair in peace I take it.  My husband looks forward to cooking big breakfasts with the kids on the weekend so while they go down to the kitchen I take a little "me" time.  As well I am blessed with a very flexible job being a photographer and I include that in "me" time because I really feel it's my time to focus on something I am really passionate about.

We are also finding it important to spend one on one time with each of your children.  This gives me balance as well.  So it's not always total crazy (and yes we are adding a third child this summer so I expect crazy to be a way of life).  It's really nice though to spend one on one time with your kids.  As a mom it's rather rewarding to slow it down and give them ALL your attention.  This doesn't have to be all the time however every once in a while its important.

When you need help.....ask!  This is something that took me years to be able to do.  If you ask my husband my favorite line has always been "I got this"  We have a hilarious story of the birth of our second child where I literally looked at him and said "I GOT THIS!!" after delivering her and well.....let me tell you.....I didn't GOT THIS!  Learning to accept help was a struggle for me however now it comes much more natural.  We do work as a team and ask each other for help when we need it.  This is really important.

Many mom's don't ask for help.  So if you know a mom out there who you think really has it all together and doesn't need help try to do something nice for her.  Whether it's taking her kids for an hour so she can go for a pedicure or even grocery shop in peace.  Even dropping her off a coffee (let's face it the challenge of making and drinking a coffee before it gets cold is just that a challenge).

Different yes.......thankfully he is different.  I don't want him to be "normal" by todays standards.

Part of why we choose to homeschool is so they develop their own character not just conform.  When people meet my son it's never " oh he's socially awkward" or "that kid is definitely homeschooled "

However I do personally notice he's different from other kids.  I have no issue admitting this.  He is in many extra curricular activities not just activities with homeschooled children.

Here are a few reasons I can tell my kid is different.

1)  Confident - there is no question he does not lack confidence.  I feel this is something that can be destroyed unfortunately in the wrong situations.  I am able to nourish his confidence.  Continuing to build him up each day.  This doesn't mean I build his ego when it's not deserved.  I'm sure to tell him when something isn't done well.  However when he does accomplish something well I am sure to acknowledge it.  It doesn't go un-noticed.  This is preparing them to enter adulthood with the confidence to continue on that path.

2)  Social - This is where I always have a good laugh.  Many people have a typical stereotype that homeschool children are anti-social.  I actually find it's nearly opposite.  These kids interact with all different age groups so are able to adapt to most social settings.  I witnessed my kid leave one of his weekly classes saying "see you all next week!"  they all looked at him like he was odd.  WHAT.  It was odd that he was being kind.  Another mom leaned over and said "wow is he ever sweet".  I thought this was normal.  I guess not.

3)  Life Skills - Yes we are very focused on book smarts.  So before you judge we do focus on ensuring we cover all required curriculum if not extra.  However we also have time and energy to focus on life skills.  I didn't really notice this until I noticed my kids having manners.  This is something we drill into them every day.  However I couldn't imagine how challenging this would be if I only saw them a couple hours each evening and on weekends.  I don't even ask my son, but he ensures he holds open doors for people.  Some look at me in such awe because he's being kind.  However there are the odd people who look at me wondering why such a little man is holding open a door.


Now before anyone thinks I am biased that only homeschooling creates these differences please understand that is not what I am trying to get across.  I am just noting that I do see my child as different but I'm appreciative of different.

So the big day came for us to visit Sneak a Peek for our gender reveal ultrasound.  The whole family was so excited.  We discussed how it didn't matter whether it was a boy or girl, because we already had one of each.  I also explained to everyone we can't be disappointed if we wanted something different than what is growing in mommy's belly.

So I drank my big glass of orange juice and we headed into town.

Boy or Girl?  This is so exciting.  While some may feel they don't want to know and they love the surprise.  This is the best experience ever.  It makes us all feel so much closer to the baby.

When we got to Sneak a Peek we were greated by Carrie who is seriously AMAZING.  The kids were full of energy and very excited.  She took us into this beautiful room.  They had toys in the corner for if our daughter couldn't focus (she isn't 2 yet).

Now Carrie asked my son what he thought it was.  He replied "it's definately a boy".  I slightly cringed and explained we are excited with a boy or a girl.  Right?  She explained to him how he was going to be the first to see it.  She told him to look for a turtle for a boy, or a hamburger bun for a girl.  So darn cute.

Watching this baby move around and open it's mouth and wave to us is so emotional.  She then stopped on an image and asked our son what it was.  He looked hard.  "Is that a hamburger bun? A girl"  She showed him that it was a TURTLE.

AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

It's a BOY!!!!!!

Our son was right again.

Both dad and I cried.  It's what we were hoping for.

Then Carrie spent time showing us his heart beat and letting us watch him open his hands, feel his face, kick his feet, and show off his muscles.  This is by far a MUST for any expectant mom.

Mom's this truly is a one in a million experience and made us feel so much closer to our baby.

Sneak a Peek is by far the most incredible place EVER.

Call them.  Book and appointment.  I promise, you will leave wishing you had done it sooner.

Now before you all think this blog is going to bash men.  Please understand that is entirely not the case.  I'm wanting to show my appreciation for men who really STEP UP and try to be the best they can.

I feel like each week I have someone contacting me,  a lot of moms.  They are feeling like they are losing control of their life.  This makes me sad.  Don't get me wrong every day isn't going to be amazing however when you struggle that should be a once in a blue moon issue not a continual challenge.

This blog is probably going to take a turn towards supporting mothers.  Probably because I am a mother.  However this stands for all men.  Having made some major life mistakes with men when I was younger I now realise GREAT ONES do exist.

I appreciate so much the ones raised in not ideal situations but want to change that.  I see men raised in abusive situations yet they want to stop that cycle.  I see men raised with very little affection because they are boys, yet they realize that doesn't allow them to create healthy relationships.

I am blessed with an incredible husband.  My children are so very lucky to have an amazing father.  I have also learned over the years to expect that from him.  Ladies it is ok to expect amazing.  He works very hard to ensure I am able to stay at home raising and schooling our children.  I talk to other stay at home moms that feel they can't ever complain or say anything because their spouse is allowing them to stay at home and providing for them.  I love my husbands outlook on it.  When I say to him "love thank you for working so hard allowing me to stay at home" his response is always "oh my goodness thank you for choosing this for our family as I could never do it!".

My husband has a son to help teach how to be an amazing man.  Who will one day make an amazing husband and father.  He has a daughter to set the bar very high so she doesn't just settle when it comes to a relationship.

There is men who will sit on the couch and play video games all day rather than being present with their family.  This is downright ridiculous.  I've heard of husbands and fathers like this and it makes me sad.  If only they STEPPED UP!  Shut that game off.  Play with your children, take them for a walk, or even fold a load of laundry.  Just so you are aware your son is witnessing you not being present and for that reason is going to either struggle in his future relationships or have to make a decision because of what he has seen to not be anything like that.  Your daughter could settle......now really think about this.  Men, picture your daughter cooking, cleaning, and raising children with a man just sitting there watching her.  Is this what you want for her?  Wouldn't you much rather she expect more.

Sometimes it is habit, sometimes it's how they were raised, and other times they just are crappy men.  However regardless of what the excuse is there is always a time to change.

Ladies its also ok to communicate if you expect more.  Don't think that you have to sit back and just accept that they aren't giving you what you need.  Communication is very important.  It's something learned so why not start today by trying it.  Now before you start nagging....that's not the best approach.  Start simple by saying "honey I was hoping tonight we could do the dishes together after the kids go to bed and talk about us."  First off don't be disapointed if you don't get the reaction you are hoping for but don't give up.

So this is just a reminder to STEP UP!  Your relationships will improve.  Your children will see that.  The more people step up the better this world will be.  Children will be raised better.  Parents will be happier.  It's a lovely circle.

We are very excited to welcome baby number 3 this summer.  Our son is 6 and our daughter is almost 2.  Now that our son is 6 he is definitely more involved and interested in this addition.

I wanted to share an experience I had with my previous 2 babies.  This is one that gets me so very excited for our third.  I repeatedly hear from friends and clients about awful experiences with ultrasounds.  I too was in your shoes.

When I was 19 weeks pregnant with my son I was so excited to find out what I was having.  This time in my life I was hoping for a boy.  I was beyond excited.  Then, my excitement came crashing down when I went to have an ultrasound done.  She was mean.  She was ruining my exciting experience.  Then she ended it with saying "No i will not tell you what you are having, I don't believe in that and sometimes women abort babies depending on the sex".  I left in tears!  I got in the car crying.  That's when I googled and made a phone call.  I called Sneak a Peek Ultrasound in tears.  They answered the phone happy and ensured me to stop crying and go get a bottle of orange juice and come straight there.  I did exactly that.

When I arrived it was a completely different experience.  While filling out paperwork they ensured me that they would be able to tell me the gender for sure.  They said they have only had to turn away one women who took a break and came back an hour later to try again.  I finally stopped crying.  I finally felt that someone cared.  Sneak a Peek does care.  They took me into a beautiful comfortable room and had me feel at ease.  Then the exciting news "I was having a boy!!!"  I left so happy I had found them.




Then when I was pregnant with my second child I didn't even hesitate to go back.  I didn't even risk having a disappointing experience.  I just called and made an appointment.  This experience was even better!  My son was 4 and was so excited.  He got to be involved and a part of this experience.  He had guessed it was a girl.  They took us all into a beautiful room and made sure to include my husband and son.  Literally she looked at my son and said "what do you think you are having?"  He was so confident it was a girl.  She told him personally. She looked him in the eyes and said "dude you are right....it's a GIRL".

Now with our third on the way we are getting close to being able to find out the gender and we are so excited.  I called to book our appointment with Sneak a Peek.  This was really important to me because I wanted my two other children involved.  I wanted a positive experience.

Many of you mom's get stuck having awful, unpleasant, and downright disappointing ultrasounds.  I literally have a friend who is expecting just after me and had an awful ultrasound done in Vancouver and I said to her she absolutely just needed to make a trip to Kelowna, BC and stop into Sneak a Peek.

If you are expecting or know someone who is, you highly recommend Sneak a Peek in Kelowna, BC.  You will not regret it.  It makes the whole pregnancy experience even that much better.

Stay tuned.....we go next weekend.  We all cannot wait to find out.

There is something to be said about taking something and saving it from the dump and turning it into something beautiful.

I wish I had been taught about manipulative, narcissistic, psychopaths early on.  I have wanted to write a post about my experience.  Our children need to be taught, and I hope that my post will open the door for discussion early on in their development  as kind and wondrous little people, in such a way as to not make them fearful but aware.

I honestly can't remember where I went wrong when and guess I was naive like most young women.  I believed that everyone in this world tried to be as good as possible in life.  I unfortunately met a very awful man and it became absolutely destructive.  I know if I would have met him at 30 I would never have given him the time of day.  However meeting him at 17, different story.

To be honest I knew nothing of abuse simply because I was raised in a loving family where I never experienced anything to be wary of.  To be honest, my parents also had never met someone as awful in their life, so they were not ready for the years to come.

I had never actually met a individual in an abusive relationship at this point.  I never understood it.  I always was confident and had an attitude "why would anyone stay with in abusive situation?"  I never understood it.  However sadly, now I do.  This is something I felt I needed to share because not only did my family not know how to deal with it, neither did I.

We need to teach our children about these people that exist. We need to teach them about the signs to be aware of.  We need to teach them that love doesn't hurt and that there is plenty of fish in the sea.  I'm a big believer now to let your children date.  This sounds shocking.  However teaching them to be able to spot a bad relationship and to move on is a learnt skill.  Teaching them about safe dating and to protect their hearts is so important.

I have taken a good long time to heal.  I have gotten help.  I have a very incredible relationship and to be honest I can actually appreciate it now having been in such a toxic one.

Unfortunately there is more and more of these toxic individuals out there.  I regularly open up to women who share stories of their sisters, friends, or even family who have either been in a toxic relationship or are even currently still in one.  I'm learning now that it is a huge problem to have our guard down when meeting someone so awful.

Here are a few things to discuss with your children and for you to also be prepared for them to run into someone so toxic and how to help them understand the signs.

Jealousy -  First sign.  Teach your children that the moment a person is very jealous to literally walk away.  Jealousy is not love.  Unfortunately some of us believe that shows that a person really cares.  This is so wrong.  A caring person who is confident and treats their partner right has no need to be jealous.  Being called awful names for having friends that are of the opposite sex is a horrible sign these individuals are insecure and going to try to kill your confidence in order to break you.

Control - They try to make you feel guilty for so many things.  This can be something so simple as the first night you go out without them.  You lose all sense of alone time because it no longer exists.

Lies - this is something I will instill in my children.  I DO NOT LIE TO THEM!!! No matter what. I may slightly sensor my answers based on age.  There is some things children are not ready to hear however I do not lie.  I respect them and they respect me.  I have answered questions with "when you are older I will explain that to you but right now you are too young"  Don't teach them that there are acceptable lies.  Teach them that even some of the little lies add up.  The first time I was lied to by a man that I thought loved me I had a really hard time.  It actually destroyed me.  I made excuses every time he cheated, spent money, or even made me lie to my own friends and family.

Trying to change you - what I still have yet to really understand is why these toxic people just don't hunt out a partner they don't have to change.  I do know that it's part of their toxic manipulative game.   Sometimes they make you wear clothes or shoes you don't want to, or want you to change the clothing you already wear, change your friends, or even try to make you think different are out there.  Strength in loving yourself and knowing who you are is hard when you are young and establishing your own self.

Emotional Abuse is still abuse - Many of us don't see the first signs of abuse because it doesn't come with bruises.  Trust me, they start slow.  Very methodical.  First by making you feel you are ugly or not worthy.  However when they begin with this abuse they follow it up with an apology or a insincere compliment.  It's a game.  Once they have hurt you once and you have forgiven them you have lost.  Lost at their manipulation game and it goes down hill from there.

You can not discuss relationship problems - This was the kicker for me.  He had actually told me to never discuss our problems with anyone because "every ones relationship is the same nobody talks about it"  He actually had me convinced that everyone had a sad relationship like us,  and that I never should discuss things and I should make him look better so people like him more.  I remember the first time I actually got the guts to really ask a friend some open questions I began to learn that in fact healthy relationships are nothing like what I am going through.  I had even asked a buddy of mine for an honest guy opinion and he was shocked with what I was living in.  Actually sickened to know that I was able to function on the outside with such a crazy toxic relationship hiding behind the doors.


It continues to be a cycle and unfortunately these toxic people can continue to produce toxic children just like them so unless we teach our children how to spot them before love blinds them, they will unfortunately go through something so very hard.

Going through a toxic relationship is the hardest thing I have had to overcome.  Please take the time to explain and teach your children.  We are raising our children to be a good addition to this world, not individuals who go through this world on a destructive path destroying everyone in the their way.  My children will know the signs, as well as how to respect and care for others.

I am grateful every day for an incredible husband.  Healthy loving relationships exist I PROMISE.  Don't settle.  Keep looking.  

BE STRONG ENOUGH TO LET GO 

AND 

WISE ENOUGH TO WAIT FOR WHAT YOU DESERVE.

I'm sitting here watching my husband play with our two kids and am so very grateful.  I married an incredible husband one that will set the bar high for our daughter in choosing a husband one day.  As well, setting a standard for what my son hopes to be as a husband.  Not only is he an amazing husband......he is an outstanding father.

I figured I would share just one day as so many of you ask me how we structure our days.  We begin our day with a really great sleep.  No rushing.  My husband is off to work early in the morning so he can be home before dinner to spend time with the kids.  This means when they wake they roll into our room and I get a moment to just cherish my children.  We lay in bed and discuss what we will do today or if we had any dreams.  Then we head down for breakfast.

My kids eat.  They eat so much that I really feel so much time is spent in the kitchen.  They have breakfast at 7 ish so they are ready for second breakfast around 9:30.  I do feel it's because we eat rather clean so they eat very regularly.

My 6 year old son eats faster than my 1.5 year old daughter which actually comes in handy.  I get moms asking all the time if homeschooling is possible with younger kids around.  Yes, it is.....don't get me wrong it is challenging however achievable.  We implemented a crate system this year which I absolutely am in love with.  At the beginning of the year I rip up all his work books.  Yes you heard me right.  I place sheets week by week into folders.  This allows him to be more independent as well. Usually Monday we start our week off with a new math lesson with Math U See, so he watches the video and the rest of the week he can do his pages on his own.  This system works so well for us.  He is able to start on it even while his sister eats breakfast.

Now we work together on work sheets and activities.  Usually each day we do a few pages of math, a few pages of English.  Then we work on our other subjects such as health, social and science.  If we have experiments or more hands on stuff I organise that after breakfast.  While we spend about an hour and a half working my youngest daughter colours for about an hour.  Or she spends some time in the play room.  Some days are better than others.  Let's face it, she is only a year and a half and can be a bit distracting.  If we are struggling with her distracting us and my son unable to focus we take a break.  We take some time to play or turn up the music.  We spend the rest of the morning really just having fun.
























Now in order to make my home run smooth we all pitch in.  Everyone has to help.  So my son will unload the dishwasher while my daughter (who is only a year and a half dusts or vacuums)  We like to keep a clean organised home.  I do love how my son will play and make a mess with his friends when they come over however once everyone is gone he takes some time to himself to get his room back in order.






Routine is so important!!!  As well I do believe that the more you get your children helping the better your family flows.  I see families struggling because the parents are constantly cleaning up after kids. We could never homeschool if this was the case in our home.

Our afternoons are filled with friends and field trips and activities.  Usually while my daughter naps my son will take that time to quietly read, do a craft, or finish up anything we didn't get around to in the morning for school work.  This allows me a little time to myself to catch up on work (edit as I am a photographer) as well blog about our crazy fun life.

We also plan meals and the kids help me.  I want them involved.  My son will chop and daughter will mix.  They learn these lovely skills young.  So when dad gets home from work he gets to play and catch up with the kids before dinner.

I meet or chat with mom's nearly each week with nowhere to turn asking questions of how to start homeschool or what it includes.  I remember making the decision to homeschool and not knowing where to begin.  Now that we are crazy homeschoolers my words to mom's and scheduling is you can do it!  It will fit into your life any way you make it work.  Homeschooling allows for a wonderful flexible schedule which is only one amazing part.

This is by far my busy day go to.  Whether we are home or out for the day it is really easy and the whole family loves it.  It's a great slow cooker meal and I make sure to make extra as it makes for a great lunch the next day for my husband.  It's also a great gluten free meal and if you need to make it dairy free that can be done as well by not making coconut rice and omiting sour cream and cheese.

Chicken Taco Bowls

Ingredients

3 - chicken breast
2 cups - salsa
1 can - kernel corn
1 can - black beans
1/2 cup - water
1 tsp - Epicure Taco Seasoning (gluten free)
1 cup - basmatti rice
1 can - coconut milk
1/2 tsp lime juice
1 - yellow pepper
1 - tomato
1 - avocado
olives
cilantro
shredded cheese
sour cream

Directions

I'm a firm beleiver in letting your children grow.  Now that doesn't mean make them grow up fast.  Rather it means take pride in seeing them learn and grow.

I absolutely love babies.  I'm a mom who would possibly have 100 if I could.  My job allows me to get my baby fix by photographing newborns,  so this helps me.  My husband is probably thankful as I would probably have way too many children of my own.   I love that newborn smell, I love the brand new baby cuddles, and the cute baby clothes.  Cherish those moments as they do go too fast.  Please however let them grow.

I feel like sometimes families and parents struggle because they don't have expectations of their children.  I see mom's still feeding their children by spoon at a year.  STOP!!  Hand them a spoon at 6 months and let them learn.  Yes it will be messy.  Yes you will have to clean up what looks like a food fight.  However, let them learn.

I get stopped and praised all the time because of my children, they do make me a very proud mama.  They seem very mature and grown up for their age.  My son was potty trained by 2, and my daughter was only 14 months.  Honestly, I believe it was because I expected it from them.  Instead of saying "oh it's so much work and so much easier to just throw them in a diaper right now" I made the choice to stay home for a few days and keep them naked and teach them.  They both went from diapers to underwear with no issues, even no pull ups at night.  I see some 4 year olds struggling to potty train. Yes it takes work.  It's not just easy.  However having expectations of your children is a good thing.

My son is 6 now.  He has been helping me clean the house since he was 1.  He now knows what it takes to keep a home under control.  I can also trust him.  I have sent him outside to shovel or rake leaves and he happily does these chores.  He helps me grocery shop and has since he was 4.  He checks off the list.  Many people are shocked while we are grocery shopping and at the age of 4 he's using an app to check off groceries.  He says "mom how do you spell celery is it with an s or a c"  BANG! Language arts done for the day!

Teaching your kids to clean up after they are done with a toy is HUGE.  Mom's the amount of time spent in a day cleaning up after kids can be insane.  My daughter learned this at Christmas this year.  After each present she unwrapped she began to learn we needed to recycle the paper.  Now if she opens or takes something out of the package she puts the garbage in the garbage.  She will go to her book shelf and grab a book to read for her reading nook, and,  when she is done with it, take it back and grabs a new one.  The reason she does this is because I expect it of her.  Yes I could still treat her as a baby and pick up after her or I could take pride in watching her grow and learn.  I would rather do that.

My son enjoys having his friends over.  They usually play in his room with lego, and blanket forts are everywhere.  He lives in the moment and plays and has a ton of fun.  However when his friends go home he does find comfort in taking the time to clean his room and get it back in order.  He's like me, he wants order especially before sleeping.

These are just a few ideas of things I implimented in our home that even a one year old can help with.

• Dishes - yes they may not be perfect.  However most kids love playing in the water.  So while you are cleaning up let them learn to clean the dishes in the sink.  Yes you will have to help them however its a great way for them to learn while playing.
• Empty the dishwasher - I take a moment to remove any sharp knives or anything really break able but this is something my one year old helps with.  My son does the higher stuff and she likes to do the cuttlery because she can reach it.
• Dusting - hand them a swiffer and let them go to town.  My son started doing this at a year and did baseboards and anything low.  It was fun for him to see how much dust he could pick up.
• Laundry - I started early to make sure they always put dirty laundry in their hampers.  My daughter gets undressed getting ready for a bath and doesn't leave her clothes on the floor in the bathroom she takes them right to her laundry hamper.  This is something so simple but one less step for me.  She also likes pushing the buttons on the washer and dryer (which are up high so I lift her up to do this) I now can send my son to throw a load of laundry in all by himself.

My son is 6 and in grade 2 and to be honest we haven't had a cartoon on since I can't even remember. This makes the little bit of TV we watch as a family much more enjoyable.  Our TV doesn't come on until after bath time and they get a show before bed.  Some parents never even think that they don't have to sit through cartoons.  Here is a few shows my son absolutely loves and we do too.  He's totally interested and we started this style of television when he was 2.



How its Made - this show gets his brain working and it's so much fun to watch something we use every day and had no clue how it was made.  We also enjoy checking after the show is over online how much those items cost after seeing the show and all the work that goes into it.

Jade Fever - There is something really exciting about watching a crew search for Jade.  My son immediatly wanted to go outside and hunt for Jade.

Netflix Documentaries - can't hurt to learn!

Forged in Fire - My son enjoys watching men forge weapons and have them go through tests to compete on who can make the best knife.  At first I was hesitant on allowing this show as we don't want violence.  However it's really neat watching them take a simple peice of metal and turning it into a work of art.  He has a competative edge so competitions really keep his interest.

The Curse of Oak Island - this show has a great way of keeping you hooked.  We look forward to each week following along as they search with incredible equipment for the hidden treasure.  All ages are sure to like this show.


These are just some of the shows we like to watch in our home for fun.  Enjoy.

Homeschool sterotypes are still existing.  This boggles my mind however I do understand it. I knew from the moment I had my son I intended to homeschool.  This isn’t always the case for everyone.  I felt for me, I wanted to nurture his character and I actually liked watching him grow.  For some however they choose homeschooling because the traditional school system isn’t working, or it allows them to school while travelling, or because they decide as a family they can make it work.
I get contacted all the time of fearful moms looking for someone to help them.  To answer the crazy questions they have surrounding homeschooling.  I however am only one mama so have my opinions but that is all they are.  I adore our choice to homeschool however I would never push it on everyone.  It’s not for everyone.  I just wish more than anything people would consider it even when they think it’s not possible.
I have a girlfriend who was telling me about her little guy who is in public school and reminds her of my son.  Sweet, kind, and soft.  He is having issues with mean kids and being attracted to them.  He is also being forced to sit calmly for 6 hours and if he can’t he gets sent home with a sad face in his agenda.  He gets a sad face for things like twirling his hair.  Is this not ridiculous?  They of course want to have him tested for ADHD.  As she was telling me this I of course got emotional.  He doesn’t have ADHD….he’s a boy…. could you imagine being put in a box for 6 hours and told to follow along like a sheep.  This saddens me.
So what did I do?  I invited her to my Christmas party.  They are new to town and I said it would be a great way for their little guy to meet kids who are nice.  They arrived and my 6 year old was very excited to meet him.  He immediately ran in and found all the kids playing and having fun.  I don’t remember exactly how the conversation began but I said to her “see this is why you should homeschool” haha. Her husband laughed and said “Oh my goodness why…..do you homeschool??” hahaha….this is where I was thrilled.  She hadn’t told him.  So my response was "actually absolutely I do."  Actually “ALL” these kids are homeschooled.  He was shocked.  I loved how he came into the situation without any preconceived ideas of what we would all be like.  In a room with 25 people we all seemed normal! All the kids were social. “SHOCKER” and us parents were enjoying a glass of wine “SHOCKER” and not religious.
So many people feel that homeschooling makes for anti social odd kids.  This is so not the case.  Nobody knows we homeschool unless they see us out shopping during regular school hours and they they question my son.  “Why are you not in school?” This used to enrage me however now I just laugh and my son who is only 6 takes care of it.  His response is actually “ I did my school this morning from home as we homeschool so now we get to do lot’s of other stuff.”
We do regular weekly field trips and classes.  We get out with other kids at least a couple times a week.  We homeschool for so many reasons.  Here is a list of just a few.