I realized last week that it had been a loooong while since I have done any kind of “life lately” type of post. Life just ticks on by and then before I know it, it’s been like 6 months and I can barely believe that the seasons are changing.
Do you feel this way too?
I thought I’d give you a little look into what’s been going on around here lately…. behind the blog.
First up, the kids.
Boy these two just MAKE my world.
Maya has taken to being a big sister like a fish to water. The girl LOVES her baby brother and does silly things to entertain him, likes to help me change his diaper, and just generally always wants to see him and be near him. Of course there have been moments of acting out because of jealousy, but on the whole the transition with her was easier than I expected.
Maya turned 3 this summer and the girl is so grown up I can hardly stand it. She is so funny, and the imaginary play that has really started to happen is magical to watch. She’s super into colouring all of a sudden, which I’m ridiculously happy about. The idea of sitting around on a weekend and colouring in our colouring books is just my version of heaven. She draws faces, writes her name, and is actually pretty great at staying in the lines. She’s also just saying the most hilarious things at this stage. Last night she ate half a lemon (!?) and kept saying “woah, that’s ticklish!” every time it would make her wince. She’s pretty quiet and shy around big crowds or new folks, but once she feels comfortable, her goofy, chatty self comes out (and that stubborn side, too!).
Of course we have moments of crazy toddler meltdowns, but I try to erase those from my memory. Ha.
And James is 7 months now and just the sweetest little guy. He is his Daddy through and through – both in looks (seriously, he is a replica of Dan), and in personality as far as we can tell so far. He is smily and just the chillest (minus a screechy phase that he is going through right now – I’m blaming his two new teeth). Oh and he’s huge. Over 20 pounds already – not all that chubby (though he has some delicious thigh rolls), just solid. The kid took to eating like a machine.
As an aside – breastfeeding actually worked this time! You can read about my struggles breastfeeding Maya here. The difference this time? I honestly think so much of it is anatomy. James just latched on right away without much issue, no screaming and constant pulling off like Maya, I had pretty minimal pain this time, and it just worked. I had low milk supply for the first little bit, but we supplemented with formula and then after a few months, my milk caught up (I also think he was just a HUNGRY dude right from the start).
And you know what? The whole experience totally erased ANY wondering I had about whether I had tried “hard enough” to make it work with Maya, because I could now see how incredibly WRONG that whole situation with her was. Compared to how things went with James this time, I can see that it never would’ve worked with her. So although I feel sadness at not getting that opportunity with her, I feel zero guilt around it because it was nothing that I did or didn’t do. She and I just didn’t work together in that way.
We have kept Maya in preschool while James is at home with me, so it means I have nice quiet days with him solo. Lots of time for snuggles and bonding, but also time for mama to get work done too (he is a good napper!).
Speaking of work, I have been busy on the blog and etsy shop, as you’ve probably been able to see.
I feel like I have found my calling in terms of helping other home + DIY bloggers create successful blogging businesses. I am having SUCH a great time doing facebook live videos and offering advice over in our bloggers Facebook Group, and I have been working on building up a community of bloggers on my email list to dish out the latest and greatest advice and support.
I’m still going to be posting DIYs and room makeovers – so if you aren’t a blogger, don’t worry! They might just be spaced out a little more, so just ignore the blogging related posts that you might not be interested in.
I spoke at BlogPodium (a big Canadian blogging conference) the other weekend. It was a 90 minute presentation – kind of a Blog Monetization 101 crash course – and I was mid-stomach flu. Oh my god you guys, it was so bad. My poor Mum drove me to Toronto while I was laying down in the car with pillows trying not to lose my lunch (I had been throwing up the whole night before). We spent the night at an AirBnB and the next morning I couldn’t make it out of the bathroom to actually GET to the conference. Then finally just before lunch when things had settled down enough that I felt OK to walk over to the conference venue (my talk was at 2pm), I went outside and the skies opened up. Hard. And I had no umbrella. So I showed up to the conference looking like a drowned rat. And the hair that I had curled in the bathroom while trying not to yak all morning became frizz-city. Not my finest hour. Ha!!
Luckily the talk actually went ok (?!!) and I got to connect with some brands, but I felt bummed about not getting to chat with more of the conference go-ers.
[You can read a recap of the conference over at 204 Park– which is where I grabbed these photos from, taken by LLB Creative!]
I also had a 2-day craft fair – the Etsy Made in Canada show – last weekend. It was my first show since having James and overall it went super well.
I don’t have any great pictures except for this fuzzy one from setup …
I sold out of the Gilmore girls mug on the first morning (baaaaad planning on my part!), and my newer print designs did well too. It was great to connect with customers in person again.
[Tacos print available here – pic courtesy of @thecookerybistro]
You can get all of my prints as digital downloads in the Etsy shop. I’m thinking about offering actual printed pieces in the lead-up to Christmas again, just for folks who don’t want to do the printing themselves.
[Fashion blogger Lea Carmen did a cute home office makeover and featured 4 of my art prints: Slay all day, Treat Yo Self, Blogger Life, Do Epic Shit. Thanks, girl!]
Oh and the house? Well, updates and work on the rooms progresses… just slowly. This summer we had to spend a lot of energy on boring exterior stuff like fixing up a fence, getting started on our deck, doing updates to our porch, etc. but nothing all that pretty or blog-worthy. We are, however, going to be focusing on getting the master bathroom and family room done over the winter and I CAN’T WAIT to share those as we tackle them.
This is a garden box we experimented with this summer in our backyard. It needs the mega protection because our squirrels get at everything. We successfully grew lettuce, beans, and herbs though, and plan on building 2-3 more alongside it next year!
Slow and steady, right?
Oh and my DIY workshops biz that I run with my girl Caroline has launched for the Fall season. If you are an Ottawa local and feel like an evening out making cute stuff, having a glass of wine and a piece of cheesecake, head on over to our website to sign up. They are ALWAYS a good time. We will be doing 5 workshops between now and Christmas.
So that’s about it, in a nutshell. What have YOU guys been up to lately? Who here is excited about the change of season and all things pumpkin spice? As much as I love summertime, I’m pretty excited to wear my (faux) leather jacket, throw on a scarf, and feel the crisp Fall air. What’s been going on with you guys?