Losing our cares at the beach
I've been working on some emotional posts recently and the accumulative effect of this has been mood-swings - euphoric one minute, dismal the next. The best tonic for me when this happens is the beauty of the natural world.
Birthday Boy!
For today's "You're Beautiful", I can't help but focus on the miracle of life. The fragility and need of a newborn that pulls on the heartstrings like the most adept of puppet-masters, and the wonder of watching a child grow - those sudden jolts of realization when, for an instant, you are acutely aware of just how far they've come.
The most precious things
It can happen any day. There doesn't have to be anything special going on. But there'll be that heart-stopping, cloud-clearing moment when you're suddenly infused with happiness as you realise that you have all you need in this world, right here with you, right now. And that moment is just perfection...
A quiet moment
A Merry Muslim Christmas
This year, we had our first Ashraf Christmas dinner - halal turkey with all the trimmings! In England, whenever we were home over Christmas, we would put up our tree and enjoy the sparkly beauty of the tinsel and lights, and the festive, feel-good vibe. Usually though, the Christmas holiday period would be an opportunity to visit my husband's family in Edinburgh, where there would be no tree, or gifts or Christmas dinner...
How an overseas job can affect family life
It's not all suntans and smiles, but if you don't mind being different, it might work for you. An insightful article about the challenges faced by "trailing spouses".
Sex up your weekend with American-style pancakes
It has always been a weekend tradition in our family to eschew the cereal boxes in favour of something more elaborate. In England I used to make pancakes - the thin, light, Shrove Tuesday type, piling them up on a heated plate to be distributed at the table, liberally coated with lemon-juice and sugar, Nutella, honey, maple syrup or caramelised, spiced fruit. The kids would demolish them at the same speed that we could prepare them!
Skater Girl
Today was J's first time on the ice. She had been looking forward to it for a while. Yesterday her teacher prepared the Grade One class for the event, with words of encouragement. For some, this would be their first time too.
Silent Sunday – An Afternoon in Ajax
Ssshhhhhhh.....
Trickle Treat!
The pumpkin was carved (and ingeniously named Scary!), the treats were ready and waiting on the ledge by the door, the batteries in the light-up pumpkins had been replaced and a huge pot of pumpkin soup was simmering on the stove.
