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How, how, how can we be approaching the end of August? I am so not ready to begin our homeschooling! I’m only halfway through familiarizing myself with the curriculum, and our classroom doesn’t exist! Thank god we have the freedom and flexibility of keeping to our own schedule!

I wanted to share some of the inspiration I found for our classroom space, and some of my ‘before’ photos with you. Our room was originally intended as a formal dining room, but we’ve never used it as such because we have such a lovely space in our kitchen where we can eat and look out over the field and forest. The dining room is lovely with gorgeous hardwood and a working fireplace, I just think the color is a bit dark and dramatic for a classroom. I’m hoping with some of Mama S’s talent we can transform it to a very soft parchment color. She’s game for this even though it took her something like ten coats of paint to get it the current deep red many moons ago. Once it’s painted, I just have to hang our black boards, and get everything unpacked and put away.

The room currently has a bit of overflow from the move – some extra furniture that doesn’t belong in there, and some musical instruments and photos from before we moved in. The plan is to empty the room of all of the things that don’t belong, take down everything on the walls, prime and paint, and then install the blackboards and our map of Canada. We don’t have a free weekend from here until god knows when so I really don’t know how this will get done. Somehow we always find a way, so I’m trying to stave off panic.

There are three educational styles that I love; Waldorf, Montessori and Reggio. All three focus on the whole child, and try to foster a passion for learning instead of ‘teaching to test’. All three also have some common ideas about classroom spaces that really make intuitive sense to me; everything should have a place and everything should be easily accessible by the children, each room should be looked at from a child’s perspective and created with their needs in mind, children should have access to the best quality materials and art supplies you can afford, children should be surrounded with as many natural materials as possible. Here are some images of classrooms that I love:

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And here are my ‘before’ shots of our own classroom:

Wish me luck!

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Amazing image from a stunning portrait series by New York photographer Wayne Lawrence

Dearest friends,

The end of summer is right around the corner, and I’m feeling the pinch of having to prepare our little homeschool for September. I’m going to slow my pace down and post every other day for the next couple of weeks.

Don’t worry, I’ll keep posting on Fridays because I’ve learned that’s when I get the most visits, you delightfully pervy folks! To start off the week, here are some of my favorite Internet finds from last week. Thanks to all of you for sharing.

Amazing fatherly ideas about daughters and sexuality! I abso-freakin-lutely love this!

http://goodmenproject.com/ethics-values/brand-dear-daughter-i-hope-you-have-awesome-sex/

This is a polarizing portrait series shot at Orchard Beach in NYC. I find the grittiness of these subjects really compelling, and kind of empowering. Makes me wanna dance in my bikini.

http://agonistica.com/orchard-beach-the-bronx-riviera/

Barrie-area friends with kids need a good rainy day or winter time solution? Check out this new and amazing-looking play place, opening in September:

http://www.smartmovesplayplace.com/

Speaking of kids, a long car ride will NEVER BE STRESSFUL again with one of these. Just make sure you aren’t the driver!

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/vibease-wearable-smart-vibrator-that-brings-fifty-shades-of-fantasy-to-life

I purchased and downloaded this planner because I couldn’t find anything that seemed quite right for my homeschooling needs. I’m so happy with it, and it’s a real steal for only $4. Very happy to recommend this to any other homeschooling families that need some organizational help!

http://simplemom.net/homeschoolplanner/

This amazingly beautiful article actually straight up made me cry. My pace has been slowed considerable by moving to the country, but I can still use a reminder about this every now and then:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rachel-macy-stafford/the-day-i-stopped-saying-hurry-up_b_3624798.html

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Stay in your pyjamas today with someone you love!

There are days when I still feel like this, which in my experience, was NOT sexy.

I wasn’t going to be one of those women. You know, the ones who let their bodies go after baby, and give up on sex. Guess what? I’m still about fifteen pounds more than I’d like to be and my baby is ten months old and sex…well…let’s just say it’s a good thing there are two mamas in our house!

Don’t misunderstand, fitness and sex are still very important to me, but it seems like there’s always something that takes priority over both. Things like sleeping, and showering, and the ever-growing mountain of laundry, and writing! Once I hit that point in the evening that should be reserved for grown up things like pumping iron or pumping you-know-what I am too tired to contemplate either.

A wise woman pointed out that because I’m still breastfeeding my ten-month-old son I have a constant supply of oxytocin, so I might feel a little less compelled to get it on. I thought this made sense until I realized that I’m still craving chocolate all of the time.

I’ve deduced that I’m in a rut. This rut is fueled by some huge life changes including a baby and a big move; it’s fueled by that extra fifteen pounds that feels defeating and impossible to conquer; and it’s fueled by my total and complete lack of exercise – the classic catch 22. It’s my job to help people feel sexy, so imagine the conundrum I face in not feeling very sexy myself! I’m sharing this in the hope that it might encourage some of you to be gentle with yourselves. I, for one, am fed up with feeling guilty and sad about not feeling very sexy. I’m also done with feeling dumpy, frumpy and exhausted all of the time, so I’m going to make a promise to myself to reclaim my physical fitness and my mojo. Here are some tips for any of you who are in the same rut, with or without babies in the mix.

1. Know that it’s going to take work to make your sex life happen. You can’t just stumble in from a night on the town and go at each other with wild abandon – at least, not with the frequency you once used to. Decide how frequently you’d like to have sex each week, and commit to trying to hit that goal.

2. Go through the motions. If you’re on the fence about whether or not you feel like having sex (I’m not talking about consent, I’m talking about contexts in which you might rather opt for sleep, please don’t send me angry comments.) lean towards ‘yes’. Usually once you get the ball rolling, you’ll be happy that you did. If you start trying to get it on, and it’s not feeling right, both partners have total permission to abandon ship without penalty.

3. Take time to take care of yourself. A cocktail of hormones and a lapse in physical fitness might be making you feel less-than-sexy. You will be a much better partner, and parent, if you make time to pamper and take care of you. Women in particular are often used to putting their needs last. Let’s just quit it with that kind of ridiculous thinking, ‘k?

4. Don’t rush it. That six to eight weeks after childbirth is ONLY A RECOMMENDATION! Some of you might feel ready before then, and your particular chemical make up will make you a horny banshee. Some of you will still feel like you pooped out a flaming brick well past that milestone. If you can’t imagine having sexy times without cringing, or barfing a little in your mouth, it’s best you wait. If you’re really missing that contact, there are other things you can enjoy besides penetration. If you don’t have any ideas, email me. I’m happy to suggest some.

5. Ask for help. Try a trusted baby sitter for a few hours and enjoy some alone time. Grandparents might be very useful here, so might additional life partners (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). Rent a cheap hotel, go out for dinner, stay at home, it doesn’t matter as long as the focus is on you and your partner.

6. If you’re co-sleeping with your baby (like I am), be creative. Sex doesn’t only have to happen in bed.

7. Get your partner on board. Make sure they know you want to focus on your relationship. Get them to help with the kids, especially during the latter half of the day. Make sure bedtime is efficient, and then take advantage of your time alone. Be prepared for hiccups and try to be good-natured about interruptions from little ones. They didn’t ask to be here to interrupt our sexy times, did they?

8. Remember how we decided how often a week to have sex? Well, I suggest you reserve how ever many nights for couples time. Don’t do extra chores, don’t prepare extra meals, don’t call you mother. Focus on your partner and your relationship.

9. Turn off the TV, screen, or other distractions. Use your alone time wisely. Have a bath together, enjoy some massage, take up Tantra. Choose activities that promote physical closeness and sexuality rather than brain-sucking activities like screen time or god-forbid, chores.

10. It’s like riding a bike. Your sex life will come back, and possibly be even better than before. You know things now that you didn’t know before. Hopefully the rigors of childbirth have made you a little less self-conscious about your body. It may take some time to get back on track, but post-baby sex is just like riding a bike (on a very bumpy, hilly, sometimes ridiculous to navigate course).

You deserve to be as happy and healthy as can be to enjoy your family!

This year we celebrated my birthday with a barbecue and a sleep over called ‘Pitch a Tent, It’s My Birthday!’. Two years ago we had a similar party at our Niagara house, but there were no children and babies. In fact, there were a lot of drinks and a lot less sleeping. Truthfully, I thought this year’s party was just as much fun, and I felt much better the next morning!

Priority accommodation went to our friends with wee ones. Ashton, who is just about two months old, took my room with his mommy and daddy. Henry, fourteen months, took Mama S’ room with his folks. We all bunked with the girls in their room, which turned out to be hilarious.

We served beef mishkake (remember that delicious marinade I shared here?), bean salad, a corn and coconut milk dish called makai paka and this incredible curried potato salad from Allrecipes. My darling girlfriend Jackie, who is one of the greatest bakers I know, made these incredible gluten-free desserts. These brownie cupcakes were a serious investment in chocolaty goodness. We ate the leftovers the next day with a roasted marshmallow on top. This apple crumble cake was sublime. She’s since made it even more delicious by cutting some of the sugar. Maybe if we’re lucky she’ll share her modifications with us?

Here’s a photo journal of the event, courtesy of Mama S. I think our good-looking friends are even sexier with babies. It was so nice to be surrounded by my peeps in my new home. I feel a little bit more like myself. Perhaps you should host an event so you can see some of your favourite faces again? It’s always worth the work, and there are always helping hands!

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