PIZZA PICNIC MOVIE PARTY NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dearest Clarity,
It's Friday night and my daughter and I just had a PIZZA PICNIC MOVIE PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!! It was so fun! We put tons of blankets and pillows on the floor, ordered a yummy pizza and watched Ramona and Beezus, which I must say was so adorable!  I wanted to share this with you all because during our party, I realized how important it is for us to do little things like this with our kids.  I think giving our children some good quality one on one time is something we can easily forget to do.  Life is so crazy and busy, it just passes us by.  They need it, we need it and let's be honest, they aren't gonna want to hang with us for very long.  So if you haven't spent some quality time with your munchkin in a while, you should try to.  Color with them, bake something together or have a dance party, what ever you do I think you'll be happy you did it. 

Happy Pizza Picnic Movie Party Night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SANTA CLAUS PARADE!!!!! WOOOP! WOOOP!

It's that time of year again! Time for the Santa Claus parade, this Sunday November 21st.  I find it chaotic and claustrophobic personally, but the kids love it!  If you're going, remember to layer, bring snacks and watch out for the intense parents that will do anything to get their kids to the front.  Hahahahaha! Believe me they will be there.  Here is a website that will give you the time of the parade, the route, some tips and even an iPHONE app that you can download for the fun day!  For those who will be there HAVE FUN, BE SAFE and drink lot's of hot chocolate! 

http://www.thesantaclausparade.ca/

PUMPKIN PARADE!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Halloweeeeeeeeen!!!!!!!!!


I hope you and your munchkins are all ready for Halloween.  I have just finished my little ones costume, and now she is just waiting for the trick or treating and candy, of course!


For the last few years my family and I always go to Sorauren park the night after Halloween.  We bring our pumpkins ready to light up, along with the rest of the neighbourhood.  Everyone lines their pumpkins along the park and lights them, creating a beautiful, magical PUMPKIN PARADE! It is truly amazing!  Every year we get so excited for it, and it seems to get better and better every time.  If you have never been, you have to try it out.  You don't have to bring a pumpkin, you can simply just come and check it out.  You won't be disappointed!  Everyone heads over to the park as soon as the sun begins to set.
www.soraurenpark.com/location.html 


I HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!!!!!

Sorauren Park is on Sorauren Avenue, just west of Lansdowne and south of Dundas west.

WAKA WAKA!

Dearest Clarity,
When we were in Italy all the kids there were always singing this years world cup anthem, Shakira's Waka Waka ( This time for Africa) It was sooooo cute, and my daughter loved it. She would get right in there with them a do the dance and sing along. As soon as I heard the song, I loved it too. I even got right in there with all the kids! lol! (It was pretty funny!) Now that we are home, we have passed on the song and dance to the two little girls I take care of, and of course they love it too. My daughter and I looooove to put it on and jump around and dance. There is something so magical and freeing about the song and video. It's uplifting, cultured, beautiful and positive. I think it's a great feel good song to let out some energy with your kids, and it's a great work out! I encourage you to try it out, you'll be surprised how much fun it is!

Proud to be a soccer mom!

Dearest Clarity,

So today was my daughter's second soccer game. It's sooooooo much fun! I'm so proud of her for getting out there and trying it out. I thought it would be a struggle just to get her to wear her team shirt, but she is doing great. Yes, she all of a sudden busts into dance on the field, or starts picking the grass, but she is so proud of herself after she gets off the field. Especially if she kicks the ball, even if it's in the wrong direction. I wanted to write about this because I was reminded that we should always give our kids a chance. Even though you might think they won't enjoy something or they won't be interested in something, you just never know. It's so important to expose them to different things because I think they will surprise themselves as well. You just won't know until you try. So proud to be a soccer mom!

A clear space is a clear mind

Dearest Clarity,
Everyday I've been trying to keep my home as clean and neat as possible, which isn't easy with kids around. At least once a week, I try to make sure I get at least one important chore or task done, besides the usual day to day stuff. I'm talking about cleaning out a closet, going through my daughters toys or clothes, and getting rid of whatever she doesn't need anymore. Today my daughter and I did just that. It felt so good to declutter and it was a great way to teach her how to be tidy and organized. When we were finished and looked around at our tidy home, I said "Now doesn't that feel good, to sit in a clean home without stuff everywhere?" She agreed "Yes Mommy, it makes me feel really happy!" I started thinking about how much the space I keep is a reflection of my state of mind. When I'm depressed, sad or destructive, my place is a messy disaster. When I'm happy, clear and in a good place mentally and emotionally, my place is tidy and clean. As I'm writing I'm looking around and remembering what my mom always said and still says, A clear space is a clear mind!http://http//www.canadianliving.com/health/mind_and_spirit/6_ways_to_clean_up_your_home_life.php

It's the little things that count!

Dearest Clarity,
Lately I've been feeling all this anxiety about raising my daughter. Am I teaching her the right things? Will I know what to do when she's a teenager? Am I being a good roll model? I could go on and on and on. I know I'm doing my best but sometimes it just feels so overwhelming. I was talking to another mother today, who also raised her kids on her own. I told her how I was feeling, and she said the best advice she could give me, was to remember that it's the little things that count. So I thought back to the little rules and routines my brother and I had growing up. For example, eating dinner together at the table. A perfect time to check in with each other as a family, to talk about your day and have some quality time. Having to put your dish on the kitchen counter when your finished eating, and for the older kids washing your dish when you're done. Making your bed in the morning, putting your dirty clothes in the hamper when you change, cleaning your room every Saturday. These are all things kids can start doing at a very young age. My daughter is almost five, and these are things that I have started to expect from her in the past year. Also things like thanking the crossing guard when he/she helps you cross the street. Holidays when your kids get lots of new things like birthdays or Christmas, together give some of their old toys or clothes to a shelter or charity. The point is no parent is perfect and trying to do it all on your own is never gonna be easy but making sure you do the little things can make a big difference. These are all things that can help teach our kids to be responsible, respectful and thankful. I want to thank that beautiful mother today for putting things in perspective for me, and reminding me that it's the little things that count!

LEMONADE FOR SALE!!!!

Some good friends of mine, or should I say famiglia :) had a garage sale last weekend, and asked my munchkin if she wanted to have a lemonade stand. Of course she thought it was a fabulous idea, so we set her up with a table, a sign, lemonade and a plate of cookies. At first she was shy and we had to help her out. We showed her how to pour the lemonade, put the money in a cup and reminded her to say thank you and your welcome! Towards the end she was yelling PINK LEMONADE FOR SALE! talking to people and saying thank you on her own. She ended up making twelve dollars and was sooo proud of herself, especially because to her that's like one million dollars. It was fun and a great way to teach her how money is made. She also learnt about saving money, by putting some of it in her piggy bank and without me knowing, how to give, by buying me a yummy tulip cookie for Easter. I was reminded of what a great summer activity it is for our SUPER MUNCHKINS!

A SPECIAL BOX AND A SMILE :)

Dearest Clarity,

Dealing with having an absent parent is not easy for children, especially when they remember them once being there. As much as I wish my daughter would just forget him, I know that's just not reality. I'm sure with time, as she grows and matures it will become easier for her to understand and deal with. In the meantime, I feel that it is up to me to help guide her and give her different tools to deal with this hurtful and difficult situation she's been given. As I tell her all the time, I know she will be OK and I know she has the strength and courage to get through this and move on, but for a four year old it can be a lot to deal with. 

She has recently started to get rid of anything in her room that reminds her of her dad. Pictures, books, toys, anything that he had given her. She brought them to me and told me that she doesn't want them in her room but she also doesn't want me to throw them out. She said every time she is in her room she gets sad because she sees these things and thinks of him. So I took the books and toys and put them in a safe place, and if she ever wants them she can ask me for them. I then decided that it would be a good idea to have her make a special box for herself, where she can keep any pictures of him or anything to do with anything that is personal and special to her. So I took an old shoe box got some paint, stickers and markers and gave them to her, so she could create this special box for herself. I sat with her while she made it and we ended up having a great conversation about what the box meant to her, and how she was happy she was going to have her own special place to put her special things. A piece of my heart breaks every time I see my daughter feeling depressed or crying about her dad. No little munchkin deserves to have someone abandon them like that, but when I look at her and see her strength and what a beautiful, smart, caring girl she is turning out to be, my heart heals and I smile. I believe in her, I love her and I am so thankful for her!

MAD, SAD or GLAD

Dearest Clarity,

I was speaking to a parent today at my daughter's school and she was telling me how she is having a really hard time with her son. He is really acting out and she knows it is because he is upset, but she can't get him to communicate what he is feeling. It reminded me of when I was taking a life skills class in college, and we had an entire class based on feeling words and being able to identify our feelings. I couldn't believe how many people weren't able to do it, and these were adults. When I went home that day I sat with my daughter and together we made a list of feeling words, and drew pictures beside them. Once we finished the chart, we went through all the words we came up with and acted them out. We made funny faces and crazy noises, expressing all the different feelings which was a lot of fun. When my daughter would get upset and couldn't communicate it to me, I would bring out the chart and ask her to point to the picture that represented what she was feeling. It really helped her understand what feelings were and all the different types of feelings we all have. I think we often expect our kids to just know how to communicate. How are they supposed to know how to tell us if they're mad, sad or glad if they've never been taught how.

Just Dance!

Dearest Clarity,
One of me and my daughter's favourite things to do together is dance! It's a way for us to bond and have fun. We take turns picking our favourite songs and just let loose and let go. This is an amazing tool for kids and us adults to dance through our anger, sadness, fears and anything we have been hanging on to, that we need to let go. My munchkin and I have laughed, cried and sang at the top of our lungs together while dancing to the beat of our own drum. It's soooooo therapeutic and not to mention a great way to teach them about all the amazing music from past generations! So after you read this, pick a day or night this week, put on some music with your kids and just DANCE!