My Christmas Formula

Here is my Merry Christmas formula:


x+y+z<a+b+c

x=time spent worrying about what gifts to buy
y=time spent shopping for gifts including driving and looking for parking

z=level of anxiety when you think about your next credit card bill

a=time spent sitting around the house in pajamas curled up with a good book, or a Christmas movie or a glass of wine/eggnog/hot toddy
b= time spent with loved ones doing activities like admiring Christmas lights, sharing a meal, singing carols, decorating, baking, attending a religious ceremony, and drinking eggnog.
c=number of times you engaged in happy conversations with total strangers just because you feel festive.

Does it work for you?

Sure does for me, my abc's are super high this year, and it's only Christmas Eve! I hope you can recognize yourself in these keywords, my dear friends and family! 

Driving in a snowstorm, Gluehwein, Robson Square ice rink, the Real Vancouver Housewives, ballgown gawking, Christmas light hunting on the Westside, tourtiere, feast from Kushimoto Sushi, crab spaghetti with a friend at La Buca,  wandering at Oakridge mall without stopping at the pit,  red meat yumminess at Edible Canada, pretzel and squeezable mustard, plum pudding cocktail, pulling kid in a sled, stomping on snowmen, homemade scones with homemade peach jam, party at the neighbors, looking at the advent pocket every morning, Christmas stories every night, crafts, drooling at Birks, finding gifts at my doorstep, Merry Christmas messages on my answering machine, Nazrin, the Perfume Shoppe owner choosing the perfect scent for me, Dim-sum lunch at the Golden Swan and trying out TanTsan, Pacman spaceship with the weeboys and breakfast for lunch at the Wallflower, transit loops in the city with my kid, Laloo's birthday party, mailbox anticipation, Lussekatters and more, more, more!

I hope that you are all having wonderful holidays and enjoying the company of friends, neighbors, and family.

Simple Family Habits

There are some habits I've adopted over the last year that I've still managed to keep. Most of these habits I've stolen from other savy moms I know or from simplicity blogs. Here are some my favorites. I'm always looking for more good ideas, so please share yours!

1. Place 1 spray bottle with a water/vinegar solution and a rag under each sink in your home. I started doing this only about a month ago, and I love it. If I happen to be in the bathroom and notice it could use I wipe, it takes two seconds and presto!
2. Clear and rinse the sink after every meal. I've only started doing this recently, but boy, do I love it! It's like a clear counter, it just makes you want to cook something delicious!
3. Teach everyone to set and clear the table. It's the best way to support the chef in your family.
4. Always pack light. Trust your resourcefulness.
5. When it comes to mind, de-clutter where ever you are for a few minutes at a time.
6. Whether it's your toddler pitching a fit on the sidewalk, or your husband who is clearly not listening or anybody else who is rubbing you the wrong way, look up at the sky, take a deep breath and say to yourself: "This too shall pass." It eases the nerves.
7. Designate Zen Zones in your home: Clutter free surfaces where you can place one single beautiful item to admire like a flower, a stone, a picture frame etc...
8. Go outside every day no matter the weather. Do art, exercise, garden, ride your bike, take out the hose, blow bubbles, dig, read, take pictures, write a letter, eat picnics, fly kites, attend car-free festivals, geo-cache, ride your bike to a city park, or go farther to one of Metro Vancouver's 22 regional parks. (My favorites are Crippen Park on Bowen Island, Iona Beach in Richmond and Barston Island in Surrey.)
9. Give the gift of experience. My friend bought her husband a cooking class at The Dirty Apron, and he's still raving about it. Or if making tortellini from scratch is not what they might like, how about pole dancing or a photography class? (PS. Pole dancing is a great workout and a lot of fun!)
10. Limit your exposure to advertisement as much as you can. Paste a red dot on your mailbox to stop flyers and junkmail. Read books instead of magazines, don't give away your email or your phone number at any store, replace television with a new hobby, and stay our of malls.

Zen Zone Basil

The No-Nap Painting

There's something about having a coffee in neat neighborhood cafe in a new city that makes you completely content with life; a perfect moment. In fact, that's common with any activity you do while traveling, something as simple as riding a bike or reading the paper on a bench becomes more vivid, more "interesting" than if you were doing the same thing at home. Your friends say "wow" when you tell them about the time you did the crossword overlooking some suspended bridge or water fountain.

I've had a long serie of these moments these last summer days; sucking on homemade popsicles, watching the kid play with the hose, sipping wine with the neighbors, seeing the salmon jump the hatchery ladder, painting a large canvas and many other deliciously simple activities. I've enjoyed these slower days and relish them just as if I were on vacation away.

Sometimes I regret, for a moment or two, especially on long weekends, not having planned something more extravagant: a road trip, a camping adventure, or a romantic getaway with my husband, but I quickly get distracted with daily trips to the park, having snacks with the belugas at the aquarium and having the kid's friends over for old fashioned bed jumping.

My no-nap painting

It's been a week since my son has decided that naps were not part of his daily repertoire of favorite activities, much to my exhausted dismay. "I no close my eyes" he says as I set him down in his bed for "quiet time". As he's spending a good hour talking in bed and inventing scenarios with his stuffed animals, I've been downstairs painting away. Clearly, my frustration with the no-nap situation was transferring itself onto my canvas, because I think I've changed the colors of these darn triangles at least a zillion times all the while hoping I wasn't nearing that "gesso it back to white" moment when you've gone too far and it has become a big puky mess.

So much to my delight, the boy has broken his no-nap pattern today, and I am here finally back to my blog, listening to piano on CBC and feeling the breeze on the patio. Another perfect peaceful summer moment at home.