I’m embarrassed to see that my last entry was end of January 2018, shortly after I enrolled in my 200 hour yoga teacher training. I guess you can say things have been busy since than. In addition to 200 hours of yoga, I also started my little yoga and nutrition business – West Beach Yoga! I taught yoga on Westboro Beach in Ottawa this summer, and raised $250 for the Shepherd’s of Good Hope. I was first inspired to do my yoga teacher training while practicing yoga on the beach in Florida. It was a personal goal of mine to teach yoga on the beach in Ottawa, and I was so proud to have achieved t ..read more

It’s official! I signed up for the 200 hour yoga teacher training course. It starts at the end of February and goes until June. I’m a mix of excited/anxious. Anxious because I’m embarking on something totally new and I just want to get started to remove the scary “unknown.” Anxious to leave my kids and hubby on weekends and Monday nights. Anxious that I’m getting in way over my head. I guess I have to start getting into the yoga mindset; slow down, breathe and erase any expectations – just go with the flow (hah). As anxious as I am, I’m also excited. Excited to push myself out of my comfort z ..read more

I was recently sent a copy of Greta Podleski’s new cookbook, Yum & Yummer from the nice folks at Hype PR who asked me to try some recipes and write a review. I get approached all the time to review cookbooks and products, and I’m picky on which ones I choose, but I couldn’t say no to this one. Remember Greta and her sister Janet from their first cookbook Looneyspoons and their show on Food Network: Eat, Drink and Be Merry? I watched their show all the time! They took common recipes, and made them healthy and delicious – not an easy task! Flipping though Greta’s cookbook, the first thi ..read more

Every new years eve I find myself reflecting on the year; adventures we’ve been on, the highs and the lows; the people in my life who have been there, and those who haven’t. Here are some highlights of 2017: First time taking both boys to the grocery store! Made it to Colombia after almost 24 hours of travel – one of the hardest/most rewarding moments of the year! Jack’s 3rd birthday party – the things you’ll do for your kids! Max turns 1! My parent’s 40th Wedding Anniversary celebration! Cottage life! One of the best family vacations ever to Turks and Caicos, and the moment Jack met Elmo ..read more

This time of year always puts me in the mood to bake. I love giving friends and neighbours homemade goodies, and I love it even more when I give them something healthy. I’m not opposed to having my favourites over the holidays (egg nog, candy cane ice cream, toffee squares), but with all the super sweet treats out there, it’s nice to throw in a healthy cookie, and even better when they taste awesome. These Almond Thumbprint Cookies are easy to make, and with their buttery texture and sweet almond flavour; remind me of my grandma’s Dutch boterkoek, but without all the refined sugar, flour and b ..read more

With my family being in the Toronto area, I’m in full packing and planning mode around this time of year in preparation for our annual trek to visit my family for four nights, and than up to John’s family cottage for three nights. The holiday season is notorious for being heavy on the sugar and light on the sleep – a recipe for weakening the immune system and getting sick. With this in mind, I come fully prepared with healthy homemade snacks and the necessary vitamins to try and avoid the dreaded Christmas cold. We usually leave early for our drive to Toronto so most of the boys meals and snac ..read more

Are you dragging your feet lately? Finding it hard to get out of bed and get motivated for the day? I am. The sudden cooler temperatures and additional hours of darkness that we get in November in Canada really have an effect on my mood and motivation. Why than, are the Danish, who experience 6 hours of sunlight and -30 C (-22 F) temperatures in winter, ranked as some of the happiest people on earth? One word: hygge.  Hygge is loosely translated as coziness; wearing warm socks, sipping a hot drink, cozying up with blankets and candles, and gathering with friends and family. Not only does ..read more

Oh, there you are abs. After two kids, and a few years of lackluster core workouts, I thought you were gone forever, but turns out you’re still there. Every time I sneeze or laugh, I painfully remember where you are. I braved another yoga class last Saturday afternoon – 1 hour and 15 minutes of “Pure Core” advanced hot yoga class. We did 135 “Hollow Rock” exercises. I started off in the shape of a crescent, rocking nicely back and forth like I was supposed to. By the end I was crouched in the fetal position, grunting and hardly moving at all. I have some work to do on this one. We also did yog ..read more

I almost didn’t go. It was cold and rainy outside. I had had a long day with the boys, and the thought of curling up on the couch with my favorite jogging pants, a glass of red wine and Ray Donovan was very appealing. But, maybe doing something different; physically leaving the house and moving my body will relieve some of the pent up stress of the day. The stress caused my multiple tantrums where I had to keep my cool…over and over again. I changed into my camo tights, sports bra and tank and made the the decision to go. I opened the studio door, and walked into a sea of boots and runners in ..read more

Wow. This is the first time I’ve logged in since January 28th, and the only reason is because I decided not to prep dinner tonight or get groceries; thank goodness for my mother-in-law’s frozen chicken soup. The last 4 months has flown by, but it’s so fun taking care of both my boys. Jack is 3 now, and Max is almost 1! I’ve decided to look after both of them by myself with no help for the summer. Yeah I know. I’m sure I’ll have hard days, but I think it’s going to be great. We live in an awesome, kid-friendly neighbourhood with so many resources at my fingertips. I’m looking at it as my last h ..read more