my coach

as i've written about before, i have a work coach. she is someone who i call every second week or so and talk to for 1 hour. she came into my life through the Corporate Moms program that i implemented at our company.

she is wonderful. today i would like to talk to her about some feedback that i received recently from a colleague. it was feedback that i solicited, so it came with warm intentions and i was open to it. but i still need to make sense of it -- i know Maureen will help me do that.

i've also been feeling really frantic when i get to work in the morning. so much rushing around. i need to find my balance again.

i would also like to get this book.

mornings

mornings have never been particularly smooth in the Hamilton household.

when sophie reached the age of about 2, they got worse. i don't know if it is lack of sleep (she goes to bed about 8:30pm and rise about 7:30am) or just her general temperment, but she can be a bear in the morning.

today she got up okay. trundled out of her big girl bed. then asked for Dora and yogurt and raisons. that was okay. then she asked to be dressed in her blue dress and tights (no surprise). that was not too bad....a bit of whimpering.

she even played nicely with my makeup while i put mine on. but somewhere it started to fall apart after that. i can't really pinpoint it, but i think it is when i tell he that we need to brush our teeth. the wailing, crying and general discontent heat up.

it's just yucky. i ended up yelling at her at one point. vic had an early morning meeting so i was on my own to get her out the door, into the car and off to daycare.
the car was no treat either. she didn't like how i had placed her bag. it was on the floor below her feet (where it always is).

mercifully we made it to daycare. safe in her caregivers arms. i breathed a sigh of relief and drove over to my office. a relief to be at work. sometimes i feel guilty about that.

sophie and vic

i spotted sophie hanging out with daddy as he took down our Christmas lights this afternoon.

things that make me happy

sophie's new bedding
my tray for the dining room table from Bella
coffee
a clean shirt for work
indie movies

clementine

my friend Margaret had a baby girl on tuesday morning at 4am.

her name is Clementine. how beautiful is that?

we went and visited them in the hospital last night.

pardon the yuckiness of the yellow cast from the terrible lighting.

sophie was hesitant at first, but then she got in there stroking the baby's head and her little cheeks.

right now sophie is singing her "cock-a-doodle" song. she knows ALL the words.
she amazes me every single day.

3 for Tuesday

- grrrr...we never did find our missing library book Axel Annie. I called the library today and it seems the book is worth about $25. so a bill is coming my way.

- i love this Valentine's day stuff
i've ordered from them before for sophie - cute stuff

- i'd like a new skirt. this one is cute.

new stuff

Impress has their new Valentine's Day stuff up.

Yum.

Barbie birthday

sophie has been talking about a ballerina birthday cake for awhile now.
her 3rd birthday is coming up Feb 5.

i bought a Barbie (her first) a couple of weeks ago at the Bay.

i have a pan to do her a Barbie cake.

hmmm -- wonder if mine will come out like Martha's?

six for Saturday

1.sophie and i had some fun on this website this morning. i do love Arthur.

2. she is now snuggled into a chair and watching this movie (again).
the pencil drawings are beautiful. i sometimes wish computer animation hadn't taken over kids movies.

3. we are going to Silver Star tonight. sophie gets her first ski lesson in the morning.

4. i got to work out this morning (fitness class)

5. i took sophie's crayons away for a bit. she needs to respect her crayons...rather than breaking the tips off of them.

6. i think i wear the same pair of brown cords every weekend.

slow

ever since i've started working with my coach, i've been challenging myself to living more authentically. working on my connections and relationships with people.

for me, part of that is living in grace. walking slower. thinking slower. being calm and purposeful. i bought this book tonight on our Friday night trip to our little bookstore.

so far, i'm loving her message (her extreme dislike for the political right, not so much). i'd prefer more of an apolotical message, but still -- worth a look.

highway 97

this is a layout i did of traveling on Boxing Day.
Highway 97 runs north - south in British Columbia and extends into
Washington State.

i had fun taking photos inside the car :)

since when did blogging become more entertaining than watching TV?

i don't know the TV line-up anymore.

in my "me" time now -- it's either reading a book, scrapbooking or reading blogs.

especially with some of these yummy blogs to inspire....

like this one

or this one


or my fav

we were rear-ended....

so today, on our way to work and daycare, we were stopped at the bottom of the steep hill that connects one of our side streets to a busier street.....sitting blissfully in the Pilot.....in our own little morning cocoons. when, bam. like really BAM.

we had been hit from the rear. 2000 lbs hitting your vehicle from the rear end feels very startling.

vic puts on his 4 way flashers, gets out and goes to the back of the vehicle. no damage done to our vehicle (while minimal). the woman who hit us did not slow down for the road conditions - we had some snow this morning. she did more damage to her own vehicle.

he got the particulars and phoned our insurance company.

we are all okay. sophie was a bit confused....wondered why we were stopped at a stop sign and daddy had to get out of the vehicle.

how was your morning?

5 people

Loved that Katherine was doing this over on her blog:

Please count down five living people you admire and tell us a little something about why they make your list. These could be famous people or people you know personally.

5...4...3...2...1 (not ranked in order of importance)

5. My coach (work) Maureen. This woman is soft, inspiring and brings out the best in me. I owe her a lot. She helps me be authentic.

4. My doctor and friend, Kim. She's my age, has two kids, a thriving medical/obstetrics practice and she "gets me."

3. My husband. Triathelete dude. Very fit. Loves Sophie and me. Provides for us.

2. Linda - another work person who has inspired me. She consults for my company on an semi-regular basis. She also gave Sophie pumpkin slippers for Halloween when she was a baby. she doesn't have children herself, but she gets those who do.

1. Suziebeezie - Suzanne for inspiring us with her blog each day and letting us be part of her little community.

dresses

i've mentioned sophie's love of dresses and tights lately.

last thursday, we finally pulled out "the dress" - gorgeous deep blue velvet with rosette's on the bodice dress her Grandma H gave her a couple of years ago. she got it at the Bay dept store, on sale - something for sophie to grow into. it's from this company (good quality Canadian brand).

it's very beautiful. almost too tight on sophie, but she wore it with pride.
completely over the top dress to send a child to daycare in, but we did it anyway.

on friday night we went back to the Bay and found a killer deal - 5.99 for a dress made of velvet (bodice) with a coffee coloured silk feel bottom. she wants to wear it on Monday to daycare. again, over the top, but what the heck.

here's a photo of the deep blue velvet dress.

seven for Saturday

this has been a great day.....

1. got my hair cut

2. had coffee (and apple juice) with my favourite girl while daddy was working

3. went to a crop. or whatever you want to call it. i am reluctant to go to these events...fear of being sold stuff...fear of seeing photos cut into round circles and hearts (not that there is anything wrong with that - that's my problem)...fear of cattiness. but my friend Karen's sister Heather was having one, so i went for a couple of hours. it was nice. and calm and i could focus. did the layout you see here.

4. got one of these yesterday.

5. am reading this book - it's interesting.

6. sophie decided on her own she needed a nap this afternoon.

7. i think i need this book, before i put you all to sleep.

5 for Wednesday

(there is no number that starts with "w", so I hope you will forgive my 5):

1. I bought a $3.98 forced hyacinth plant that will soon flower from Safeway. on my desk at work. i need spring.

2. I've ordered sophie birthday invites from here.

3. I need a KICK-BUTT book suggestion for my next book club. Not sure if The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamont is the right pic -- I'm hearing mixed reviews.
anyone, help?

4. My employer is up for a Work-Life Balance award. We are a finalist. I'm going to Vancouver in February for the awards. I'm excited as my department has been heading up these initiatives.

5. i'm getting a manicure tomorrow. yippee.

i'm an irresponsible mother...

i've lost one of sophie's library books.
this one.

we've looked all over our house, i've asked my mom to look through her house and my SIL Joanne to look in her house. we think it came down to our relatives' place over Christmas, but i can't be certain.

i felt guilty telling the librarian tonight that i think i've lost a book. "how much will i owe?" I asked. "That depends on the book," said she. Turns out it is only about $7, but still, i feel like a schmuck. in all my years of holding a library card, i've never lost a book. ever.

now considering that we go to the libary each week, and on average i take out about 5-6 books each time for sophie, this was bound to happen eventually, right?

fingers crossed it will still show up.

"mama it's Alien!"

alien is our neighbour's cat.
he is a friendly little guy. he once found his way into our house when contractors
were finishing our basement and accidentally got locked in our house all day when we were at work.

at first sophie was scared of him, but now she is starting to like him.

notice alien in the background?

(even though it's a Canadian winter, i have my daughter dressed in a skort (because she likes dresses and skirts), but she is wearing tights).

romantic homes magazine

i've never purchased this magazine before, but after reading Alicia Paulson's blog (i love her) i had to buy it today to see her featured on page 50-51.

i've you haven't already viewed her blog, it's a treat.

catherine newman has a blog

i love catherine newman.

she writes for Wondertime, one of my favourite parenting magazines. actually the only one i'm buying right now.

she is also the author of my favourite book from this past Christmas.

and she has a blog.

american masters

vic and i watched this last night.

i've always loved Annie Liebowitz's photography. i remember buying my first copy of Vanity Fair when it had the famous demi moore nude pregnancy pose.

i wished the program had gone a little more into her life. i didn't realize until the very end that she had children.

i'm no Annie Liebowitz, but here is a layout using one of my favourite photos of my brother and his wife.

a good shirt

you know how sometimes you just buy a piece of clothing and you know it is going to work for you?

this shirt does the trick.(sorry, couldn't find a link of the shirt...it's a button down purple stripe)

i bought it at Tabi. I'm probably a tad young for their demographic, but their shirts are worth a look. No I won't start wearing elastic waist pants or Christmas sweaters (not that there is anything wrong with that), but I will go back and buy another shirt.

it is after 3pm, and it still looks good. not too wrinkly, too tight or too boxy.

what is your favourite piece of clothing that "works" for you?

so this was Christmas....

just a few photos...

how we spent new year's eve

last night, after having dinner at my parent's place, vic and i decided we would drive the 3 hours or so home, rather than spending the last night of our family holiday at my brother and sister-in-laws. we knew that snow was forecasted, plus the thought of having to unload a car load of gifts, luggage, etc...was too much to handle all in one day.

so we drove home NYE leaving at 9pm -- arriving about 11:40pm. just in time to sit down and see the ball drop from Times Square. waking up today we both felt rested and happy with our choice to get home a day earlier.

we miss our family, but we'll be seeing them probably in a few weeks. for now, it's good to be home.

here's a photo i snapped as we were leaving my brother and sister-in-law's place last night...the last photo of 2006 for me.