“You can take no credit for beauty at sixteen. But if you are beautiful at sixty, it will be your own soul's doing.”
— Marie Stopes

Good Morning, Sunshine!

My Mommy instincts told me at 5:45 this morning that someone was awake and was standing at my bedroom door.

Me: "Morning Sunshine, are you okay?"

Callum: "Good Morning, Mommy, I just wanna have a snuggle with you"

He climbed into my bed and cuddled in close. Oh how this makes a mommy melt! He began telling me about his wiggly tooth, which led to a conversation about the dentist and the Tooth Fairy, which led to talking about Santa and how he must use a jet to get to all the malls and IKEA to have breakfast and pictures with all the kids because he has to go to so many of them... The conversations were delightful. Then, he used his little index finger and started tracing the letters printed on the shirt of my pj's. "Mom, what does this word say?" I told him it said Peace. "Mom, what does peace mean?"

This was it. This was my moment where I had an opportunity to speak to my young son about what peace means.... to me, anyways. He was quite intrigued and asked a lot of questions around the topic. We talked about war & soldiers & anti-violence, we talked about balance, we talked about friendships, unity, karma, behaviour and being good to all of mankind. It was a highly intellectual conversation to be having between a mommy and a five year old especially at that hour in the morning, but it thrilled me. The alarm went off at 6:30am so we got up and got on with our day, but I cannot express in words how much I enjoyed my unexpected little snuggle with Callum today. And I think my Peace pj's have just become my new favourites!

Animal Ingredients in Cosmetics

I've definitely become more "girly" since becoming a Mother. I'm the only female in my house and so I embrace all things girl these days. I like to wear a bit of make up and I feel better with a bit of make up on, but I don't feel like I HAVE to have a face on before leaving the house. (I have been teased by some Preschool Moms before for showing up without make up AND wearing Crocs, but I don't care. Some of those ladies are so fake anyways.) When I do put on some eyes or lips to go out, I'm very careful on which products I use. This is a good link that defines some lingo for animal derived ingredients in cosmetics.... I can't believe people would use this stuff!?!

the vegan society

I Couldn't Agree With You More, Maya Angelou.

“I have found that among its other benefits,
giving liberates the soul of the giver.”
— Maya Angelou

Winter Is Coming & The Days Are Getting Shorter

Tonight at dinner Carter said "Mom, this dinner tastez really good! You're the best!" (It makes me feel so great when the kids say stuff like that to me!) Then he said "So, I guess you'll have to get dinner ready earlier now that the days are getting shorter and we won't be in school as long" He continued, "Now that it's almost winter and it's getting darker earlier, we'll be home from school sooner and you'll have to have dinner ready sooner too!"

I LOVE how kids take things so literally. So very innocent... so very sweet.

30 Reasons

Watch more videos at PETA.org

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm spiritual but not religious. Listening to people saying grace at a dinner table makes me feel awkward but, I'd say Amen to this!

'Grace': PETA's Thanksgiving ad

Don't "Bee" Cruel

We read a lot about animal cruelty but seldom do we come across information about Bees. I've taken this off the PETA site....

"Whether we are stealing honey, royal jelly, pollen, propolis, or wax from bees, these incredible little insects-capable of complicated communication documented in their dances and of a social network compared to which our most carefully designed modern communities pale, suffer and die quite needlessly.

First, smoke is blown into the bees’ hives to make the bees easier to deal with. Next, a “bee brush” is used to crudely sweep away the bees who rush from the hive and succumb to the smoke. In sweeping them aside, the wire tines break off their legs and wings. Bee farmers then remove the honey and the honeycomb, which is, of course, the hive’s main source of nourishment, and replace it with cheap white sugar. Animal wax used in candles (and certain other products, including some polishes, crayons and lip balms) comes from the honeycomb."

The rest of this article can be found on the PETA site.

StoneyCreekNews.com: News: Story: Family turned upside down

StoneyCreekNews.com: News: Story: Family turned upside down

This article is about one of Carter's really good buddies who has been in his class since JK. It is the "shortened" version of what was printed in the paper. Breaks my heart....

As I read through Adam's article today it reminded me what Shelley (Adam's Mom) has to deal with on a daily basis and how they as a family make it all work. She has good reason to get frustrated and yet I've never seen it in her. She always seems so patient, so optimistic and so together. The doctors say "Adam has an 85% chance of beating this cancer completely and a 100% chance of showing the people around him that life is a joy" This most definitely, is a reflection of how positive and wonderful his family is...

I feel this way and Chris feels this way.... but not always about what each other cooks!

“Cooking itself is sexy and smart. In the right hands, it can inspire and express as much emotion and love as music, dance or poetry. It can give you joy, hope and laughter and it can energize your soul and spirit.”
— Jewels and Jill Elmore