bear & lion

here's a peek into the highs and woes of our life

holy hoopin’ hoopla!

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i went to the funnest event yesterday evening with some super funky, interesting and sassy ladies.
i went HOOLA-HOOPING!!! 
there is a small local group that has decided to get together weekly (or so) to practise moves and share tricks. and when i say tricks, oh my! tricks include using your neck or something cooler grabbing the hoop while in motion, keeping it in motion and moving it up above your head and then back down. if your curious, you tube is your best research partner!




it was such fun, fun, fun. some of the women have been doing it for a long time, so they have learned to manipulate their bodies in the most awesome ways to control the hoop. it was kinda unbelievable! it’s a new activity that is becoming more popular as an easy way to get exercise without stressing your body (the way running does). 

i ordered myself a beginners hoop and am going get my body grooving with it soon! hoops come on all sorts of sizes, weights and colours depending on your taste and ability. bigger means easier to hoop, smaller means you have to exert yourself that much more and faster. those little green ones are speedy! 
and look at all the colours! love!
have you ever tried it?
let me know if you’re interested too, i now know where the hook ups are!

happy hooping everyone!


xo, mama lola

october is brain tumour awareness month.

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this is a cause close to my heart and my brain. i was diagnosed with a pituitary gland tumour three years ago and had it surgically removed two years ago, this november. to read about how and why it complicated our life go here and here.

even though my tumour was non-malignant, and i am perfectly healthy now (at least in that regard), i feel obligated to spread the word about brain tumours. they are more common than most people think, and with advancements in the medical and technological world, recovery rates are better than ever. it’s all about listening to your body, having a good doctor to relay concerns to and knowing the signs and symptoms of brain tumours.

please spread the word!

HAPPY MONDAY!


xo, mama lola

we are not farmers.

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when dear hubby and i were younger, like other couples, we fantasized about the life we would live one day. we spent many hours discussing the possible locations for setting down roots, listing the pro’s and con’s of various countries and cities. like many young people, we had some romantic notions about what it was like to live on a farm, in the country and away from the city. and, that’s what we thought we wanted to do. be small time, micro farmers.

as our lives moved forwards and we had a baby, those dreams changed. first we thought, maybe we could live slightly out of town, straddling the line of town and country, enjoying the perks each has to offer. but then, things changed again when we found out about my tumour and appreciated the convenience of nearby medical facilities. but, having a second child sealed the deal for us; we quickly came to terms with the fact that unfortunately for us, we are not country folk.

[ look at those majestic sunflowers with their heads hanging heavily. ]








living in the country here means you can’t walk places easily and quickly, like schools or the post office or the market. having a farm, even a small one, means it’s difficult to go away for weekend getaways and holidays, as you always need someone to tend to the animals or crops. and asking someone to feed your chickens is very different from pet-sitting your domestic feline friend!

so, we’ve made peace with knowing we will never own llamas or goats or have a large vegetable patch overflowing with fresh produce and flowers. instead, we’ve embraced small city living. When we finally came to the conclusion that city living was the best choice for us, we then had to start the process of looking for a suitable place to live. I loved the idea of being able to live in a spacious apartment, and had even found a few that I liked on SPACE STATION and found myself fantasizing about them most of the time. Unfortunately, this wasn’t on the cards for us and we needed to find a bigger place that would be able to fit all of us with ease. Luckily we managed to find something after months of looking. we have a small veggie garden that produces mediocre food, a flower garden that needs more tending to than i have time or energy for, but at least we have some greenery around us that is ours. our small city is surrounded by all sorts of farms; animal, flower, vegetable, grain of all sorts of sizes, run by all sorts of farmers. which reminds me, one of our best friends is a farmer and has just purchased an exciting new tractor. if you are looking for a new tractor, you can find some amazing options online by searching for fastline tractors for sale in your area.

so, we took advantage of our country neighbours and joined the fun on saturday for a community RURAL ROMP, organized by our local food network. we visited a little micro farm, that looked like a private residence, but once you walked into their back yard, the sights and sounds changed. there were several different kinds of chickens in different coops and lovely shetland sheep, led by tom, the ram. his horns were stunning. and what’s a farm without a dog? they had a lovely canine perfectly named, beauty. she was a gorgeous dog, but her owner told me that she does get a bit nervous around new people so we got to feed her some cbd dog treats to keep her calm and relaxed. to be honest, I didn’t know that you could give animals CBD but after I did a bit of research I realized that CBD products can bring so many benefits to animals. if I was to ever get a puppy, I’d definitely consider giving it some CBD oil if it was ever anxious or in pain. i hate seeing animals suffer. if pet CBD interests you, you can Learn more about it here.


then we headed to another farm, slightly bigger, but still small in the grand scheme of things. they had sheep and pigs. check them out below.



we rounded out our rural romp and farm tours with a visit to a local flower farm. unfortunately, the boys lost their steam and lost their cool and we left quickly so i didn’t get an opportunity to take any pictures. but, the sight of the colourful, stunning fields of various flowers, such as gladiolas, zenia’s, and more, was unbelievable. the farmer was explaining that they are hoping to keep the flowers in the ground for another week, before harvesting them for next weekend, which here in canada, is thanksgiving. and harvesting means, picking all of the flowers by hand! what a big job! fingers crossed for her that the frost holds off.

have you ever wanted to live on a farm?

. . . . .

tomorrow is the start of a new month and the official end of NaBloPoMo, so i’m not sure if i will be blogging daily. we’ll see how inspired i feel, especially as we get involved in more autumn crafts and treats.

. . . . .

HAPPY SUNDAY, EVERYONE!


xo, mama lola

baa-baa-black sheep.

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we had a family date last night. we walked downtown and enjoyed some good ol’ culture!
first, we saw les moutons from corpus. it was the funniest and silliest thing ever! 

the performance included sheep, a shepherd and of course a big bad wolf.  the kids loved it and lion is still talking about the sheep. they really made an impression on him.


the we headed up the road to another cultural event, an yarn bombing! local volunteers knit various sized squares that were the brought downtown to cozy up the trees and streets. lion went around hugging all the trees, while bear made a pom-pom to match his fleece!



today, we’re heading out to some farms to pick some apples, find some pumpkins and spend some quality time a family.

what are your plans for the weekend?



xo, mama lola

the MAMA’s photoshoot.

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today, i was so confused by bear and his outrageous, unexpected anxiety.


it was our 5th annual baby group photoshoot. this is the group that came together when i was first time mum, trying desperately to figure out this whole mothering thing. the first year, the first generation of kids (bear’s age) were all about 6-8 months (except for one 6 week old) and now, the first gen’s are all over 4 years old! there are now the second generation kids, who are all about lion’s age and some MAMA’s have even had or are baking their third!!!

it’s such a fun time, but it does get quite chaotic. luckily, the photographers are mama’s too and really great with the kids. they work as a team, separating the group until it’s time for the dreaded group pic. oh boy, this year, well, bear wasn’t in the pics again and lion stood there crying. some of the other kids sat there so nicely, smiling with their sibling next to them. but not my kids. no, no…

check out the kid wearing the red pants… oh, lion…





bears tears started long before we even left the house. then as we pulled into the parking lot the screaming started, and luckily dear hubby just stayed with him there. it confuses me that bear’s behaviour was so extreme, for something so simple. a photoshoot with friends. with his parents there. and his brother.

[ bear is auditioning for the beastie boys; he’s got the moves.]


i will post some of the goodies from the real deal photographers. all of these pics were taken with a phone.


xo, mama lola

a rant about the park.

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we have two neighbourhood parks we visit. the one at the top of the big hill is our favourite. there are lots of big trees that create wonderful shade on hot summer days, sand to dig in, and often we bump into other kids from the hood there. it’s a fun place to be.


the other park is a quick trip down the street and tucked away behind a bunch of houses. it’s actually completely enclosed with only an opening wide enough for city maintenance vehicles to come in. the park is quiet, with excellent climbing option, that bear loves, including playground equipment and big gnarly trees. 

today, we went to the park down the street as it’s the perfect destination for bear to bike to. (we also went there last weekend and that’s really when my disgust started.) when we arrived at the playground last saturday and today, there was a pile of dog $h*t at the bottom of the big curly slide. i tried to cover it and shift it over, but we didn’t have our sand toys, so i only had my feet to use as tools. today, i phoned the city to complain and the woman at the other end was less than impressed with my complaint. i asked her if the park was a leash free park for dogs (because it is so enclosed), and she said no. then i told her about the poop i had found and told her it had been sitting there for almost a week. i explained that it was gross as my kids were here to play and asked if the city could put some signs up to remind people that they need to clean up after their dogs. she said she would pass along my query. 
yeah right she will. 

she practically hung up on me at the end of our conversation, which left me wanting to phone back and file a complaint about her! as the kids played and i walked around the designated play area, i found four other, crusty turd piles. 

i wanted to phone her back, but decided i would take the kids to the other side of the park instead, where there is a bench, so we could have a snack. right next to our bench are some pretty amazing trees the kids love to climb. and climb they did. oh they had fun, until suddenly i realized lion’s little thumb was bleeding. i wiped it up, but it was bleeding quite a lot and that’s when i saw several massive pieces of broken glass from a shattered beer bottle.


that’s when i went from a rage to a sadness. the park is a public space to be shared by all, to be enjoyed by all, but obviously some do not understand that shared space comes with responsibility. you have to clean up after yourself, your dog, your friend, whatever. i don’t really care what people do at the park, as long as it’s not when we are there and they clean up their messes.
c’mon people!

as we were leaving bear suggested we make our own signs and bring them to the park to remind people how to responsibly and kindly, use a shared, public space. maybe that’s what we’ll do tomorrow! i felt like bursting with pride when he said that!

do you have suggestions or ideas about what we should do?

xo, mama lola

school gear!

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here’s a quick look at bear’s must haves this fall for school with prices as we paid for them…


1. a new bookbag from MEC (HERE)
2. brand new super cool sneakers from H&M (HERE)
3. rad, red, chinos also from H&M (HERE)
4. fancy shirt, again from H&M (HERE)
5. light weight, easy to use rubbermaid containers (as seen HERE & HERE). i actually bought his on super-duper sale at the local grocery store!


xo, mama lola

family party!

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yesterday we had a family party, with friends. there were fancy summer drinks made by papa-A and some tasty soda similar to this DRY Botanical Bubbly, the summer breeze, we ordered pizza from the local place down the street, the kids ran through this awesome sprinkler ball thing, and the laughs just kept on coming.


it was such a great evening and a perfect way to round out the last nights of summer. the big kids are starting school soon and it really is the beginning of something new, not just a new season with the leaves changing colour, but a new stage in all of our lives. a new stage in mothering, in growing up, and in finding new routines as a family.

so for now, i am soaking it all up, enjoying these last few days of freedom to their fullest with my big bear, my lion, my family and my friends.

we’re off to a school party this afternoon. a neighbourhood mama is hosting a party for some of the JK kids and their families to meet before school officially starts. i am excited to expand my community and my village.

how are you spending your long-weekend?

xo, mama lola

i am fortunate.

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i am feeling rather happy in this moment right now.
i often whine and complain, and bitch and vent about the kids and life on here, but today i want to do the complete opposite. i want to send out some love and gratitude to my village.

when bear was a baby, dear hubby was a full-time student and i was new mama, and we were broke. so broke, that it kinda surprises me that we even survived! my in-laws gave us a house to live in, and we managed to get some geico homeowners insurance for it, but it was not in our own city, so we moved half-an hour away. the house was big and happened to be the house dear hubby grew up in, but it was converted into a rental property for students. I can understand why people decide to invest in rental properties as people are always in need of them, especially students. I think if I was to invest in a property, I would make sure that it was a turnkey real estate as that means all you’d have to do is “turn the key” to your property as it will be ready for your residents to move into. How easy? Anyway, we lived (without the students) there for almost two years. and although i am forever grateful to my in-laws for letting us live there so cheaply, i was very unhappy there. i had no community of my own there. i left my MAMA friends and that village of support behind, in order to survive financially. sure, i drove in sometimes to see people, but that was tricky and time consuming.


this is where my g-town lovin’ started!

[ this is my baby group. we would take over a cafe on thursday mornings for much needed coffee and support! look at all the strollers! oh my! so much has changed since this picture was taken. families have moved away, siblings added, various health struggles have come to light, more tattoos have been inked, hair colours changed and some of us have formed tighter friendships within the larger group. but a group we are, and we still hold a bit of a reputation in town, which i discovered last night! lucky ladies! ]


when we bought our house (after a friend had so much luck getting theirs through UpNest) and moved back to our beloved city, i worked hard to re-create and expand my village and community here. now, i have lots of mama friends who expand beyond the baby group. mama’s i’ve scooped up into my network via activities the kids have been involved in.with kids at similar ages of development, who i can turn to for support in times of need. my kids have friends to play with and we have lots of other families to do various fun things with. as a SAHM i find the adult interaction vital to my sanity, and having different people to visit and see is such an important part of our lives.
we are so fortunate to have a village to help raise our boys.
we are so fortunate to be involved in a wonderful community.
especially since bear is starting school in a few weeks, and the transition is going to be tough for this mama!

i want to send a sincere and heartfelt hug to you all.

source


that being said, i do want to also send a shout out to my out-of-town supports as well. you are just as important and necessary to us.
we have enough love for everyone.

xo, mama lola
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