bear & lion

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

summer fun!

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this summer has been pretty busy for us. i have tried to fill our days with  a mixture of friends and playdates with extreme outdoor adventures with lazy days at home. so far, i think things have balanced out pretty well. 



my kids are not the go+go+go types. they can go one day, but will need a day or so to recuperate, especially during these few super hot summer days we’ve been experiencing lately. it must be genetic as, dear hubby and i are the same!



yesterday we drove into the big city and went to harbourfront with my mum. the kids basically ran the entire time, even though the sun was hot, but they just loved the freedom and the space. we enjoyed the time by the lake admiring tall ships, various motor boats, but also by checking out some interesting contemporary art at the power plant. bear later said, that looking at the art was his favourite part of the day! 



one of my favourite parts about mothering is exposing my kids to new experiences. the boys have been to a few different galleries and art shows in their time. talking to them about what they see or feel when they looking at art is always such fun. art is always powerful. 

i hope when my kids are grown they look back at their childhoods as a time of fun and excitement. i hope they recognize the efforts we are making now to create family experiences that are well rounded and full. dear hubby and i are trying to be the best we can with what we know and what we have. sometimes it doesn’t feel like it’s enough, other times it feels like plenty.


today is a down home day.
the boys are now into their playdoh and later we will head to the library. then we will hopefully watch the long over due rain.

xo, mama lola

camping. camping. camping.

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we went on an overnight mini camping extravaganza vacation with friends this past weekend. it was one night of laughs, booze, camp food and lotsa fun!



because our area of canada is experiencing an unusually dry and hot summer, there was a fire ban at the grounds. there have been lots of forest fires, so i completely understand the ban, but i will admit i was slightly saddened. what’s camping without a fire?
It’s ultimately my own fault as I should of done more research into the camp ground. Lesson learnt. In future, I’ll definitely be reading up on how to find the perfect campground for your RV. No longer am I taking our RV and just randomly choosing a camp site in the hope it has everything we need.

we had meal planned our dinner to be cooked with the fire, but luckily a couple of weeks before we decided to purchase a stove top. After reading lots of camping products reviews, we have spent quite a bit of money upgrading our camping gear! So… we did it all stove top instead and it all worked out fine. our to be fire roasted potatoes, became stove top taters instead and were yummy as heck! We recently bought a new RV Battery which meant we could cook all this wonderful food. It saved the day!

[ new potatoes, garlic cloves cut in half, generous chunks of butter, cut yellow onion and a generous sprinkle of sea salt. i had wrapped them all in lots of foil as we had hoped to cook them in the fire. this is how we do taters at the cottage on the BBQ! ]



there were six kids and six adults so it all balanced out. the kids played in the woods where we set up dear hubby’s beloved brazillian hammock and as dusk settled in the kids explored everything with their flashlights. it was so funny and cute and hilarious to listen to their excitement. the little ones had a harder time getting to sleep. dear hubby walked around the campground with lion on his back, which worked out well. however, we got off to sleep absolutely fine in our RV as we have comfy beds and even an amazing skylight to which we can see all the stars glistening from. last year when we went camping our skylight was damaged a little from being so old, but luckily we had a dome skylight replacement to fix it on the spot so we didn’t have to panic about not having a view of the stars!



once the kids were finally asleep the real party started, and the booze came out in generous pours and were slurped in generous gulps. it was a perfect summer night for sitting around our pretend fire, where the chatter and drinks flowed and then as the night progressed the laughs became slightly louder and longer.
good times.



morning dawn brought with it a few rain drops that luckily didn’t amount to anything. it brought with it super hungry kids who had to have some fast granola and fruit to rid them of the morning grumps! just look the differences in the two pics of the kids… before granola and then after!



and then after some team work we all ate fantastic breakfast burrito’s and sipped on the best coffee ever! food tastes to great at camping, even if it car camping!
so yummy!



lots of summer love to our friends. we had a blast and can’t wait for next summer’s camping trip!
*******
today is monday and incredibly hot. tomorrow they are predicting +36c, which midas well be the boiling point. we will hunker down inside with craft projects and friends and ice cream!


what’s the weather like where you are?



xo, mama lola

ballet camp was a disaster.

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my eldest guy is a tad on the what the experts call the sensitive side of things. he has difficulty during transitions and has great difficulty separating from me, especially when an activity is new. like preschool or as we experienced last week, ballet camp. 



each morning as i was trying keep the ball rolling, getting the two boys ready for the day, bear would shout “i hate ballet camp, i never want to go”. he was in fact shouting and crying this on the first morning, before he had ever stepped foot into ballet camp. i signed him up for dance camp at the same school he has been taking weekly ballet lessons for the last year, in the hopes that he wouldn’t feel anxious or stressed. he also went with a very good friend of his, which i thought would make the process easier.
but, boy did i miscalculate things and boy did it all backfire in my face!

on the first day the ballet teacher phone and left a worried message. and each day we chatted about when he cried and what calmed him down. he was fine during the actual dancing parts, but became upset during craft, snack and whatever else they did.  



the class did an interpretation of “sleeping beauty” and seeing as bear was the only boy in the class, he was the prince. but in this version, the prince was a bit of a grump and a meany and stomped around a fair bit pointing wands and swords in various directions. the girls on the other hand were given opportunities to dance freely with sparkly fairy wings and my guy had to stand there and watch.
i think this was a part of the problem. he was isolated from the rest of the class because he is a boy, and this upset him. but, i’m just guessing. who knows anything with four year olds!



this terrible experience at camp creates tremendous stress in the pit of my stomach, because it makes me think of september and when he will start school. and where we live, kindergarten is all day, every day. 



*******
we had a lovely birthday for our ferocious lion, today. it was such fun to celebrate with our family and friends! bear has been receiving lots of special, focused attention because he graduated preschool had grandparents watch at ballet a few weeks back, so this morning he threw a fit of jealous rage threatening to “ruin lion’s party”, yikes! he of course didn’t and was a delightful big brother helping open gifts!
i will post about the party soon!



xo, mama lola

someone’s birthday is coming up!

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i can’t even take it!
my littlest lion is going to be two, TOMORROW and it’s kinda breaking my heart. has it really been two years since i was pregnant and waddling around like a beached whale (no, really, i was HUGE. i attribute the mammoth weight gain to my tumour creating imbalances and then the ensuing depression that made me eat tubs of ice cream). 


two years since all the stress and fear and worry?



has it really been two years since we had a new born at home with us?



we’re busy prepping tonight for tomorrow’s grand party! cupcakes, bunting flags and fruit oh my!   can’t wait to celebrate my littlest dude with our friends and family!


i am so behind with my blogging… 
i am hoping to catch up on
bear’s dance camp performance,
patty’s BACHELORETTE and the burlesque dancing,
and other fun things that we’ve done in the past few days!
and never mind posting about lion and his birthday!

xo, mama lola

this mama is tumour free!

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i had my long awaited follow up in the big city with my neurosurgeon and endochronologist, about the tumour that was removed from my non-malignant pituitary gland 18 months ago. i have been symptom free, but i have been closely monitored, having MRI’s and blood work every six months. leading up to this last appointment the tension was building in my body with muscles tightening in my neck, shoulders and jaw. i have also been pretty tightly wound and have lost my cool faster and easier than usual, but it’s understandable, right? perhaps i am allowed to have some leeway. 



anyhow, all is clear and my specialists gave us the all clear to have more babies, which is to say that now we can at least talk about it from the same perspective as other parents considering to grow their families. now, we don’t have to worry about another tumour growing, because the two are not related.
phew.
lion’s conception and the high risk pregnancy and the disastrous c-section that followed were all an unfortunate coincidence indirectly connected to the tumour. but, even though the process of getting our sweet, spunky lion here was so stressful, his presence has made our family so much brighter and fuller. 

[ yesterday was hottest day EVER, so after the docs dear hubby and i walked around some cute areas of town. got some fancy smoothies to help cool down. yum!]

which brings me to, my littlest guy is turning two on the 8th of july, which is sunday. and although his birthday brings with it upsetting memories of his birth and week hospital stay, i feel incredibly fortunate that we are able to celebrate two wonderful, healthy years of him. his personality and character are so passionate and spunky, he really is meant to be here with us, even if he was a surprise.
i love him so deeply.


i will post more about him, his birthday and where my emotions fit in with it all.


went for a celebratory drinks and dinner double-date with our dear friends in the big city. it was the hottest day ever, but who notices the dripping sweat when your among good friends! we had such a lovely time sans kids, which is something we never do. it was refreshing and allowed our friends to maintain the nasty habit they rediscovered a few weeks ago on their trip to the amalfi coast in italy. yuck!

my lovely, dear friend has big birthday coming up.
love her so!

it’s a busy, busy few days with prep for various parties.
loving the busy, fun, happy summer thus far!
xo










xo, mama lola

july 1st : true north and free.

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july 1st is canada day, eh!!! 
here are some ideas i have collected from pinterest for the cannuck in you get in the spirit of things, eh! 
what to wear, what to eat, what to decorate, what to DIY, eh!

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O’CANADA, eh!

red and white, all the way, eh!
bring it on all you 
touque wearing, 
beaver tail eating, 
timmy’s double-double slurping, 
HBC blanket cuddling, 
CBC watching,
bear & moose loving,
hockey playing, 
whatever generation of o’canadian you are!
it’s time to kick back with a beer, eh!

xo, mama lola

bear is a climber.

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there’s a cool, some might even say a cold breeze in town. the northerly, fresh air meant we layered up in denim and hoodies, before heading to the park this morning.



bear went to climb. there is a climbing wall at this park and he loves it. i think it’s time for him to hit the climbing gym down the street from us and really push himself.



the kiddo’s had a wonderful time just the two of them. each day they seem to become closer and more loving with each other. that’s in between the wrestling and tattling of course!


CHECK OUT THESE ADORABLE BROTHA’S!




xo, mama lola

last days of preschool!

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just a quick post tonight.


today was bear’s last day at his preschool. tomorrow is his graduation.
i am feeling such a mix of bittersweet emotions; sad that my guy is growing up so quickly and needing me less, but yet so happy and proud that he is growing up into a lovely, sweet little person. he of course is confused that he will never have his teachers as teachers or play with his buddies in that environment again.


here he sits. the top pictures are of him this morning at the school doors, and the bottom two were taken in september on the first day of preschool. the shoes he’s wearing there don’t really fit anymore, and doesn’t the hat look smaller in the top pics? maybe i’m not seeing things very clearly as my eyes are so blurred with tears…

i will post more pics tomorrow from grad. 
not sure if i should wear mascara, might be too much of mess with all the crying and sobbing i will do!



xo, mama lola
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