Autumn. Breathe.

What beauty, what charm. The cold sets in.

This season for me is :

a) Sudden - Suddenly upon us, cold and colourful. Shorter days and stuffier noses. Summer seems to fly now that I have a family of my own. I'm so grateful for the long lazy days we spent sitting around outside this summer.

b) Sweet and Sad - The dark creeping in, the cold wind making me pull my little ones closer. The end of our garden for now; the overripe tomatoes squished into the empty ground. There is something about this time, when I look ahead to the long cold season, that makes me sad. Not *boohoo* sad, just *sigh* sad.

c) Homey - I like to hibernate. I'm certainly busy and somewhat social in my own way but I also like to stay cozy and close to home, baking with LOTS of butter and cooking large healthy soups. I shift into a low-speed, granola, martha-stewart-esque frame of mind and being for a few weeks as I plan my winter. I'm very tempted to pickle and can.

Many trips to Quinn Farm give us an opportunity for outdoor play with a purpose. We bring home their fresh bread and muffins and spend time chatting with animals in the barn. I also like to visit the farm as I think about giving this season. The Quinns stock a ton of lovely gift ideas: baked goods of course, local honey, lovely jams made with farm-fresh ingredients, arts and crafts from select local crafters and a large selection of toys and games from award winning Melissa and Doug. In the spirit of buying locally and reducing the amount of "stuff" we give, the farm is a great place to stock up on affordable and thoughtful gifts for everyone.

Sunday mornings at Jean Talon Market also offer a ton of fun food options. I guess this season is largely about cooking and eating for me. What better way to soothe my ennui?

I love to take photos in the Fall. Here's a mish mash of our busy weekends.

Quinn Farm on a busy fall day

I made the yummiest curry with one of these babies!!

loves the pumpkin patch, even in the rain

perusing the gift section...

Marche Jean Talon

Eyeing the goodies at the market

Blueberry Boy

Another happy day at Quinn Farm

I adore these two blueberry-inspired children's books: Blueberries for Sal & Blueberry Girl

Pictures for Daddy

This great family session was too adorable not to share. Amanda and her daughters wanted to do something sweet for dad, who's working in another province. We ran around the orchards being silly and captured some nice moments to make him smile when he's missing his best girls.

The Big Apple, and Apple Sauce

A long weekend in New York City is surprisingly delightful with a tiny human in your arms. Whereas a few years ago I would have enjoyed some solid party-going; this trip I took the time to visit a few real gems in this great city and fit in a little work as well. I had some meetings for the acting side of my world and since I have family in the city, I decided to bring my tiny girl with me to enjoy some touring and visiting with her auntie Leela and her soon-to-be husband, Marc. Sharing New York in the Springtime, with a young couple about to start their life together, is pretty darn special.

We wandered through Brooklyn, Central Park, Soho, Greenwich Village and Little Italy eating and chatting with people everywhere we went. It's delightful how travelling with children opens you up to strangers young and old. Being a parent is so universal, it is something so fundamental we have in common. We all love our kids, and we appreciate that in others I think. From the Hasidic gentleman who offered his seat on the subway, to the young Latina who brought us our world famous pizza, I found kindred spirits all over the great NYC. Folks who would smile knowingly at my squirmy baby as she nose-dives into my gourmet cupcake.

I'm constantly amazed by how well my little girl adapts and how much fun I have showing her new things. New York was warm and mild compared to the freakishly cold Spring in Montreal. We walked for miles and took the trains from sun-up to sundown. My dainty girl gazed calmly from her cozy spot in the Ergo baby carrier and waved at strangers, flashing her smile and making friends everywhere we went. Having kids can make the world seem like a scary place - your heart crawling around with a mind of its own, tiny and vulnerable. However, I prefer to see the friendlies everywhere; the majority of people; moms and dads; brothers and sisters who hold the door, give up their seat and laugh with you when your baby showers her date with lemonade.

The Big Apple is full of friendlies.

This was the expression on her face throughout the museum!

It's a Girl

On this International Women's Day, I am delighted to share this precious tiny new girl, Elizabeth. This is a wonderful time to be a girl. This little one's mom is a smart, successful, beautiful woman who was also raised by one (yes, I've gotten to meet grandma too). This generation of girls is unstoppable and I cannot wait to see what my daughter and her peers are able to accomplish. Now more than ever, girls can work wherever they want, love whomever they want and be whatever kind of person they are inspired to be. We still have far to go. I still have plenty of beefs about equality and gender roles, but I'll save that rant for another day.

I am proud to be a woman. I delight in my femininity. My body has grown and nourished two tiny humans and I have had the privilege of attending university and travelling and doing all the things I want to do. I have never felt limited by being a woman, quite the opposite. I am also keenly aware that I am a LUCKY girl. As a canadian, I'm already among the wealthy and free. I was also raised to know my worth, and I will raise my daughter to know hers. 

 This tiny girl, with her sweet grin reminds me of my own newborns... So fresh and new and trusting of their world. When I was giving birth to my daughter, I had a moment of connection: I felt connected in a very real way to all mothers, everywhere. I felt their love for their children and a common fierce desire to protect them. That feeling has stayed with me. My wish is that all mothers have the tools and the ability to care for their families and give them the life they deserve. 

Girls and women worldwide continue to fight for respect, equality and freedom. I firmly believe that educating and empowering women is the key to ending the cycle of poverty and inequality that many still struggle with. On this day, it is worth exploring how you can support one of these movements. All little girls deserve to know how amazing they are and what they are capable of. 

Check out: Because I'm a Girl

Click "read more" to see more of lovely Elizabeth

Sharing a Room

I may be crazy...

I have this wild notion that my kids need to learn to appreciate, tolerate and communicate with one another. We decided that our little ones will share a room (when Harriette moves out of ours that is...).  I have no doubt my kids love each other, but I think it's a wonderful opportunity to learn a great deal about managing relationships. Kids who share a bedroom space are given an opportunity to practice so many skills and virtues, and I think they'll be closer and better for it. We'll see how it goes.

Here's the "everyday" photoshoot we had on a sunny afternoon, playing in the KIDS room.

You can click the photo to see the whole shoot and check out my making-it-lovely-on-a-budget decor ;)

Jack made me a mummy

These are somewhat dated favourites of my beautiful boy. I share these because they capture my Jack exactly the way I wanted to. The wild curl falling towards his big blue eyes, a tiny bit of toddler chubbiness and his sweetness. Sweet like candy, this boy... 

Just 6 months later he is all arms and legs, lean and fast. His baby fat is gone and he uses a potty. It all happens so quickly. You can never have too many photos.

Everyday

Why capture the everyday stuff? Here's why I do it:

When I think about my childhood, I remember the wackiest stuff. The cold October day when we finally put our summer clothes away. My mother's jewellery and treasures placed on her dresser. The sun making warm patches on the hardwood floor... My past plays like a lo-fi movie in my head. I think nostalgia serves an important purpose; to turn our scattered images of the past into a collection of short stories. Stories that make sense (and hopefully make us smile or sigh wistfully *she sighs*) I love that I'm setting the scene for my children's memory movies. I think about this when I paint my home with bright, vibrant colours and when I set the table or tidy up toys. I feel like the designer, director and producer of the crafty little masterpiece of my family home. My house is rarely tidy, but I capture the details of our work and play in order to hang on to the "scenes" from these early days in my children's life. They might not remember that I place tiny surprises throughout the house to make them smile. They don't really care that I wash, peel, cut and serve fresh fruits and veggies for their midmorning snack on the floor for winter picnics... But I take pictures of all of it, so they'll know someday (and hopefully they'll call).

After lunch: block time