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Book Review: Not the Boss of Us

Overwhelmed.

It’s a word that is probably all too familiar to most of us. From school and work, to relationships, societal pressures, inner pressures, anxiety, and general feelings of unworthiness — there are so many things that can bring us to the place of feeling overwhelmed.

And that’s why the premise of this book, “Not the Boss of Us” by Kay Wills Wyma, intrigued me: “Too much to manage and not enough time or energy to do it? What if instead of being overwhelmed with life you could be overwhelmed by Truth with its grace, hope, peace, and love?”

Sounds like a much needed reminder, right?

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Jamberry Nail Wraps Review

I can’t remember the last time I got a manicure.

The days of sitting in a comfy spa chair for an hour and emerging with perfectly painted and dried nails  is just a luxury I just don’t have time for anymore. I can no longer justify spending $60 on nails that last a week. And while I may paint my toes myself, I never do my fingers anymore. My hands always end up looking like I murdered some sort of purple cat, and what paint does land on my nails starts chipping within two days.

So when my sister bought me a set of Jamberry Nail Wraps for Christmas last year, I was eager to try them.

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Shutterfly Baby Book Review

When I was little, I used to love flipping through my baby book – seeing the handwritten dates describing when I got my first tooth or my first haircut. There’s just something special about documenting these little moments, details that would otherwise have been long forgotten.

But when it comes to pre-designed, store bought baby books it seems that not much has changed in the past twenty years. For the most part, these books seemed overly generalized and weren’t quite what I was looking for. When I discovered I was pregnant, I decided on a more streamline baby book for my sons – I wasn’t interested in having to print and glue pictures into a paper book.

That’s where Shutterfly came in.

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The Greater Vancouver Zoo: Review

Winter is over, the flowers are blooming, and it’s finally starting to heat up! Ushered in alongside this beautiful spring weather comes the annual hunt for outdoor activities. One of the locations on our list of places to visit this year was the Greater Vancouver Zoo in Langley, BC.

This was our family’s first trip to the Zoo. Having heard a few unfavorable reviews tossed about by lower mainland families, we pulled into the zoo parking lot completely unsure of what to expect. Thankfully these rumors seem to be overly exaggerated and in actuality, are the very thing that make up so much of the zoo’s charm.

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Guzzie + Gus Perch Highchair Review

“Aren’t you afraid that he’s going to fall?”

Legs dangling, feet swinging, my son stuffs a handful of cheese into his mouth and giggles from the comfort of his Guzzie + Gus Perch highchair. Whenever we invite guests over for dinner, this is inevitably one of the questions that gets asked. Will this “floating” perch hold his weight?

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Enchanted Forest Colouring Book: Review

I have a secret to confess.

I’m slightly obsessed with my new colouring book.

Yep, you heard that right. Colouring book.

Like most of us, I left my colouring books back in the second grade along with fruit scented markers and erasers shaped like unicorns. But who can forget those lazy Saturday mornings, sprawled out along the kitchen table with wax crayons and a new Barbie Princess colouring book? There’s something therapeutic about letting your creativity bubble out onto a fresh sheet of paper and transform a black and white page into a swirl of dancing colour.

Yes, I have rediscovered a childhood joy and I owe it all to this absolutely beautiful book: The “Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest & Coloring Book” by Johanna Basford. Read more

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Color Run: Review

I am not an athletic person. And while I like to think that somewhere deep within my bones is a hidden vein of natural athletic talent, the fact that I’ve spent the majority of my time in organized sports as a “benchwarmer” states otherwise.

So when some friends invited us to join them in a Color Run™, I was initially hesitant about paying money to have my slow-moving body trampled by a mass of super-fit, sprinting, racers. To my delight, I discovered that this race was focused on fun, rather than competition. Boasting in the fact that you can “run, walk, crawl, or cartwheel” yourself across the finish line, I hoped this event would be an easy introduction to 5k runs. And of course, outweighing the dread of having to do actual exercise was the prospect of being doused in a kaleidoscope of colored dust.

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Alaska Cruise

If there’s one thing I’m not – it’s outdoorsy. But Alaska, with it’s unparalleled beauty and raw, untouched landscapes is almost enough to make me change my mind. I was so enamored with it’s powerful mountain peaks, breathtaking glacial waters, and piercingly fresh, salty air that I wanted to strap on my hiking boots (which I don’t own) and ford some gold speckled streams. While this was technically my fourth trip to the land of the midnight sun, it was the first time I had tossed my preconceived ideas about northern living and actually soaked up a tiny bit of its allure. Of course, a quick trip in the dead of January would probably dispel most of these romanticized feelings towards the “last frontier.” But from the comfort of my cruise ship stateroom, this city gal can still appreciate the stunning, natural elegance of an unbridled land.

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FlyOver Canada

For a while now, I’ve been hearing about the “FlyOver Canada” ride at Canada Place (Vancouver, BC). They’ve run ads on the radio and plastered flyers around town but until recently, I’ve never actually considered checking it out. I’ll be the first to admit that I avoided this attraction for the sole reason that I’m a bit of a flight snob.

Four years ago, with the bare minimum of 200 flight hours to my name, I earned my commercial pilots license. I saw the Rockies up close and personal as I tipped my wings past dazzling lakes and snow capped mountains. Flying from Regina to Three Hills with my night rating, I watched the sun set in flaming beauty and saw the glow of summer forest fires shimmering against the distant night sky. I’ve flown around the Lower Mainland, with mountains on one side, ocean on the other and the city below. I’ve caught a glimpse of the Northern lights from inside my little cockpit and touched down as far north as Yellowknife.

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Punjammies: Your next pair of Pyjamas

A couple years ago, while perusing wedding pins on Pinterest, I happened to stumble across a picture of some very unique looking pyjamas. These pants were more than just the stack of generic nightwear tucked away in my closet. The colours were splashed across the fabric in a dazzling, eye catching pattern; they were ornately trimmed and looked beyond comfy. They were also way bolder than anything I would normally wear – even as pyjama pants. But there was just something about them and as I peered closer, the description caught my eye.

“PUNJAMMIES™ are loungewear bottoms made with hope by women in India who have escaped human trafficking. Whenever you purchase PUNJAMMIES™, you invest in the freedom and dignity of these women and girls who are working to forge a new life for themselves and their children.”

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My Top Ten Favourite Baby Gear for Preemies

Please note that this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase anything through the links here, I will earn a small commission (without affecting your cost at all). Be assured that everything that I link to here is a personal recommendation for something that I’ve actually used and/or am still using.

When my son was born at thirty-one weeks, we were immediately ushered into the preemie life. But at just three and a half pounds, we quickly realized that when it comes to the littlest of little ones, some products work better than others.

Here are a few of my thoughts on some of our favourite preemie baby gear.

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