Mama Metamorphosis

My kids are 4.5 years old and 2.5 years old. Both are my babies, but please DO NOT, under any circumstances, say that to them these days. C remembers being a baby and the things he used to do (nurse, sleep in the crib, be in a baby carrier) and they toys he used to play with, but he is firmly a BIG BOY now and is even concerned that his clothing size is the right number for him!!  L is just realizing that she is a "big girl" and she justifies all that she does now. "Mama, big girls nurse too. Mama, big girls go uppy in carriers too. Mama, I not a baby, I a BIG GIRL!!"

And I have just realized that although they will always be MY babies, they really are NOT little babies anymore and therefore...

....I can not be the 'baby' mama anymore.

It is time for me to grow up and graduate out of the baby stage and transition to this new (and rather scary) phase of parenthood.

For those you who have been following along with my posts you will know that a few months ago, Natural Urban Dad and I were in talks about having another child. Suffice it to say that we have come to a collective agreement and what is going to work for all of us is the status quo. Two kids, two adults, two hands....you do the math. It is what works for us and is what is going to keep us a strong family unit.

And all along the way, in all our talks and negotiations, the theme that kept recurring was one of all of us growing up. Our kids are growing up and contrary to what you would think this would mean, ie, more independence, less reliance on us for everyday tasks, etc., what I have noticed is that they actually NEED us even more right now and in a completely different way than before.

Take my son. He is a sensitive, inquisitive, smart cookie with a quirky personality (he gets that from me I guess ;)). He also seems to have the sharpest hearing in the history of four year-olds and if he hears something he does not quite understand, he will ask you about it and not quite asking until he gets it! This is a totally awesome occurrence. Except when you are not prepared for it.

Yesterday, as we were driving to my niece's 12th birthday party, C pipes up from the back seat of the car.

"Mama, is HATE a bad word?"

Me: "Uhm....... well......, what do you mean?"

"Hate. What does it mean?"

Me: looking over at Natural Urban Dad and mouthing, "Do you want to answer this?" and him staring off into space like he can't hear either of us.

So, as I rolled my eyes at the NUD at my side, I told C this, "Hate is a mean word that some people use when they really, really, REALLY do not like something. It is a word that can hurt people's feelings and one that is not very nice to use."

That seemed to satisfy him for the moment, but it is just one example of the many questions and thoughts that he is processing these days and often needs our help to sort out. Today we had a fun time over breakfast discussing what our emotions are and making the appropriate faces to go with them. Our conversations with C really have gone to a new level as of late and it is awesome and extremely scary at the same time!

And L at two and a half,  has suddenly become the "WHY" kid. Why Mama? Why you put make-up on? Why that lady have crutches? Why we going to swimming? Why? Why? Why? I love that she wants to know EVERYTHING, but OY, some days it is exhausting! And for some reason I just keep answering her multitude of questions and that just makes her ask why even more.....

My kids are also very sensitive with regards to their time with me lately and the whole work-life-parenting-and-being-an entrepreneur-thing is requiring some extra special juggling skills these days! I am working on it, but it is not easy. It is not easy to be saying over and over, "Mommy just has to send one more email and then we can go build your Lego castle/play outside/have a tea party/etc....". And for some reason, "Do you want to come and help Mommy work (ie, pack up orders) does not have the same appeal as it used too!

They just need more from me now on an emotional level and in a way that for some reason I was not fully prepared for. I am sure there are books out there that tell you all about this stage of parenthood (I swear I have a copy of Playful Parenting around here somewhere!), I just have not read them yet!

So, here I go.  Out of my cocoon of babyhood and into the great butterfly unknown of parenting my NOT-babies-anymore babies!!

My babies on the BIG KID swings!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks :)

Natasha~

Getting out of your own way!

Today was a really good day for me. I got to listen to someone whom I look up to and aspire to be like. A woman who is a mother, an entrepreneur, an amazing speaker and a true inspiration to so many. Today I had the immense privilege to hear Arlene Dickinson, from CBC's The Dragon's Den, speak at the most surprising of places-a hockey arena in small town Alberta.

As I sat in the arena with 300 business men and women from the local surrounding municipalities, I really did not know what to expect from Arlene's presentation. The title of her talk was called "Lessons from the Den: Succeeding at Business & Being an Entrepreneur".

What she presented and what we got from her was an incredibly personal account of where she came from and what made her the successful business woman that she is today. And you know what, her life, her story, it was not an easy one.  Her road was not without its share of BIG bumps. She immigrated from South Africa to Canada with her family with little more than the clothes on her back. She grew up poor but smart and graduated high school at 16. Was married at 19, had four kids and was divorced by 28.

With no formal education, and four small kids at home in Calgary, Alberta, she struggled to find work and through a friend eventually kind of stumbled upon marketing and found she had a knack for it. She joined Venture Communications in 1988 and 10 years later bought out her two partners.

Today I learned two really great things. 1. Arlene Dickinson is one hell of a story-teller, and 2. MARKETING is all about telling a story!!

Here are a few other great lessons from Arlene today about being an entrepreneur.

You need three things to be a successful. You need passion, you need commitment and you need leadership.

And Leadership is not just about being the boss. It is about putting yourself out there even though it is a bit uncomfortable. Even if the world will see your flaws. Leadership is about telling people that they matter, it is about being honest and vulnerable (admitting when you don't have all the answers) and it is about being focused on the task at hand.

Passion and commitment are about you and your company. Telling YOUR story. People need to understand the history of your business to really connect to it. Do you believe in what you are doing? Are you willing to put yourself out there and make a difference for others? Anything is possible if you allow yourself to do the things that scare you!!

Which brings me to Arlene's next point that really struck home with me. She said this today and it was like a light bulb exploded in my head!!

The thing in the way of most entrepreneurs is themselves.

And this reminded me of a post I wrote a few months ago about the Bitch in the Corner. You remember her right? The nasty one always telling you that you are a bad mother, bad wife, bad housekeeper, etc...... Well it seems that there is the equivalent in the business world and I would like to call her 'The Saboteur'.  Always there in her corner of your mind telling you that your ideas suck, no one is going to go for this, why bother, you don't have the resources anyway, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera....

Well, SHE needs to GO! Kick that sabotuer to the curb and get out of your own way!!

Maybe there is a reason Arlene's company is called VENTURE Communications.

As in nothing VENTURED, nothing GAINED!!

So to all my fellow entrepreneurs. Be passionate, be a leader, and go out there and do something that scares the shit out of you, cause you never know when a Dragon may come knocking on your door!!

And thank you so, so much Arlene, for renewing my spirit, for giving me the push I needed to do what I have been afraid to do and for telling your story.

Never let those who say it can't be done stand in the way of those who are doing it.

Awed and inspired,

Natasha~

I am having a glass of wine DAMN IT!

Mamas, hands up if you have any kind of guilty mommy feelings throughout your days? Yup, that is what I thought. I did a little unofficial poll last week after a chat on twitter about a mama wanting to have a glass of wine and feeling guilty about it because she is also breastfeeding. The results are in, and "Mommy Guilt" is rampant and it looks like we may have an epidemic going on!

And it is about EVERYTHING!

Here are a few examples from my polling:

To much KD for dinner/lunch (this particular one was mentioned a lot??).

Not being a stay-at-home mom.

BEING a SAHM, but not wanting to play princess for the 500th time.

Too much TV (this is a big one too it seems).

Not being present in the moment with the kids all the time.

Not spending enough time with Kid 1 when Kid 2 comes along.

C0-sleeping (??).

Not finding time to clean the house.

Neglecting the fur-baby.

Spending time with friends away from the family.

Spending too much time on the computer/laptop/iPad/etc...

Yelling at the kids.

...and the list goes on and on and on.

Why do we put such pressure on ourselves? And who are we trying to impress? Last time I checked there was no Gold medal for being the perfect mother.

And even if there was, who defines the criteria for this coveted award? Who is it that is setting these ridiculous expectations?

Often it is ourselves. We think that we have to DO everything and BE everything to everyone because we are the mom. The reality is, that this is just not the case.

So the kids ate Kraft Dinner two times this week, it is still FOOD and they did eat ALL of it right? In my books, that is a win.

Do I really want to watch Toy Story 3 AGAIN or do the same puzzle for the 17th time today? Probably not and that is OK, because I am not a toddler trying to learn a new skill or a preschooler trying to figure out a storyline. I am NOT going to feel guilty about being a grown-up (and I am probably still going to do those things).

My kids watch TV. I monitor the programs and choose the ones that I think offer them the most educational value (I prefer PBS Kids to Treehouse and I will take Sid the Science Kid over a screaming Dora any day!!). The television is not a 'babysitter' for my kids anymore than it is for me. It is a form of entertainment and education and I would feel more like a hypocrite than anything else, if I told them they could not watch TV and then proceeded to plunk myself on the couch for hours at a time to watch "my shows"!

Guilt about having a glass of wine because you are also breastfeeding? Breastfeeding does not exclude FUN! And if you have had a hard day and need a glass of wine or a beer than GO FOR IT! Alcohol is metabolized in your breast milk exactly as it is in your blood and this is what Dr. Jack Newman himself has to say about it,

Reasonable alcohol intake should not be discouraged at all. As is the case with most drugs, very little alcohol comes out in the milk. The mother can take some alcohol and continue breastfeeding as she normally does. Prohibiting alcohol is another way we make life unnecessarily restrictive for nursing mothers. (Dr. Jack Newman, member of the LLLI Health Advisory Council, excerpt from his handout “More Breastfeeding Myths”)

Feeling guilty about working full-time? Why? You are providing for your family. This is an act of love and you should feel proud of what you are doing. Especially if it is a job and career that you worked hard for and really love!

Going out with your friends and taking some time for you? Really? This one should be the least of your guilty feelings.

You know the saying "Happy Wife, Happy Life"? Well, I have a new one....

Happy Mama, NO MORE Drama!!

Really. Think about it.

A Mama who knows when she needs to take time for herself, whether that is shoe shopping at the mall BY HERSELF or going to get her hair done, or sweating out all her stresses in a Bikram Yoga Class (that one is me BTW), or going for a run, or having a weekly girls night out, or doing WHATEVER it is that makes her happy, is a Mama who is likely to feel good about herself. A Mama who feels good about herself is not going to constantly focus on what she (thinks she) is doing wrong all the time and will be one who can say NO to all that guilt and drama. Hence Happy Mama, No More Drama!!

Now if you will excuse me, I have a glass of wine waiting to make me happy! ;)  I suggest you too find your proverbial 'happy place' and make regular visits to it and let go of your mommy guilt!!

Natasha~

Natasha's Pick of the Week: Infinite Fitness

So remember a few months ago when I was all "I'm having a pity party cause I dislocated my hip and then had knee surgery and now I am all bloated and lopsided and I need a personal trainer"? Well, I found one. A REALLY GOOD ONE!

Her name is Jessica Zapata and she is co-owner of Infinite Fitness Personal Training.

And she is KICKING my butt!

I have been working out with her and doing my homework workouts at home and also trying to maintain a pretty strict diet that she has put together for me for the last 4 weeks and I am very happy to report that it is all working!

I have lost 4 pounds and am feeling so much stronger already.

It also helps that Jessica and I have a whole lot of fun while she is kicking my butt too. I am sure my abs are getting an extra bit of a workout because of how much I am laughing when we have our sessions together.

Take last week for example. We were in the middle of a workout and I casually mentioned that I can not jump. And to prove it, I then demonstrated my lack of jumping skills. (This is when you picture me trying to jump, but I look more like a two-year old, lifting my heels off the ground and not quite getting ANY AIR).

Jessica said to do it again and so I tried, again. I squeezed my knees together (cause I am afraid for my poor arthritic knee babies), scrunched up my face in DEEP concentration and jumped what was likely a quarter of an inch off the ground. And her response was, "Why are you squeezing your legs together like that, you look like you are taking a poop?"

So now on the agenda for our next session is "Jump Training".

Because here is what I have learned in the short while that I have been with Jessica. There is no such thing as CAN'T, there are only modifications. So, essentially I don't get to weasel my way out of doing ANYTHING. Burpees, yes, there is a modification for that. Push-ups, yup, those too. And now, even jumping!

And for even more of a test of my will power and resolve, I am going to do the "Body by Vi" 90 Day Challenge as well. I am really looking forward to this and will keep you updated as to my progress. I have a lofty goal of losing ~15 pounds by the beginning of September.

My good friend and fellow blogger, the awesome Jennifer Banks is also on a similar quest. Together we are going to keep each other in check and blog and tweet about our respective weight loss and habit changing journeys. Come along if you like and see what happens, maybe you might be inspired to join us too!

As for me, I had better get to sleep now. Tomorrow is workout with Jessica day and I feel like I may be in for a world of hurt...the good kind that is!!

Feel the burn peeps,

Natasha~

NIP by NUM

(nursing in public by natural urban mama) So here I am almost ready to call it a night (I've been up to my eyeballs in Quickbooks, trust me I am ready to go to bed) and I pop onto Twitter and see this tweet from Jessica (AKA @TheLeakyBoob).

And I got mad, MAD, MAD!!  Here is the link to the guy's actual comment on The Leaky Boob's Facebook Page. For one thing he is an ignorant troll and for another, well, he and all of his kind (no, not men, just ignorant human beings) are a HUGE part of the reason that we have such a stigma attached to breastfeeding in our world and why mamas everywhere feel the need to cover up, pump, hide in a bathroom, feed formula when out of the house, etc, etc, etc,.... when all a baby really needs and wants is right there under Mama's shirt!!

Today I had an opportunity to be a passive role model for breastfeeding.

I was sitting in a very busy Cafe O'Play, our local (and might I say fabulous) cafe and indoor play place, with my two and half year old daughter. We were surrounded by a bunch of NEW mamas waiting to get pictures taken and hand and feet castings done by another fabulous friend of mine, the lovely Kara from Wee Piggies and Paws.

Two mamas and their little babes (and grandma) sat down at the table beside me and one of the babies started to fuss. The mama started to look around in a panic and was wondering out loud where she should go to feed her little girl. I am not shy and I told her to just have a seat in the armchair beside me and have at 'er! I could tell she was nervous and so she went off to change the baby first. When she got back she tried to get settled into the chair with her nursing cover on and was struggling to get her little one on the boob. I reached over and helped her hold her cover open so she could see what she was doing (seriously mamas, those damn things are more of a hindrance than anything, IMO).  Baby finally got latched on and you could see the physical release of tension that happened to mama almost immediately.  She told me that she was worried that baby would come off and start coughing though because her let-down is so quick. I gave her a few quick tips about keeping her little girl in more of an upright position and to try laid-back nursing to see if that would help. She was also complaining about her nursing bra and I gave her a few suggestions for nursing wear that might make NIP a bit easier (nursing tanks and T-shirts).

And then....

With the best timing ever, my lovely little extended and expert breastfeeder looked over at me and said, "Mama, can I nurse please?"

And I pulled my shirt aside, exposed myself to no one but my daughter and nursed my 2.5 year old while also having a conversation with Grandma at the next table, typing and sending an email on my laptop and sipping my very yummy latte!!

I felt good at that moment. I felt like I might have made a teeny bit of a difference for that mommy. Maybe she will figure out an easier way to nurse her baby, maybe she will remember how easy and carefree both myself and my daughter where about nursing in public and maybe by example, I just gave a mama the power and knowledge she needed to know that it may be a bit difficult right now, but it will get so much easier.

And that she should never, ever, be made to feel that panic-y feeling whenever and wherever her baby needs to EAT!!

No matter what all the nasty trolls of the world say, breastfeeding is here to stay and I will do my part to make it easier and more normal for all mamas whenever and wherever I can!!

So go suck on THAT!!!

....and goodnight,

Natasha~

What a Mama WANTS versus What a Mama NEEDS

Motherhood. It is a time of great joy and happiness and wonder. And also a time of great sacrifice. A time when you really discover what your body and mind can endure and what you really need in your life. I thought about this throughout my day yesterday and came up with my list of What Mama Wants versus What Mama Needs.

Mama wants to be able to sleep past 5:30 AM, but Mama needs only about 5 hours of actual sleep to have basic human function throughout the day.

Mama wants a full-time housekeeper, but Mama needs to just be happy that the dog eats all food dropped on the floor and that the clothes is at least clean, if not folded and put away.

Mama wants her kids to "Eat a Rainbow" of fresh, healthy food everyday, but Mama needs to be OK with some of the lesser known rainbow colors too sometimes (chocolate, Kraft Dinner fluorescent orange and Spiderman "Fruit" snack Black)!

Mama wants her children to explore their artistic sides and do crafts all day long, but Mama needs to realize that SHE is not crafty at all and watching Mister Maker do it is just as good, right?

Mama wants 3 hours of uninterrupted work time each and every day, but Mama needs to figure out how to squeeze it all into 15 minute power sessions between meals, school, activity classes and naps!

Mama wants an overnight Date Night once a week (so does Dad), but having a standing weekly reservation at a local hotel might make Mama look like she has a different kind of 'job'. (Hmmm, this one might just be a NEED too, maybe just once a month though!)

Mama wants to shop for herself and by herself, but Mama needs to accept that she has 2 miniature stylists that must accompany her and who seem to have some pretty strong opinions about what she should and should not wear.

Mama wants to have a long hot shower EVERY DAY, but Mama needs one a minimum of 3 times a week and for some reason always has to have an audience!

Mama wants a perfect family, but what Mama needs is the one that she has. With all the crazy, sleeplessness, "I need more hours in a day" and THIS is the way we do it around here and it works for us, that goes along with it!!

Needs are the basics, the essentials that we can not live without. And what I have realized is that my basic needs as a mother are met each and every day when my son looks me in the eyes and tells me "I love you so much Mommy." and my daughter wakes up at night and says, "Mommy, I NEED you!".

Children have this incredible power, the power to show us what we really NEED in our lives and surprise, surprise it is often not what we thought we WANTED in the first place!!

I NEED these two!

Photo credit: magda kirkwood photography

Natasha~

Natasha's Pick of the Week: Vancouver

This past weekend was a first for our little family. It was the first time Natural Urban Dad and I have escaped from left both our kids and the first time they had a sleep over at NaiNai and YeYe's house.  We headed off for a nice romantic getaway to the lovely city of Vancouver and they set up their sleeping bags in the family room at my in-laws place and had a camp out with their grandfather. To be completely honest, I thought that leaving them for the weekend would have been harder on me, but it really wasn't. They gave me enthusiastic hugs and kisses goodbye and then went back to jumping around on their new sleeping bags. The dog cried more the day before when I left her with my sister!

Vancouver was the perfect spot for us to go to for our first little getaway by ourselves. For one thing, we did not pay a thing for our flights or hotel thanks to all our unused air miles points (SCORE!), and we did not need a car thanks to the lovely Canada Line Skytrain system that runs from the YVR airport all the way downtown to the Waterfront Station and Canada Place. We stayed at the Delta Vancouver Suites hotel, a decent place smack dab in the middle of downtown and well within walking distance to everywhere we wanted to go.

Natural Urban Dad did his undergraduate degree at the University of British Columbia and so Vancouver holds a very special place in his heart. He has told me over and over that every time he is there he feels the pull of this city and its metropolitan essence.  Maybe it is the tides??

I do know what he means though, we are both Capricorns. We love the water and the mountains and were else (in Canada at least) do you get the majesty and tranquility of both?

We spent most of our time in the happening downtown neighborhoods of Gastown and Yaletown.  Good eats, good shopping and some pretty cool architecture as well. On Friday night we had dinner at Chill Winston, a restaurant and lounge/bar in Gastown that has a lot going for it. Great location, great food, cute servers and a super fun atmosphere with a very eclectic and diverse clientele. We walked around after dinner, checked out the view into the harbour and then found a nice little organic cafe and had some tea and very yummy key-lime cheesecake.

Saturday we SLEPT IN!! It was lovely! When we finally got out of bed and ready for the day we headed out to Howe Street upon the recommendations from the hotel staff and had breakfast at a great mom & pop restaurant called Scoozis. It was so good and quaint and just what we wanted and I am not exaggerating--THE BEST HAM I have ever tasted!! Check it out next time you are there.

We then headed off down Granville Street and ended up doing some shoe shopping at the Fluevog store. It was a nice score, because it just happened to be the weekend of the World Famous Fluevog Sample Sale. Natural Urban Dad choose some very dapper blue suede shoes (yes, he picked them all by himself) and I scored these babies!!

Next we had an awesome sushi lunch at ShuRaku. You have to go to this place, the food was amazing, the very boisterous welcome you get when you walk in the door, in Japanese of course, was a very nice touch AND the Chef made me my favourite maki roll even though it was not on the main lunch menu! After lunch we toodled around some more and browsed the many furniture and design houses we passed, always on the look out for great signature pieces for our eventual new house!

We did a loop back to Gastown and hit the main Fluevog Shop and to my utter surprise, Natural Urban Dad bought me another pair of shoes!! Seriously people, LOOK at how awesome they are!! CHERRY RED Mary Janes and the Fluevog name for them is "The Benatar". I HAD to have them!

We went back to the hotel for a quick change and 'nap' and then headed out again, this time to Yaletown, where we had reservations for dinner. We strolled down the streets in Yaletown and passed many a small shop specializing in various forms of personal grooming. There is the Bombay Brow Bar, the blo Blow Dry Bar, Frilly Lilly for all your waxing needs, NOIR Lash Lounge and so many others, offering every kind of grooming you can imagine, including the "manzilian" for the very brave boys out there! I guess in Yaletown, you must be rather hairless (except for the lashes) to be a hipster!

We found a great store on Hamilton Street called Bernstein & Gold and stuck up a conversation with the owner, also a father of 2 who has never been away from his kids. He has a very eclectic shop, selling everything from imported (and very cool) bicycles, to Italian glass chandeliers and bamboo tables. He ships worldwide too!

Now I do love me a good hat and could not resist heading into the Goorin Bros hat shop. I found a great modern cloche hat that will be perfect for summer and we also discovered that Natural Urban Dad is really not a hat guy.

Dinner was the highlight of our Saturday! We ate at the amazing Blue Water Cafe. I can't say enough good things about this fine dining establishment. For one thing we had an absolutely amazing server. She suggested the yummiest cocktail for me, the Jacob's Ladder, our first ever raw oyster tasting (not icky at all!) and an absolutely delicious white wine to accompany my halibut meal (The Noble Blend from JoieFarm Wines). The food was delicious, the atmosphere relaxed (we were in one of the private dining rooms, so it was a lot quieter than in the main dining room), the backgorund music perfect and the company rather sexy. It was the perfect date night and one that we really needed to have!

After dinner we headed back to Chill Winston because I really wanted to have their Banana Split feature dessert (hello coconut ice cream and salted caramel sauce!!). And see, it really hit the spot!

We walked back to our hotel arm in arm, I got a lovely foot massage, we watched Kill Bill Volume 1 on Tv (yeah, yeah, not that romantic I know) and went to bed a very happy couple ;).

Sorry for the super long post, but it really was a great weekend and I highly recommend getting away, even for just a night if you can. It does a marriage good!!

Thank you Vancouver! <3

Super Heroes

Sunday night as I was just randomly checking my twitter stream this was happening. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5m6OErRXpA]

A town was burning to the ground. One that I have visited many times in my life time. A beautiful place full of incredible northern Alberta scenery and history and one of the most beautiful lakes in all of Alberta (it has actual gorgeous white sandy beaches).

Wildfires are always a problem in our province during the spring and summer, and this year is no exception. It is very dry here and add to that the high winds that we have been experiencing across our province this past week and it did not take much for a forest fire to jump across a highway and forge a huge path of destruction straight through the town of Slave Lake.

A full evacuation of the more than 7000 people who live in and around the town was put in effect on Sunday night and with only one road in or out they headed south to evacuation centres set up in Athabasca, Westlock and Edmonton. Most had to leave their houses with only a few minutes notice and with the clothes on their backs and a hastily packed bag.

Can you imagine for a minute what that would be like? Grabbing yourself, your children, your pets (and some could not do even this), taking one last look at your home and not knowing if it would be there when you came back?

Well, that was too much for a group of us on twitter to imagine and then not DO something about it. And so into the late hours of Sunday night and wee hours of Monday morning we set up an event page on Facebook to collect donations of material items that these people were going to need right away and in the very near future.

When I finally went to bed Sunday night, we were six Twitter moms just trying to do something to help our community and between all of our personal and business networks we had about 100 people already rallied on our event page.

When we woke up the next morning we had 500 people on the event page and by days end on Monday it was up to 1000. The donations were coming in en masse, the emails flooding our inboxes, and we were overwhelmed! Our front porches and small business locations could not handle the sheer amount of donations being brought in and we needed a bigger space to spread out and sort and get the evacuees and fire victims the supplies they needed!

And just like that, with the incredible power that is Social Media and one by one, Super Heroes came crawling out of the woodwork! A local community league donated their hall to us for the week. Multiple trucking companies have donated their trucks, time and drivers to us to haul huge loads of supplies to the areas that need them the most. Ford Canada stepped up and donated an F-150 pick-up for us to use for whatever we need! Some pretty incredible individuals have donated hours upon hours of their time to come and help sort through the mountains of bags that we have received.  A lot of them have babies strapped to their backs in baby carriers while they are doing this!

You hear about the strength of mothers in times of stress and the ones who lift cars off of toddlers. Well, there have been no cars on toddlers this week, but the strength and determination and sheer MOM-entum that is keeping us all running this week is nothing short of a miracle! I am both humbled and honored to call a lot of these women my dear, dear friends!

We still have A LOT of work to do. We need more volunteers over the next two days to help with sorting and organizing our donations. We will be packing up one of the semi-trucks tomorrow with immediate essentials and sending it off to the evacuation centre in High Prairie, where about 1400 people have been displaced from their homes and land.

If you can spare an hour or two of your time, or if you can gather together donations for our efforts, please join us at the Beacon Heights Community Hall in Old Towne Beverly at 4418-118 Avenue from 9:30-7 PM Thursday and Friday.

Here is the list of items that are most needed at this time:

Toilet paper, diapers, towels, formula, bedding, all toiletries, Non-perishable food items, bottled water, Depends - mens and ladies, bug spray, paper towels, bleach, rags, pails, cleaning supplies, Alberta Health Services grade disinfectant, dry dog food, NEW socks and underwear.

**Please have items sorted beforehand to make everyone's jobs a little easier**

Thank you everyone (these words just don't seem like enough right now!),

Natasha~

"There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three thing we crave most in live

- happiness, freedom and peace of mind -

are always attained by giving them to someone else."

Peyton Conway March