In the Midst of the Messy Place

I feel like we are in a messy, middle place. Is there a word for that? Limbo? Transition? It's just an uncomfortable yet necessary step. Our foster child is transitioning home slowly which means about half the week is spent with us and half the week with Mama. We're dealing with big feelings from every single family member and it's tricky. I almost wish our Little One could just go because then we could all move on to the next step. However, I know that this middle space is where we need to be. We are working through our thoughts in this messiness and doing our very best to make it go smoothly.

Motivation {Share Your Story}

{On Sundays guest writers share a piece of their story.  My hope is that through this we can consider someone else's perspective and understand each other better.  This is today's piece: Motivation.  I think a lot of us can relate to this struggle!}

Thankful Thursday

Time to practice some gratitude once again!  This week I am thankful for:

Where's My Preteen Support Team?

We're in a new stage–preteen, and I'm trying to figure out how to get a supportive community around this. When your kids are young, it's normal to publicly ask questions about sleep (or lack thereof), potty training, discipline, and rashes, as it's somewhat generic and everyone goes through it. Ideas are thrown out left, right, and center, and we can figure out what works best for us. Although people often talk about feeling alone, support is there with "You can do this, mom!", "I remember those days" and "Yes, Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease sucks!"  People see you with a tantruming toddler and get it, they have been there and are hopefully giving you a knowing smile.

Our Weekend in Whistler {At the Fairmont}

Several months ago I won a trip to Whistler.  I probably enter to win a trip there once a week and was soooooo excited to win and  ecstatic with the timing.  It had to be used by the end of May and therefore we could do it Mother's Day Weekend with just the original five Chapmans!  The win included a two night stay for a family at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler and dinner, up to $300, at The Wildflower.  I love Whistler, it's very "us", but we hadn't been as a family in five years.  

We checked in Friday evening and were upgraded to a Deluxe mountain view room–it was incredible!  The kids immediately said "This is the best day ever!" and couldn't wait to head to the pool.  

A Journey With Vulvodynia

*This is the first guest post in a series entitled "Share Your Story".  I appreciate the impact that people's stories can have on my life; I understand them and the world a little more.  This writer has asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the topic and I am so proud of her desire to let other women know that they are not alone and that there is always hope. *

The wedding day. It’s a big exciting day in one’s life. I know I was excited for my wedding day. Excited to commit my life to my then fiancé. As someone who abstained from intercourse until marriage it seemed like an especially big day. Awkward, but exciting. Does anyone’s wedding day go completely as planned? I know mine sure didn’t. There were some bumps in the day and then the wedding night was not what I expected.

VeggieTales in the House, Yo

For years our kids have been watching VeggieTales.  Netflix has VeggieTales in the House, a Netflix original series that is faith-based, follows Bob the Tomato,  Larry the Cucumber and all their friends on various adventures where they learn important life lessons.  Seasons 1-3 are on Netflix which means there are about 40 different episodes to watch.  Before I continue, I need to point out that anything that has a seed (Bob the Tomato!  Jimmy and Jerry Gourd!) is technically a fruit so it should probably be called Fruit and Veggie Tales.!

Here are five reasons I love it when they they choose VeggieTales in the House to watch:

Thankful Thursday

Every Thursday I take the time to write down ten things that I am thankful for.  I started this years ago and recently read about practicing gratitude in Brenè Brown's The Gifts of Imperfection. She says that joyfulness can be attributed to practicing gratitude.  If it doesn't come naturally to you–practice it.  Thinking, writing, and/or sharing what you are grateful for can help you to become more joyful.  I would encourage you to join me in practicing gratitude.  Happy Thursday, friends.

This week I am thankful for:

We're All Doing the Best We Can

{I am a foster mom but this can relate to every parent in regards to how we judge others and sometimes ourselves.}

"How could she choose drugs over her children?" " How could she not feed her child?" "She doesn't deserve to see her children again after what happened." We can be a judgey bunch in general, but oh do we let loose when it comes to stories of neglect and trauma. Now don't get me wrong, these incidents are terrible and heart-breaking and their children should be removed in most cases. Immediately. Every child deserves love, encouragement and support along with the basic rights of safety, food, clothing, and medical care. But do the parents actions warrant our words of judgement?

 Where were we when they needed help? Do we know or consider their story?

Northern B.C. Road Trip

Hello, friends! This summer, our family of five will be heading out on a two week long road trip from Surrey, B.C. north to Prince George and then taking the Great Northern Circle Route up to Watson Lake, Yukon and continuing down on the northwest taking in Telegraph Creek and Hyder, Alaska. This trip is over 4500 km in length and will be our longest road trip as a family.

{This was mapped on google maps but if you have a more user-friendly recommendation for tracking distances and times, I'd love to hear it!}

Before we get too far into our planning, I'd love to ask you for our feedback!  The awesome this about this blog is that almost 70% of my readers are from B.C. (with Alberta and Ontario coming in next).  You know this province and I'd love your tips on where to stay and what to see. Our goal is nature.  We want to see the beauty of this province and explore it with family-friendly hikes and activities.