Life On The Roof

This Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:05:00 +0000

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A (single) photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember, Inspired by Soulemama. (My photos are from New Years Eve, but when searching for a photo I came across these, and wanted them under the "pause, savor, remember" category.)

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:18:00 +0000

So the desire to post is strong, but the desire to be creative is weak. I have a sick little one, who collapsed on the couch in a heap after his playdate, and 60 minutes later was running a 102.5 degree fever. Poor monkey. And I have a two year old...a stereotypical two year old, fulfilling every cliche in the book these days. Hittypants McThrowy Spit. Yeah. I'm waiting to write his "Dear Corben you're two" letter till I like him a little bit more.

Instead of trying to write when it's just not in me, I leave you with these few gems from our fun yesterday.

(This photo? Slays me!)

But look, he's OK!

And for today, mes amis, that is all.

Grrr

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:11:00 +0000

You know when you decide to be good and you decide to finally write a post for your blog and then you decide to click over to another tab in the middle of writing your post and then when you decide to click back everything that you had spent time writing and being clever about and pouring your soul out about (ok, not really, but I'm going for the drama) has dissapeared, and then you just get so mad and thrown up your arms and get all like "well that was all creative genius and shit, and I can't go pulling that kind of stuff out of my butt twice in a row to say the same darn thing, that was a one shot deal!" and stuff? Yeah, that.

A Year of Corben

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:30:00 +0000

January 2010

February 2010

March 2010

April 2010

May 2010

June 2010

July 2010

August 2010

September 2010

October 2010

November 2010

December 2010

My monkey turns TWO!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:20:00 +0000

Today we celebrated Corben's 2nd birthday (even though his big day isn't until tomorrow.) A light affair, with a few special people (and only a few gifts) made for exactly the day I was hoping for.

I asked Griffin the other day, what sort of cake we should make for Corben. "Chocolate chip banana" he replied, "with a monkey on top." And there you have it. We skipped the chips, and went straight for chocolate banana, and I took my first foray into the world of fondant. OMGolly, I had so much fun! I followed an excellent tutorial, and this little guy was born. Having spent all my hours last night on the monkey, I ended up going a little light on the letters. Plus there really isn't a whole lot of room to get poetic atop a 6" cake!

Corben loved him!

We had a lovely crowd, including Daddy, who Skyped in from Ottawa (you can see him there at the head of the table!) Technology is a wonderful thing some times!

Corben spent much of dessert "feeding Daddy" cake. Daddy gobbled it up. Everyone laughed. Repeat!

A lengthy nap ensued, as did an early bed time!

And tomorrow? I have the day off of work, and I'm going to spend the whole day with this little dude, soaking up every second of him, and likely writing my annual sappy blog post about how much I love this little devil.

And I totally do!

Winds of Change

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 01:28:00 +0000

I've been a little reluctant to post lately, as I feel like there has been a big shift that has happened recently, and I've had difficulty putting it into words, and finding a voice for this "new me."

New me. It sounds corny, especially having just turned the corner into the New Year, but I don't really think that has much to do with it.

Something in me has shifted. I feel hopeful, full of positive energy, and like our dreams might be within reach.

Truth be told, I haven't felt much of any of that in the last few months, which is maybe why there was so little for me to say in this space. I'm all for telling it like it is, but day after day of my deepest darkest thoughts wouldn't have been any fun at all.

A few weeks before Christmas I had a meltdown, of massive proportions. Massive for me anyway. There were tears, heaving sobs; there was some yelly, and the phrase "I'm NOT happy" uttered over and over and over again. I don't know what I said that got me heard, but something tweaked in Steve's head as well, and since that night, things have taken a turn, for the better.

I've been thinking about it all a lot lately, and for me, it all comes down to choice. (Bear with me for a second here, while I try to put the tangle of thoughts and emotions that have been swirling around in my head, into a cohesive sentence.)

Here it is: Everything we do, every single day, is a choice. From getting out of bed, to going to work, to what we eat, and how we treat others, and how we treat ourselves - it's all a choice. There are, of course, some things in life that we can not control, but how we deal with them and how they affect our lives, that can still be a choice.

Had a shitty day? Well, your day may have indeed been shitty - you might have stubbed your toe getting out of bed, spilled coffee on your favourite shirt, backed your car into a fence pole pulling out of the driveway, and so on. Still, it's a choice to let it ruin the rest of your day, same as it's a choice to carry on and make the most out of every moment that's left of that day.

Feeling fat and flabby? But I chose to eat all that chocolate...now I just need to make the CHOICE to get on the damn elliptical and do something about it.

Feeling like you never get any time for yourself? I need to choose to take that time, find it, make it, whatever.

All these things that make us feel terrible, sad, and disappointed with our lives, they are all within our control.

So I guess that's the thing that tweaked in me - there is nothing in my life that I can't affect, change, better if I really want to.

And really, why wouldn't I want to?

The shift for me has taken me to a place that feels so much more true to who I am. I've been seeking inspiration, much of it on line, in homesteading blogs, simple living websites, and the like. I've been simplifying our family's life, one little bite at a time. Awesomesauce, every step of it.

I've also taken a new look at my "tribe," and where I draw my inspiration from in real life. I've been feeling a little lost lately, like I'm missing that Real Life Community that I so desperately need, or like I've just been sitting on the edge of one but not quite being allowed in. But then I realized that I'm not really seeking my tribe out from a group of like-minded people. Sure, for the most part they are often similar, but there are some fundamental differences in our lives that just can't be ignored. So I've been re-aligning my tribe, so to speak, shuffling the players. It feels good.

So all that to say...I don't really know what. To say, I guess, that things are good. That they are different, and that in itself is good.

And to say that things around here might be a little different from here on in. And that's OK too. At least, it's ok to me, and since this is my space, that's all that really matters for today.

I hope you'll stick around...it's gonna get good! ;)

(P.S. If you are still here, I'd love to hear from you...I'd love to know who's following us along in this crazy little journey!)

xoxox

Welcoming in the New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 04:16:00 +0000

May your the New Year be everything you wish, hope, and choose it to be.

With Love, From the {Blue House on the}Roof

Frosty New Years

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 02:56:00 +0000

So it's December 30th, and we found out today that we'll be ringing in the new year with a busted furnace. And really, we'll likely be ringing in the first four or five days of the new year that way, since fixing a busted furnace 24 hours before New Years eve isn't on anyone's priority list. Luckily, we have a snazzy little propane stove in our living room, plus a decent electric fireplace that we can move around the house. Oh, not to mention its not terribly cold outside. In fact, it's hovering around freezing rain temperature, which I hear that it's been doing all day. Not that I would know, I haven't gone anywhere! Griffin is camped out on the floor of our bedroom in his indoor tent, and couldn't be happier. Corben will crawl into bed with us when we head there, and the dog will keep all of our feet warm. So really, it's not all that bad. Just think of all the money we're saving in propane! A happy, healthy (and warm!) New Year to you, wherever you may be! xoxox

Bye-bye 'tuff*

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:11:00 +0000

Since discovering our dream property a week ago, and partially because we've been off work with little to do but sit around and talk and dream, there has been a lot of just that - talking and dreaming about what our future might hold.

And since we are opening ourselves up to the possibility that our dream come true might be just around the corner, we have been going about my days with a sense of purpose. We've been researching, educating ourselves, learning new things.

We (or more specifically, I) have also been saying goodbye to old things.

Yes, there is a massive purge in progress here, people.

I've been starting slow - cleaning - going through cupboards and closets. Every thing I pick up, I've been looking closely at.

I ask myself - When I move into my dream home, would I want to take this with me?

And if the answer is no? Sianora, stuff.

Because really, at the end of the day, if I don't want it in my dream home,why would I want it in this one? If it isn't serving a purpose, making my life better in some way, then why is it here? Now don't get me wrong...I'm not going totally bonkers crazy. Like the bed that we currently own will NOT be coming with me anywhere past these doors, but sleeping on the floor would suck (only slightly) more than my current mattress, so it gets to stay. For now.

It looks better in here already. There is a pile of stuff at the back door that will likely make someone, somewhere, very happy.

And I am making me very happy too.

And that? Is a good thing.

(* Imagine the post title coming from the cutest little two year old you've ever seen, in his sing song two year old voice, that likes to say bye-bye to just about everything in the room when he leaves it. Or everything in the car as he drives past it. It's one of the 239873 things that is adorable about Corben right now.)

The perfect spot

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0000

Have you ever walked into a room, or a building, or a town, or a clearing in the woods, and had everything about the place feel so perfect? So harmonious? So right?

* * * * * * * * * * *

Steve and I have always had a dream to build our own house. The perfect home for us, small, but smart. Set in the woods somewhere, outside of a little town somewhere (but not too far)it would be a place for our family to call home, until the end of our days. And if we do a good job, hopefully beyond the end of our days, and into the days of our children and our children's children. We've poured through design books, pulled pages out of magazines, sketched floor plans on the backs of napkins, all in the hopes that some day we'd see our dreams come true.

Then, just the other day, by complete accident, we stumbled over a piece of property. Not only A piece,the PERFECT piece. 5 acres, nestled in a bush, that looks and feels and smells and sounds and IS everything we've ever dreamed of.

I don't know how we're going to make it happen, but we ARE going to make it happen. It's what we do. It might not be now, or next year, or even the year after, but somehow, someway, we hope that on this small slice of heaven we'll build our little passive solar dream home, and live out our days.

It'll be a place where people will want to come.

A place where beautiful things will happen.

I can feel it.

It's my hope that by opening ourselves up to the universe to find a way to make this happen, that the universe will open itself up to us, and steward us this land.

Isn't is perfect?

Christmas in Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 02:37:00 +0000

The Santa Train

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 19:59:00 +0000

Around here, there is a little piece of awesomeness known as the Santa Train. Every summer, the tickets go on sale, and sell out within days, and every summer, we've missed them. Until this year.

The Santa Train is a one hour train ride, through the Credit Valley, on a train that has seen better days, and it likely saw them in the 1970's. But WHO CARES?? Because CHRISTMAS CAROLS, and HOT CHOCOLATE, and GINGERBREAD COOKIES. Oh yeah, and the big dude himself, who comes to sit with you at your seat for a minute or two, asks the wee ones what they want for Christmas, and ho ho ho's on his merry way.

Sure beats standing in line for an hour at the mall.

Griffin, beyond excited, clammed right up when we finally got out turn with Santa...he was so overwhelmed he could hardly speak. Corben, was terribly excited as well, and even sat on the old guy's lap without freaking out.

All around? Totally worth every single penny, and then some!

The hunt for the perfect tree...

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:59:00 +0000

Jennyear Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 00:36:00 +0000

So, in case you haven't noticed, there has been some serious blog failing happening around here. There has been more than a few fails happening around here lately, blogging aside.

Exhibit A is here, you're reading it (or, lately, you haven't been at all because there is NOTHING TO READ.)

Exhibit B?

Laundry. But that exhibit is a permanent exhibit here, so we're getting used to it.

Exhibit C?

I am a wreck. There was the mystery virus, formerly known as Mono but then not mono. There is the cold sores, the weight loss, the exhaustion, and still, the go, go, GO!

I have not been taking good care of myself. I have been taking care of everything else, everyone else. But not that.

And so on and so forth.

So, time to do something about it all. Screw New Years resolutions, I'm making Jennyear Resolutions, and they can start whenever the heck I want them to.

So mwah!

I read something wonderful the other day, about more and less. It said you don't need to make resolutions of all the things you are going to DO. Don't make your goals so damn unachievable. Just keep it simple - what are you going to do MORE of, and of what are you going to do LESS.

(Now, if my darn head wasn't so scrambled in 18 different directions, I'd link to it, if only I could remember where it was. Help a girl out if you know the answer...)

So here is my list, 5 each. Five "do mores" and five "do lesses."

1. Less useless time on the Internet. Now, the key word here us "useless." There is a fountain of knowledge out there, on all kinds of useful things, and the fountain is not on Facebook. Now, facebook is darn useful, but only in dribs and drabs, not for hours.)

2. Less crappy food.(Which means more vegetables.)

3. Less of so many things at once. Do one thing (or three, maximum), really really well. (Ital mine, rest is John Sleeman.)

4. Less stuff. This house needs a massive perge. MASSIVE. EPIC EVEN!!

5. Less angry. I'm too darn angry. Life is short; find the joy.

1. Water and excercise.

2. Reading (Note to self: Facebook is NOT reading. I'm taking BOOKS!)

3. Organization. I'm a damn Virgo, it's in my blood. (Sadly, so is ADD.)

4. Husband. We spend our days next to each other, working, but we often spend our nights apart, me soaping or internetting, him reading or movie watching. Stop that.

5. Quality time with the kids. QUALITY. Meaningful. Purposeful. Fun. Filled with Joy. Focused.

All in name of taking care of myself, so I CAN take care of others.

So there you have it. Ch-ch-ch-changes, I can feel them coming!

And it's good.

Not....dead....yet.

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:22:00 +0000

Hello blog. I stopped in to tell you that I'm not dead.

But I feel like I might be awful close.

From the mono that wasn't actually mono but was a mystery virus that could not be named (only because no one knew what it was,) we ventured on into nasty cold (Steve) and then hacking smokers cough (Corben), Pneumonia (Griffin) and now I have a raging ear infection.

All whilst being on more vitamins and immune boosting serums and pills and concoctions than I have ever been on in my life.

So yeah.

That's why I haven't been here. I've been over here, mostly in bed, or crying at the foot of the laundry pile.

Somebody save me!

(Hey, at least we're getting this out of the way, so we can be healthy for the holidays for once this year, right? RIGHT??!!)

Corbie Cute Attack!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:32:00 +0000

My poor second child is going to think I don't love him for all the lack of video, and blog posts, and pictures of him I have at this age, compared to Griffin at the same age.

So, I fix:

Mono: Week one

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 21:49:00 +0000

So...it's been about a week since this nasty little virus struck me down, and overall, it hasn't been that bad. By Wednesday I was feeling like the "sick" part had mostly run it's course, and was just left with the "exhausted" part that mono is so famous for. I've spent A LOT of time in bed, watching crappy television and napping. I also have a few tricks up my sleeve, that I think might have saved me thus far.

Trick one - the juicer: since mono wipes out your appetite, but drinking fluids is highly recommended to get better, I thought I would try to get the most bang for my buck in my fluids, and busted out the juicer. 2 apples, 3 carrots, 3 stalks of celery, lemon, parsley, ginger and a handful of spinach every morning. I've never been so freaking healthy!

Trick two - vitamins: the naturopath has put me on a bevy of vitamins, all designed to boost the immune system. 2000mg of Vitamin C, 5000iu of Vitamin D, something called MycoImmune, which is a mushroom capsule (mushrooms being very potent immune enhancers) and some NASTY tincture called Astragalus Combo, that tastes like ass, but apparently is da bomb.

Trick three - the Laundry Fairy!: The Laundry Fairy swooped in on her fairy wings, and did every speck of laundry in the house! She also made soup, picked kids up off buses, put kids to bed, and generally took the load off for 2 days, which was a massive help. She'll also be happy to know that I finished off her work and put every last piece of laundry away after she left. Thanks Laundry Fairy. (And no, you can't borrow her.)

Ive said I'll go back to work on Monday and Tuesday next week, so we'll see how that goes. I'm hoping that my little tricks, combined with lots of rest, will hurry this little virus along as fast as possible...which, I realize, with mono is usually never much shorter than at least 6 weeks. But hey, I lost 5lbs last week, and took a nap every day, it really could be a whole lot worse!

Mo-nonono!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:44:00 +0000

So. If you're reading in a reader, I suggest you stay there. If you're not, I'd suggest you subscribe, and you can ignore all the ugliness that is my blog. The person who designed my blog a few years ago, has dropped off the face of the earth, and taken her photobucket account with her, where all the images for my header and nav bar and background are located. How wicked is that. (It's NOT!)

If you know anyone that can fix this, I'd happily take their info. I can likely create some images that take care of the background and the nav bar, but the header was tres custom, and I dunno how to fix. *Insert official cry for help here.*

So now that we have that sorted out, you may be asking yourself, why oh why is Jenn blogging at 9:47 on a Tuesday.

Well, my friends, I am in bed. Where it seems I will remain for the week.

The good news: I get to rest for an entire week. Maybe more.

The bad news: The doc thinks I have mono.

Before you ask who I kissed, you smartass, I'll tell you that I have no idea where this came from. While I do have a penchant for licking random strangers, I haven't done it lately, so I have no clue. But I will tell you this. There is a REASON that mono is traditionally for folks in their teens and twenties...it's because how in the hell is a mother of two rambunctious boys supposed to sit on her arse for a WEEK? And do nothing but SLEEP? (And blog, tweet and creep Facebook?)

Truthfully, I have no idea.

But I suspect you'll hear all about it, since I have nothing else to do.

But now, I need a nap. I've been doing nothing since 7am, and I'm EXHAUSTED!

Wordless Very late Tuesday Night

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 03:29:00 +0000

Maybe one of my most favourite family photos EV-AH, courtesy of my friend Amy Cross of Natural Beauty Co-Op, taken at the epic Foodstock.

Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 02:06:00 +0000

As per usual, Ontario shed it's grumpy October pants for a few moments this weekend, and we celebrated Thanksgiving in summery style. There were picnics, and tire swings, and rolling around on the grass. There was summer drives, and wanders down streets. There were evenings on the deck.

And there was turkey. And fresh veggies from the garden. Oh, were there veggies.

And there was my family - my beautiful children, my amazing husband, and my rockin' Ma. We had a delight of a weekend.

Oh, and this:

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 03:03:00 +0000

Here! Here is something I accomplished from start to finish in the last month! Yay, I knew there had to be SOMETHING!

My latest article at Kids in the Hills.

Riding the rollercoaster

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 01:20:00 +0000

Hello Blog. Or, shall I call you Blah-g. Because you are, kind of blah-g these days.

Or, is that me.

Whatever.

Things are happening around here. If you asked me what things, I'd probably have a tough time coming up with 10 things I've ACTUALLY accomplished since I last posted here almost a freaking MONTH ago, other than polishing off a few bottles of vodka and making some soap.

I have been making a lot of soap lately, that's true.

And then there are the children.

Holy heck, these little gaffers sure do take a lot of energy, don't they?

Griffin had a bit of a rough start to the school year, getting sent to the office THREE times in the first week.

He's in SENIOR FREAKING KINDERGARTEN, people.

He has since learned a few new important phrases - "Please stop, I don't like that" and "Please leave me alone, I need some space," which he is to use instead of his little hitty fists and kicky feet.

*Exhale*

Corben, on the other hand, is hurtling towards two at lightening fast speed. (This describes it all perfectly.) I did something I've never done before with him over the weekend...I left a wedding. Mid coctail party, not even at dinner yet, I picked him up, shoved him into his coat (kicking and screaming,) and walked out the door, leaving Steve and Griffin to fend for themselves.

He didn't want to be held. He just wanted to run. And I mean of course he did, he's nearly two. But he was running in and out of people, zipping between grown-up's legs, all over the room. And I was chasing him. Zipping through a crowd like that is one thing when you're cute and toddler-y, but when you're 35 and a stranger to everyone in the room but the bride and groom, it's less cute.

The LAST time I put him down that evening, I turned my back for 0.0076 seconds, and he was off like lightening. 5 steps ahead of me, he ran straight for the punch table, grabbed a wine glass off the table as he continued his sprint by, ran straight into the middle of the dance floor, and hurled the glass down into a crowd of 15 people, smashing it to 34 bajillion pieces.

And then promptly tried to escape in the other direction.

So there I am, one hand on the back of his shirt, trying to keep him from running in the opposite direction, or worse, back into the mosh pit of broken glass, and with the other hand, wildly gesturing at Steve to COME. GET. THE CHILD.

All of this, of course, while remembering to smile, because I didn't know a darn one of these people, and was likely going to have to eat dinner with at least a half dozen of them.

Oy vey.

*Exhale again*

After that, I was done with Corben, he was done with me (and more specifically, being held by me) and I knew I was fighting a loosing battle, so I hit the high road, and on the plus side, ended up spending a lovely evening with my friend Julia, watching Corben and Diego chase each other around in a fully child proof environment. Bliss.

SO, other than all that soap stuff, and all that kid stuff, there is seemingly eighty nine bajillion other things that need to get done in a week, and it seems like it never ends.

Someone, please tell me that I'll be bored one day. I look forward to that!

I'll be back. Hopefully sooner than 4 weeks from now. Thanks for hanging in...that is, if there's anyone still here!

xox

Dear Griffin: Five

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 01:01:00 +0000

Dear Griffin,

Five. You are five.

So far, five is awesome. You, at five, are awesome.

It's like you've found a new sense of responsibility. You're a "big guy" now, and you will fully rise to the challenge I think. (Except, no, you are not "almost ready to drink boozy juice" now that you're five.)

I think this shift is coming from a little bit of well deserved confidence...but 50% of it comes from confidence in yourself, and the rest of it comes from US having confidence in you.

It's time for us to let you fly a little bit, my young Jedi. I think you're rock the Senior Kindergarten house this year, you've changed so much from the dude we put on the school bus for JK last year. You're so ready to soak it all in, and my wish for you is to find the joys in friends, and learning, and the responsibility of being a "big guy." You've got the big brother gig down pat (provided no one is touching your stuff) so this should be a piece of cake.

Five, and Senior Kindergarten.

May the force be with you, little man.

xoxox
Mama
(P.S. Lightsabre birthday cupcakes? That's right, you can send in that Mother of the Year Nomination now.)

A year of G

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 02:29:00 +0000

My baby, who once was this teeny tiny little thing is now five. Five.

As per birthday tradition, I now present you with a year in the life of the G.

September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011

Wordless Wednesday - Sunset on a Journey

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:07:00 +0000

(Our last night in Terrace Beach)