HAPPY PAINTING!

Dearest Clarity,
For the last month or so I have pretty much been lying in bed, on the couch, at the doctor's or in the hospital.  I am happy to say that it is now over! yaaaaay! Although I am still recovering and my body seems to need like 11 hours of sleep a day, it is looking up.  

During all of the insanity my daughter has been with different family members, babysitters and friends since I wasn't able to do much of anything.   I try as much as possible to take some time every weak for my daughter and I to have some real quality one on one time together.  Usually we draw, play a game, go out for breakfast or even a nice walk in the park.  I find this time almost re energizes both of us.  It feeds us in so many ways.  It strengthens our bond and gives my daughter some easy going, no pressure time to talk to me about what ever is on her mind.  Whenever we have this time together she almost always tells me about something  that's been bothering her, or she asks me questions about something I would have never known she was concerned with, or was interested in.  It is always a wonderful time that I think is super important for parents and their kids.  

I know life can be so busy that it is hard to fit this time in, but even if you go to their rooms a half an hour or fifteen minutes before bed time and read a book and then have some extra time to just talk, you will be surprised how much your munchkin will love it.  

Have you ever noticed when little ones are playing at a park or at a play date,  all of a sudden they will run up to their parents or caregiver, give them a two minute hug or just lean on them and then run off again?  I've always looked at it as kids needing to go to home base to refuel.  

Well as they get older they still need that, they just don't know it.  Since I've been feeling better I knew I needed to give my daughter that time.  I decided to get out our paints, a big canvas and create a wonderful painting together for her bedroom.  It was so much fun! It gave us both a chance to be creative, make something for our home and just hang out.  So, if your kids bedrooms are in need of some art or wall decor, save your money and make something together, you'll be glad you did it.
Happy Painting!

Black History Month

To celebrate Black History month, here are some activities that are going on in our city for kids and families.  

At the Royal Ontario Museum, on February 19, 20 and 21st, there is going to be a celebration of Africa's culture and heritage.  Music performances, films, drumming workshops, a scavenger hunt through Africa, family tours of the ROM's exhibition El Anatsui : When I Last Wrote to You about Africa, as well as crafts inspired by the special exhibition.  Check the link below for times, it sounds like a lot of fun!


http://www.rom.on.ca/programs/rom_kids/family/index.php?ref=showinfo&program_id=6739

http://www.toronto.com/blackhistorymonth?action=spot_5_663315 

SNOW ANGELS

Dearest Clarity,
When I looked outside this afternoon and saw all the snow falling I thought, oh man! here comes another  bitter, cold, depressing winter :(   Then I picked my daughter up from school and the smile on her face when she walked outside to see the winter wonderland, was priceless.  Yyyaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy!!!! is all you could hear coming out of all the kids mouths.  They were running, sliding, throwing snowballs, eating snow (eewww gross, but you all know you've tride it!) and of course my favorite, making snow angels.  

It was so magical! I felt like a kid again. Instead of thinking negatively the way I did about the snow when I first saw it,  I felt happy and thankful and refreshed.  I even made a snow angel with my daughter, side by side.  It was pretty funny, the funniest part being that our angels were almost the same size! Hahahaha!  
So today I was reminded once again how special our little munchkins are.  They really do shine a light on everything!

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.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!!!!!!!

I am thankful for so many things in my life. I think we all sometimes forget how much we have. Life can be tough but I think in order to get through whatever obstacles we face, we have to remember, be thankful and cherish what we do have. Our children, our families, friends, health and love. I am grateful for this holiday for that exact reason, it's a reminder, an important reminder to all of us.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you all take time to reflect on what you have.

I feel truly blessed

xoxo Molly

I NEED TO DO ME!

Dearest Clarity
It's amazing how life can just pass you by, especially when you have your children to take care of, and so many other responsibilities. This is one of the first nights in sooooooo long that I have just sat here in silence. My daughter is a sleep, my dishes are done, laundry folded, house tidied and I feel weird. I haven't just sat and been still, and felt in so long. I'm realizing how much I ignore myself. I'm sitting here feeling numb! I'm sad and disappointed in how much I've neglected myself. How I feel, what I want, who I am. Sitting here right now, I've realized I need to do me! It's so easy to ignore ourselves when we are taking care of our children but its so important to take care of us, cause if we aren't in a good place then they wont be either.

Sooooo Damn Refreshing!!!!!

Dearest Clarity,
So I just finished watching the MTV documentary, Drake Better Than Good Enough. I felt like I wanted to share part of it with you all, because it really touched me. To hear a guy be so honest and real about who he is, without caring about being a tough guy or hard is so nice. To hear the way he talks about his mother, who is a single parent is moving and beautiful. To hear him acknowledge all she has done for him, and how much she is responsible for who he is, is touching. When I was listening to him talk about her, I could feel the love and respect he has for her, and I thought it was beautiful. His humility, honesty and ability to be emotional is just so damn refreshing! These are all qualities that I think are part of what makes a real man, I have to give it to his mom, she did a great job!

In celebration of single mothers!
This is proof that we can do it, and it's all worth it!
(starts at 5:36)

You can't run away!

Dearest Clarity,
My daughter and I recently traveled to Italy with my father for a three week vacation. It was the first time my daughter has ever been on a plane, and gone anywhere over seas. I was soooooooooooo happy to get away, because like I said things had gotten pretty intense at home. Having my daughters dad come back into our lives has been a huge adjustment for us, and continues to be. It brought back a lot of emotions and issues for me that I have never really been able to work through. When your on your own with a little munchkin, you don't really have a chance to let yourself really release, you know? It was a great trip, the beauty of Italy is magical and mysterious and amazing. I am so grateful my daughter and I got to have the experience, for so many reasons. I also got to really get to know my father's family, and understand a lot about my dad's life, and about that part of who I am. Being there taught me a lot. I had a lot of time to think and really absorb everything that's gone on lately. I started journaling again for the first time in years, and really realized how much I neglect myself. It's so important to have personal time and really nurture yourself, even if it's just sitting in silence for twenty minutes. The biggest lesson I learnt though, was that you can't run away. Although I had a great time, all the issues and feelings I had at home, I had there. When I was there I promised myself that as soon as I got home, I would face everything I had been avoiding, head on. Wheather it's a late bill, a friend, an ex, or fear of some kind, I would face it. So that' s what I'm trying to do. It's scary but it feels good!

Jenna Andrews- Tumblin Down

Check out my friend Jenna Andrew's new single Tumblin Down! She is an amazingly talented artist, I love her and I know you will to!

Enjoy!

The best medicine!

Dearest Clarity,

Things have been really stressful for me lately. Ive been working a lot, need to do my taxes, figure out child care for my daughter, cleaning my apartment, paying the bills, the list goes on. Often when I'm stressed and drained , of course my patience runs thin and I'm not the funnest person to be around, so I find my daughter feeds of of that and her behaviour changes. The more stressed, depressed or crazy I am the more difficult my daughter becomes to deal with. Today we kept getting into these ridiculous arguments, I was being so bitchy and she was being so bratty. Finally right before bedtime, I was walking into her room and fell our heads smashed into each other and her glass of water went all over me. We both looked at each other and started laughing hysterically. We laughed hard, like veins popping out of our necks and couldn't breathe hard. When we finally stopped I apologized to my munchkin for acting so crazy and being so snappy. I told her that sometimes I just get really tired, but it's no excuse to treat her that way. She then apologized to me for misbehaving. Then she said to me, "Mommy, who knew laughing could make you feel so much better." In that moment, I realized that I had stopped enjoying my life this week. Laughing is one of my favourite things ever in this world. So I say we all try and have a good laugh with our munchkins or ourselves, at least once a day. It really is the best medicine!

Tooth Fairy!

YAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!! My munchkin just lost her first tooth! We were just sitting there talking and pop it came out. She was sooooooo excited, it was amazing! I'm so happy I was there to see it, and now I get to be the Tooth Fairy!

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!

Run's House!

Dearest Clarity,

This might not be for everybody but My daughter and I were watching our favourite show tonight, Run's House. It is about Rev Run who used to be a member of the legendary group RUN DMC and his family. It is on MTV or if you don't have cable like me, you can watch it online at http://www.mtv.ca/ I wanted to bring it to peoples attention because I think they are amazing role models as parents and as a family unit. The way they approach parenting, I think is amazing. My daughter and I both find it hilarious and we have both learnt a lot from it. They have six children , the three oldest are from a different mother and the youngest is adopted. Throughout the six seasons of this reality show, you get to live through the obstacles and challenges they face as parents, a married couple, a family and as kids in all different stages. The way they discipline, communicate, laugh, love and approach life, to me is inspirational. I think they are a beautiful, loving, fun family that works hard at being a solid unit, one we can all learn from. So I encourage you to give it a try.

They also have a book out called Take Back Your Family, a Challenge to America's Parents which I also think is great. Here are a few of my favourite episodes.

http://www.mtv.ca/tvshows/runs-house/video_content.jhtml?id=1559229

http://www.mtv.ca/tvshows/runs-house/video_content.jhtml?id=1580189

http://www.mtv.ca/tvshows/runs-house/video_content.jhtml?id=1614548

http://www.mtv.ca/tvshows/runs-house/video_content.jhtml?id=1614073

WAITING FOR THE BEST OF THE BEST!

Dearest Clarity,
My daughter has recently decided she wants me to have another baby. I believe this new desire was born from seeing most of her friends becoming big brothers and sisters. I thought this conversation was adorable, and one that others may relate to, so I wanted to share it with you all. Now of course, we all know that when our munchkins want something, the questions begin.

Munchkin: Mommy, can you have another baby?

Me: Maybe one day if I meet someone and fall in love, and we decide we would like to have a baby.

Munchkin: Someone told me that when boys like girls, they ask them out on dates. How come no one is asking you out on a date?

Me: Thanks for rubbing it in! hahahahaha!

Munchkin: Mommy, so when are you gonna get a boyfriend and get married so we can have a baby?

Me: Well my love, I'm waiting until I meet the best man I can meet. Someone who is funny, smart, respectful, fun, and a good person, someone we both want to make a part of our family. We are just gonna have to be patient.

Munchkin: Ya mommy, we have to be patient, cause we are gonna wait for the best of the best!

Me: Ha! That's right, I love you!

Munchkin: I love you too!