Going Rogue
AHHHH...
That is my sound of relief that I no longer need to keep this secret from my blog (and my work-connected friends).
During my bloggy silence, I've been busy thinking, planning, praying, researching, and finally meeting with my people at Cocoon. The short version of the story is that I've now let them know that I am not intending to return as their full-time Communications Director when my mat leave ends in October. Instead, I'll be starting my own business and doing my best to dig up some work as a freelance writer and communications / public relations consultant.
In a crazy little turn of events, I've signed up Cocoon as my first client. And I started today. Yes, seriously. My assistant there - who was supposed to be covering my mat leave - quit last week, so there really wasn't a lot of time to think about it. I met with Cocoon on Thursday for a preliminary chat, so to say that this happened quickly is the understatement of the century. That's how we roll in the advertising industry, hehe :)
In the meantime, I'm thinking about business names, downloading government forms, researching Canada Revenue small business rules, waiting on hold with EI to figure out the impact on my mat leave, learning about business accounting, ordering a Mac, and just generally learning as much as I can about starting a business.
It's a little bit crazy. It's incredibly scary, because I really have to trust that we'll be able to make this sustainable - at least until Briony is two (which is my short-term goal). And it's very, very exciting for me and my little family, because I'm going to be able to do 95%+ of this work from home (or from wherever my laptop gets a wireless internet connection).
AHHHH!!!
(That one was excited :)
PS - Now poor Geoff can't use
this image that he'd been saving for me to use on my blog. HAR HAR.
Labels: Briony, Cocoon, Going Rogue
Noteworthy
Big day at the Wright residence today...
First, we woke up to a much happier Briony - and a tiny little bit of a tooth! Thank god. Hopefully this normal happy Briony will stick around for a while now. Yesterday, there were a few tiny moments where I may have sold her to the highest bidder.
Then, I packed her up and headed over to Assiniboine Park where we met up with probably ten other River Heights-area moms for a one hour stroller walk. I'd heard about it on Facebook yesterday and didn't know a single soul who was going, so it was definitely outside of my comfort zone - but I decided that I'd just suck it up and go, without overthinking it. If you were friends with Single Lindsay, you'll know that my signature first date was meeting someone for lunch near my office - that way there was always a time limit, and the worst thing that could happen was that I had to suffer through an hour and tell some funny stories about it later. It's funny how similar this felt. And it wasn't a worst-case scenario... I actually met a few cool new people. They're meeting again next week, and I'm definitely thinking about joining them again.
And finally, during Briony's afternoon nap, I actually made some money! Stay tuned for an announcement... :)
Labels: Briony, Going Rogue, Mommy Stuff
Splash Parks & Wading Pools
In honour of the 'real' start of summer...
For those of you who live in or near Winnipeg, thought I'd share this updated
info sheet of the city's splash parks, wading pools, and outdoor pools and their summer schedules. Enjoy!
Labels: Mommy Stuff
Just Another Manic Monday
I was *so* determined to make today a good day. Which means, of course, that everything I'd so carefully planned had derailed before I had even opened my eyes and gotten out of bed :)
Briony slept in. YAY. Except that today was the day that I had to take her to a 10 am meeting downtown (Geoff is working a day shift today). And seriously, what mother of a newborn sets an alarm clock? GAAAAH. We made it - and I even managed to shower, straighten my hair, and throw on some mascara - but it felt crazy (and parking was a nightmare today). Of course, the meeting started 20 minutes late anyway. DOUBLE GAAAAH.
Oh, and did I mention that my normally angelic baby fussed and whined and cried her way through the entire two hour meeting? Yup. She nodded off exactly two minutes before our meeting wrapped up. Of course.
In between, there have been a million varieties of drama. Because why would the universe spread that out into manageable pieces? :)
So it's 4.35 pm. I'm boiling water for tea and eating a cookie because somehow, in all of this madness, I realized that I haven't eaten a single thing all day. Briony is in her crib for her second nap of the day (holy cow, are we ever off schedule). And I've made a trip to our basement freezer to pull out something to defrost for dinner. Thank god for all those days this spring when I felt ambitious... I'm almost through all my pre-fab freezer meals now, so I'll likely be bugging some of you soon to actually plan that freezer meal assembly project we've been talking about forever.
Tonight needs to be about self-care, in order to ward off the flare-up I can feel lurking in the wings. I'm thinking about self-care in the form of sweats, popcorn, and The Bachelorette...
Labels: Bitching About Nothing, Briony, Mommy Stuff
Before and After
Geoff fed Briony the other night, effectively volunteering for that night's baby bath duty.
YES, crazy blog moms, you have correctly identified that disgusting substance as baby oatmeal cereal mixed with pureed prunes. YUMMY YUMMY :)
And YES, it's totally in her hair. Sigh. It's so hard to get mad when they're both giggling...
This is the part where I officially give kudos to Darcie for being the only person in the world who would think of a baby bath robe as an 'essential' item for a new baby girl. Cutest, snuggliest thing EVER.
Labels: Briony, Photos, The Boy
Festive Road Trip
Geoff, Briony, and I spent part of today in Winkler, helping to celebrate my cousin Daniel's high school graduation.
A few pictorial highlights...
Briony was incredibly excited to be at Daniel's graduation. How excited? Well, WAY more excited more than my parents were, apparently, but about the same as Geoff.
Just making it all official here.
The backs of my grandparents' heads. Not actually very noteworthy, other than the wicked beaded eagle clip thing one of the moms was sporting in the row ahead of them. You'll be glad you did.
No *real* photos of Daniel or the family, because a certain young buck (who shall remain anonymous, but his name starts with 'D' and ends with 'aniel') wasn't really into the whole picture-taking - or cap and gown wearing - scene today. I'll have to see if his mom managed to snag any.
Labels: Briony, Family, Photos, The Boy
Plans
Brandy posted this verse on Facebook, and it spoke right to the very core of me today. It's one of those verses we learned in Sunday School when we were small, but it just kind of rattled me today and brought fresh perspective on everything that's swirling around in my head right now. It's kind of amazing when that happens.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."Jeremiah 29.11
Labels: Church the Universe and Everything, Inspiration
Remission Accomplished
Have you done anything lately that makes you feel like you made a difference? No? Well, I can help you change that in under two minutes :)
It's really pretty simple...
Go to the
Run for the Cure website.
And now, either...
1. Click to donate to a participant, and support me or my mom (or another member of our team).
OR
2. Register to participate on October 4. You're committing to either paying a small registration fee OR fundraising $150 (it's not that hard) and joining us at the MTS Centre to walk either 1K or 5K (it's *really* not that hard - people, I did the 5K when I was 8 months pregnant). Be sure to sign up under team REMISSION ACCOMPLISHED so you get all the news and details.
There you go... Not so hard, is it? And a pretty nice way to feel like you've done something noteworthy with your Wednesday morning. Because you did :)
I'm really excited about being Team Captain again this year. Last October, we participated in honour of my mom, who was too sick from chemo to be able to come. This year, we're praying that she'll be strong enough to be there and witness this amazing event. I don't really have words for what it feels like to be in the presence of so many breast cancer survivors, and to feel like you're actually DOING something to help support research so that other families don't have to go through the same kind of year we just did (and we were one of the lucky families).
Labels: Family, Run for the Cure, The C Word
Seven Months Old
So I'm a little behind on these little monthly updates. Better late than never, I've decided :)
Briony is such an incredible joy in our lives (in case you couldn't tell that from my regular blog posts, hehe). She is remarkably easy-going and very free with her smiles and giggles and babbling. I think she's amazing. We'll keep her.
Six Months Old - New Things This Month:- Sitting on her own, but still a little tipsy
- Still rolling up a storm...
- Lots of shrieking just to make noise (sounds like a wounded seal)
- Making extra-obnoxious noise by putting her hand in and out of her mouth (thanks for teaching her that one, Geoff...)
- Starting to 'help' us when we're picking her up, strapping her into her carseat, and getting her dressed
- SO MUCH talking and babbling and giggling...
- No teeth yet, but lots and lots of chewing and biting
- Getting very excited about books - this is *not* a bedtime activity in our house
- Generally very friendly and willing to give out smiles and giggles to new people (unless she's very tired or just waking up)
- Briony's second trip to BC
- My first official Mother's Day
- Our first little family vacation - trip to Victoria with Rob & Vicky & Ava
Seven Months Old - New Things This Month:- Sitting independently (at least until a cool toy catches her attention and she takes off in a dive-and-roll move)
- Killer dance moves, swaying her head back and forth when she's extra-happy
- Starting to eat big girl food (just rice cereal so far) - it's hilarious how she looks *so* proud of herself
- Realizing that she can control her tiny little fingers, and doing lots of funny 'plan hands' and wiggling them around while examining them very closely
- Holding onto the side bars of her swing to stop herself from moving
- Favourite words are AH-BOOM and HEY!
- Starting to do a lot of MAMAMA and DADADA babbling
- Giving up her fake attention-getting cough, and replacing it with yelling MAMAMA to get my attention
- Random laughter (sometimes seems suspiciously like she's courtesy laughing at things people do and say)
- Hitting things, especially the tray of her high chair (for maximum noise-making, of course)
- Still loving her jolly jumper and exersaucer
- Scared of CTV weather promos and station identification spots... the thunder makes her wail like the drama queen she is (can't wait for the first storm of the summer)
- Discovering that she can eat her feet... ew
- Still a major talker and a gigglepuss :)
- Briony's first bridal shower (for Auntie Cait)
- Briony's first wedding (Kris and Kari-Ann)
Favourite Moments:- Watching her explore and take in more and more of the world around her
- Seeing how her personality is coming out and how she interacts with people
- Feeding her solids and seeing how very proud she is of herself
Looking Forward To:All the drama and faces that are coming as we begin to introduce her to new foods.
Labels: Briony, Briony's First Year
Happy Father's Day!
Labels: Briony, The Boy
Friday Smile
Sorry for the brief leave of absence. Actually, no I'm not. Geoff, Briony, and I spent a couple of days at the lake and it was absolutely lovely :)
Now onto today's Friday Smile. We are *not* HOT 103 people in our house, but a few of Geoff's coworkers are, and they tipped him off to a contest being run by the station. It was pretty simple: people were supposed to send in pictures of their awesome Transformer collections, and the craziest ones were supposed to win passes to an advance screening of the new movie. Geoff sent his submission in on Tuesday. And he didn't win!
So my Friday Smile is purely because I'm not married to
this guy :)
(For the record, I will continue to occasionally bitch about the plastic robots taking up oh so much space in our house. But just occasionally.)
Labels: Contests, Friday Smile, The Boy
Ugh
It's not a full moon. It's not that time of the month (and I am *not* pregnant). And I had my coffee this morning. So I have no idea why I've been so incredibly irritable this week. Things that would usually be minor issues or bumps in the road are seriously sending me over the deep end, and I hate being like this. I can hear the tone in my voice and know the words that are about to be fired out of my mouth, but I just shrug and let 'em fly anyway. I can sometimes even feel myself making those quick calculations to determine what I could do or say to achieve maximum damage to the other party. I hate that part of me.
In between a fibro flare-up, a teething baby girl, a tense week in our marriage, and an overwhelming work and school related to-do list, I'm missing out on all the little pockets of joy that I know are there.
I started today with a promise to myself that I would choose to make it a really good day. It's only lunchtime, but already I wish it was an option to just crawl back into bed and then start today over again.
Labels: Arthritis/Fibromyalgia, Can You Handle The Truth?, Mommy Stuff
SOS
Please read
Amber's post and spread the word...
Labels: Amber
Inspiration
I'm always on the prowl for great new recipes, and I've found a few lately at
Prevention.com - along with some nifty search tools so you can really find what you're looking for or just browse for some new ideas. I'm trying out a recipe for Rhubarb Coffee Cake tonight.
Also on their website, I found
this great little list of 100 ways to cut 100 calories out of your daily consumption. There's nothing really earth-shattering on it, it's just a nice little reminder and a push in the right direction.
Labels: Feeling Good, Recipe
Thank You, Concert Gods
Geoff and I had Date Night at the Coldplay concert last night. It was lovely. We arrived in time to see all of the second opening band's set - Snow Patrol was good, but not *quite* as good as the last time we saw them. It was nothing against them. They're just a small venue band, and when we saw them two years ago, it was at a small venue (and they were the main performers that evening). I still liked it. But I'll admit that I was just a tiny bit distracted. Because I knew that in a few short minutes, that very same stage would host...
COLDPLAY!
We all know about my beef with Ticketmaster over our seats for this concert. I think I've bitched to literally anyone who would listen. And you can see from that photo that our seats weren't BAD... I resolved to go and just enjoy the concert because - hey - we were seeing Coldplay. And that's pretty darn cool. They were an AMAZING live band.
But of course, in my life, there's always a dramatic last-minute twist (and this Date Night was no exception). No sooner had we located our seats than we noticed an odd-looking platform in the middle of the seats about six feet in front of us. The evening progressed, and our initial guesses were confirmed as we watched a microphone and sound equipment being set up, and noticed that they were really tightening up security in our section...
Sure enough, somewhere near the middle of their set, Coldplay ran through the crowd and ended up on this secondary stage for a bunch of songs (including Green Eyes, one of my favourite songs, and a hilarious cover of I'm A Believer). Freaking six feet in front of us.
Yeah. It was a good Date Night. And fter Lenny Kravitz and now this, Geoff is officially in charge of buying all of our concert tickets (at least until his amazing luck runs out).
Labels: Concerts, The Boy
Monday Secret
Terrible! But it made me laugh out loud. Why didn't I think of it?! :)
Labels: Monday Secret
Weekend Update
Earlier this week, I received an absolutely adorable phone call from Anica, inviting me to come to her soccer game that evening. It hurt my heart to have to tell her no, but I had one of my wedding planning couples coming over to discuss details for their big day. I told her that she should try again, though... And that led to an absolutely adorable email later in the week, letting me know about another game on Friday.
Geoff was working Friday night, and a quick Google Maps search revealed that the location of her game was a mere 15 minute walk from our place. It was a gorgeous evening and an easy decision. I packed Briony up in her stroller and took her to her very first soccer game. She loved it. There was lots of running around and yelling - and even more attention from all the soccer players' little brothers and sisters (and Sophie and Mady). Of course, my little princess soaked it all up. It was nice to see Steve & Val and the girls, and it was amazing to see how much Anica has improved since the last time I attended one of her games. They're playing legitimate soccer already! And I was *so* proud of the way she chased down that ball. If I'm that proud of my little cousin, I think I'm in trouble when it's my child running around that field :)
We walked back home after the game (and after lots of extra snuggles and attention for Briony) and I put her to bed and climbed into a bubble bath with the new Candace Bushnell book. (I know it's not really that new anymore, but I'm still in that phase where I'm delighted to have time to read anything other than baby books and textbooks - so it felt new to me. It's the same kind of thing when I get to see a movie that's still showing in a theatre. Sad but oh so true.)
Geoff obviously spent the first part of Saturday sleeping after getting home around 08.30, and I had every intention of taking Briony for a walk - but I woke up feeling incredibly tired and achy, so I puttered around the house in my pyjamas until lunchtime and then started the process of getting our little family ready to leave for Kris & Kari-Ann's wedding. To my amazement, we left to pick up Kyle & Anja about five minutes earlier than scheduled. I haven't checked yet, but I'm positive there's some kind of award for that... Anyway. We roadtripped it out to Elm Creek, making all kinds of bets and predictions about what we'd encounter there. We were mildly disappointed by the lack of funny hats and cowboy boots, but realized immediately that we'd missed out on the ultimate 'prediction game' punchline: trucks in the parking lot! Ah, well. Next time (hehe).
It was a great wedding. Kari-Ann, Queen of Efficiency, could literally not have pared down that ceremony by a single second. Maybe if they'd RUN down the aisle? It was all official in under five minutes, and then the celebration could begin. We had lots of fun with Anja & Kyle, and little miss Scarlett was eager to show off her brand new walking skills. The place was swarming with small children, and Kari-Ann in all her wisdom had planned a little dance party for all the kids right after dinner (and before the big kids' dance got started). Brilliant. Even Briony was all smiles and squeals with her daddy helping her dance in a flurry of bubbles. We couldn't stay very late, but I trust the rest of the evening was just as fun.
After surviving last week and Geoff's ridiculously busy work schedule, I had declared days ago that Sunday would be a blank day for our little family. We lounged around all morning (and I caught up on the episode of So You Think You Can Dance episode that I'd missed on Thursday), then packed up and brought a picnic lunch to Assiniboine Park. Briony napped while we walked around the park later, then we came home and Geoff attempted to kill our yard's disgusting ant population while I made dinner.
The day's real drama came later, when Geoff met up with some of his friends for an hour or two to talk cars and they ended up back at our place to admire Geoff's seldom-used ride. His friend's cousin was there, and he began to salivate when he laid eyes on the car... He wants to buy it. Badly. It's honestly something that Geoff and I have not discussed - at least not until last night. We both know that it's highly impractical, just sitting in our driveway under a cover about 99% of the time - but it's something that makes him happy, and I would never ask him to get rid of it. It's totally his decision. But I can see how hard this decision is for him. And that kind of hurts my heart a little bit. This just might be the end of an era, even though the truth is that this era was over a while ago already. But it still doesn't make it easy to let go.
Anyway. Tonight is Date Night. My parents are coming to watch Briony, and Geoff and I are going for dinner and then to the Coldplay concert.
And then tomorrow, my baby will be SEVEN MONTHS OLD. It totally blows my mind. She's incredible... But more on that tomorrow :)
Labels: Anica and Sophie, Anja, Kari-Ann, My Friends, The Boy
Flop
So I've been hanging onto this recipe for about a month now... All the ingredients can usually be found in my cupboards, but I just hadn't gotten around to actually trying it. I decided that today would be the day.
Here it is:
Coconut BallsCombine in food processor:
1/2 c raisins
3/4 c walnuts or pecans
1/2 c dried dates
1/2 c dried apricots
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
Form into 1" balls and roll in 1 c unsweetened coconut.
Yummy, right? Well, I'd love to tell you, but this crumbly concoction is currently pressed into the bottom of a container in my fridge because it sure as heck could not be formed into 1" balls. I'm so sad! I sprinkled some coconut on top and I'm going to check on it later. I'm sure it will still taste good, it just wasn't what I was expecting. And I'm not really acccustomed to flopping in the kitchen. Boo.
Does anyone out there have a similar recipe that actually works??? I had my heart set on these little portion-controlled snacks, and I'm now officially (but temporarily) distrusting all recipes that haven't been proven awesome by someone I know.
Labels: Recipe
Out Of The Loop
After all my joking about being old, I'm *really* feeling it today (and not just because I'm in the middle of a fibro flare). I'm trying to decide whether or not to show up at a launch party for a client campaign being hosted by the agency I work(ed) for.
As a sidenote, I never know how to phrase my employment-related thoughts... I know that mat leave in Canada is considered continuous employment wherever you worked until you pushed a baby out (or got too fat to fit behind a computer anymore), but I haven't actually gone to work there in... holy cow!... almost eight months and counting. It's incredibly strange.
Anyway. Back to the issue at hand. I'm finding that I'm at a point in my mat leave where I've been removed from the world for so long that the idea of 'going out' kind of intimidates me. Why? I have no idea. These are my friends and coworkers, and a mere nine months ago, I would not have hesitated to switch into some cute heels, add an extra coat of mascara, and plant myself squarely in the middle of the party.
But now... It's just different. I feel old, and out of the loop, and kind of apologetic - if that makes any sense at all.
I really want to do my hair and go and have fun and see people, but I also really want to stay in my jeans and comfy orange shirt and bare feet and bake cookies. We shall see which Lindsay wins tonight.
PS - As a related sidenote, if you're on Facebook and love Coldplay, become a fan of Grant's Degree of Separation before the end of this weekend. They'll be giving away two pairs of floor seats on Monday.
Labels: Cocoon, Mommy Stuff
The Swing of Things
Over the last little while, I've really been feeling like I'm on the right track to figuring out a balance to life - being a wife, a mommy, a student, an event planner, a person with fibromyalgia, and all of the other little things that are being thrown my way. Which obviously means that the other shoe will be dropping imminently... I wonder what it will be, but I know that ignorance is probably bliss. My money's on teeth :)
In the meantime, I have a few fun things on the horizon:
- Kari-Ann's wedding this weekend
- SUMMER and lots more lake time
- My birthday (my god, I'm getting old...)
- Starting to plan our ten year reunion (really old...)
Oh, and top of my list is Date Night in exactly a week from tonight. We're going for dinner and then to the Coldplay concert. Yay! It's super funny to me how much I'm looking forward to an evening out that used to be such a normal thing for us. Like I said: OLD... :)
Labels: Mommy Stuff
Monday Secret
Labels: Monday Secret
MIA
I know that I've been a little bit missing in action lately. Okay, maybe a lot. And I'm finding it incredibly difficult to explain my absence - or to explain exactly where I've been.
Literally, Geoff and I packed up Briony and spent a few days this week at the lake. It was awesome. I actually get a little emotional when I think about it, because this simple three-day trip to the lake was a little bit of an experiment to me. So much of my mom's cancer journey happened at Falcon Lake last summer, and there are so many memories of her being sick there. I needed to go and find out - before the summer started - if it could still be a happy place for me. It was. It felt really, really good to be there. And I came home with a little piece of that feeling tucked safely away in my soul.
More honestly, though, I feel like I'm processing a heck of a lot right now. And there's a lot of other stuff going on.
I'm feeling a lot of post-cancer stuff right now, which makes me realize again how strong my mom is. If her cancer journey has affected me so profoundly, I can't even begin to pretend to understand how it's changed her. In lots of ways, it feels like the entire world is expecting us to all just go back to normal now that her mammogram came back clear. But nothing is ever going to be normal to me again. And I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. I just don't really feel like a lot of people understand that.
I'm continuing to clean out my house, getting ready for a big yard sale later this month. It feels so good to be getting rid of all this stuff that's been cluttering up our home. It makes me really happy. Other than the ginormous piles of yard sale boxes that are sitting in our dining room, in Briony's closet, and in the basement. This yard sale seriously needs to happen SOON.
I'm still figuring out who I am without my job (and with a baby). I don't think I'll ever be able to put into words how I've been feeling as I weigh the pros and cons of returning to my career once my mat leave ends in the fall. I have never felt so completely torn, and they are two fundamentally opposite directions. I am confident that I will make the right decisions. I am also confident that this is *not* the place to be airing that entire decision-making process until my decisions have all been made and the appropriate arrangements have been finalized.
Oh, and I'm up to my eyeballs in event planning - specifically, there are a lot of weddings going on around here. In addition to helping Aaron & Caitlin with their wedding in July, I've been hired to coordinate the rehearsal and ceremony (and do a little bit of consulting) for a couple I know in early August, and I'm playing wedding planner for another friend later in the summer. I have meetings here for all three weddings on different days this week - plus I'm trying to find some time to help plan our upcoming ten year high school reunion. What's most surprising to me (other than the fact that I haven't been called about a single freelance writing job all summer, but my phone seems to be ringing off the hook for event planning gigs) is that I'm actually really enjoying it. Event planning was never my favourite thing at work, and I've always mocked wedding planners... But I'm having a lot of fun. Plus, getting hired as a rehearsal and ceremony coordinator literally means that I'm getting paid to boss people around :)
And then, of course, there's my health. I'm still searching for that balance... I went to see my herbalist last week, and I feel like that was a HUGE step in the right direction. And I had my ultrasound this morning to make sure that my weird abdominal episode from last month isn't anything super-serious. The only thing with a track record of helping is being really strict with my eating and taking supplements to help my body function better. So we'll see. I'm determined to enjoy the summer anyway.
In the middle of all of this, we seem to have conquered a yucky baby constipation challenge (can you believe that I just blogged about poop? yeah, me neither). And then we decided to start Briony on cereal. She's doing *so* well with it, and you can just see the glow on her face - so proud to be eating like a big girl. She also started dancing... I can't really describe it, so I should probably try to catch her on video. She kind of just wiggles her head from side to side with a huge goofy grin on her face. It's so ridiculously cute.
Lots more, but those are the big things that are keeping me busy. Sadly, not a lot of friend time right now - but I'm hoping that will change as soon as summer gets here. I know that I have a challenging week coming up with Geoff working five twelve-hour shifts in six days... I'd appreciate a few happy thoughts sent in this general direction :)
Have a great weekend!
Labels: Briony, Family, The Boy, The C Word
