The Blog on Fire Awards: And the awards go to...

Mandi of Smile and Mama with Me just awarded me the Blog on Fire award! How cool is that? No, you're right, it's not cool at all. It's HOT! Just look at it. It's got flames! Flames!!!

I am flattered to be selected. Thanks Mandi! I'll do my best to live up to the honour.

As a recipient of the award I must tell you 7 things about myself and finally pass on the award to 10 other deserving bloggers. 

Check out my posts for The Stylish Blogger Award and The Versatile Blogger Award for some interesting tidbits about me and some links to other fabulous bloggers.

I'm starting to feel like the well is running dry and I'm not sure what else there is to say about me, so this time I asked some friends for inspiration.  

Thanks to MamaRobinJ, CoolBeanMommas, DonutsMama, MamaWantsThis, MultitaskMumma and the one and only 'hubby' for the ideas and questions that inspired these 7 things about me:

1. Inspired by Rach of Life With Baby Donut: What is it that you love about knitting and gardening? There's something peaceful about these pursuits. The analytical part of the brain - the worrying part of the brain - turns off and focuses gently on a single task. It's very zen like... yet I am accomplishing something tangible. For someone like me who has a hard time with things like meditation (though I'm trying), peaceful activity is just the ticket!

2. Inspired by Alison of Mama Wants This: What are your biggest pet peeves? This could be an entire post... but... I'll share a few for now.

• People who walk through a door that I was holding open for my small child, thus positioning themselves between my small child and I, practically running us both over in the process. Can you say 'oblivious'?
• People who step in front of my moving stroller causing me to stop suddenly, jamming the stroller handle into my abdomen, rather than run them over. You're welcome! Have a nice day!
• People who drive 25km (that's 15 miles) under the speed limit. This typically co-occurs with a low-seated posture requiring an intense craning of the neck over the steering wheel. I suppose I would drive that slow too if I had absolutely no peripheral view.

Hmm... I'm sensing a traffic-related theme here.

3. A question from Robin of Farewell Stranger: How many places have you lived? Well, let's see: Born in London, grew up in Brampton and Ottawa, university (the first time) in Halifax, bought my own place in Mississauga, and then moved here to Calgary. That's... six! That's different from the number of times I have moved which is... just doing the math... 11 times! Yeesh. That's probably enough for a lifetime, but chances are I'm not done yet.

4. A question from Rachel of Cool Bean Mommas: Tell us about a funny labour incident! Well, the whole labour experience is sort of funny to me. I spent the whole eve of the day that Jack was born cleaning curtains, covers on bolster pillows, dusting the tops of very high things - you know... nesting. Only I didn't acknowledge that it was nesting, because Jack wasn't due for another three weeks. I put towels in the bed and the car in case my water broke while I was being perfectly still (???). Well, my water broke that very night ...over the toilet. Convenient, no? We arrived at the hospital, carefully packed bag in hand, breathing lessons under our belts. My contractions were 2 minutes apart almost instantly and Jack was born about 4 hours later. There was no time to breathe. There was only time to hold on (to hubby, of course) for dear life. The only thing I needed from that damn bag that I didn't have was a hair elastic (labour is one sweaty endeavour)! I'm still shocked to this day that I didn't swear... not even once (those that know me well know what a truly remarkable thing this is).

5. Inspired by my husband: Maybe you could talk about how your mom was a Girl Guide leader, so you learned to always be prepared. Yes, that's why I am often annoyingly ready for any eventuality and why I pack only as lightly as is absolutely necessary. I can carry everything I need for an outing in the tiniest of purses... but I'd rather not. Or you could talk about how your mom was an English major who always corrected you when you spoke, so you turned into a grammar Nazi. It's true. I am incapable of reading something without correcting the grammar at the same time.  I guess what my husband is saying is that two of my best skills - which are also two of my strongest neuroses - are my mom's doing. Thanks mom... I think.

6. A question from Leighann of Multitasking Mumma: Would you ever move tomorrow without your belongings for $10,000,000? Oh, yes, most definitely! Can I take my pictures? No? (I suppose I could get around that by uploading them all to Flickr.) There's something about starting over that is very appealing. We all get attached to our stuff. Stuff can be replaced (especially if I now have 10,000,000 bones)! Plus stuff can be a burden. Stuff needs to be taken care of it. It would be nice to let it all go... at least for a little while. Man, what I could do with $10,000,000!

7. And one more question from Robin of Farewell Stranger: What's your dream holiday? This is pretty easy - well... easy to describe - not so easy to execute. First of all, my dream holiday is LOOOONG - at least a month. It involves plenty of warm (not too hot) weather and sunshine, opportunities to hike and bike and explore the countryside, opportunities to meet the locals and share in their customs, great local food and drink, plenty of opportunity to rest, read and write, and regular massages. Ideally I will not have to cook or clean at all, and, while I'm dreaming, Oprah will have a few of her favourite things waiting for me at the hotel when I arrive. I should stop there. Really, I should have stopped at massages, but I think it's important to dream BIG!

And now to pass the torch to 10 of my deserving blog-mates. These ladies' blogs are smokin' hot! Drop by and show them some comment love!

1. Stasha of The Good Life - Stasha takes really wonderful photos. Check out her 365 project. She also hosts Monday Listicles, which has inspired a number of my own posts.

2. Galit of These Little Waves - Galit's blog is just so beautiful. It's the Mercedes to my Chevrolet. Galit is a mom, a writer, and a supportive friend to her fellow bloggers.

3. Amanda of Lilahbility - Amanda's blog is full of photos of her little angel, Lilah. I challenge you to find a cuter kid than Lilah (other than mine, of course).

4. Barbara of Footprints in the Sand - Barbara is so supportive of my little blog! She has a lovely family and lives in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

5. Jen of Runner Mom - Jen is an inspiration to me. She lives a healthy and environmentally conscious life. Her posts are honest and highly entertaining.

6. Kimberly of Zook Book Nook - She's a writer-mama who writes about the link between writing and motherhood, and shares tips for staying fresh in the blogging world.

7. Carla of Mrs. No-No Knows - Mrs. No-No is your new best friend! Don't know what to make for dinner this week? Check out her weekly meal plans and recipes for ideas.

8. Britt of Changing Diapers and Taking Names - Britt is your host for the Momday Monday Twitter hop and Wine Down Wednesday Blog Hop. She also shares some fabulous recipes with readers.

9. Theresa of A Mountain Momma - Theresa is a mom of two, just trying to make it all work. We can relate! She's not afraid to voice her opinion and stand up for what she believes in. Love that!

10. Hillary of Superhero Princess - Hillary is a teacher and mom who has great insights into the workings of the school-aged mind. She's believes in helping kids to develop social, communication and relationship skills. She's a real life hero.

Guess Where I Am?

Good morning moms, dads and other stalkers! Guess where I am? 

Have you ever quietly abandoned your task in the kitchen and tiptoed past your happily playing child just so that you could go to the bathroom by yourself?

Did it work?

Most of the time, it doesn’t work for me. My child has dog-like hearing and eyes in the back of his head (wasn’t I supposed to develop those after becoming a mom?).

But today, it worked! And here I am… writing this post, checking my mail, breathing deeply. Ahh. I can hear my happy child singing and playing. It’s fabulous. I highly recommend spending secret time away from your child, within earshot.

He’s fine. He’s Happy. No need to feel guilty. So why is that I do?

Partly it’s because my child is currently waiting for me to finish my kitchen task so I can play dinosaurs with him. Partly it’s because I’m a mom and it comes with the territory.

Do I feel ridiculous sitting in the bathroom typing on my laptop (just so you’re not repulsed by the wrong image, I am sitting on a stool… not ‘the throne’)? Ya, a little.

Ideally I would have the fortitude to write while my son is tugging at my clothes and begging me – admist screams and stomps - to play with him. Or, alternatively, I would have the ability to say ‘no’ and that utterance would have the desired effect.

Oh well. This works too.

“Maaaaaaahm! Where arrrrrre you?”

I’ve been discovered.

“I’m in the baaaathroom. Be right therrrrre!”

Well, I feel refreshed. Time to be enthusiastic about dinosaurs. Rawr!

Have a fantastic Friday!

The Versatile Blogger Awards: And the awards go to...

The talented and refreshingly honest Rachel of Cool Bean Mommas recently awarded me The Versatile Blogger award! Nice, huh? And then, a few days later, I received the award from a new bloggy-buddy, Beth of Far From Camelot! Thank-you so much ladies! I am honoured.

 So, what IS a versatile blogger? Well, if variety is the key, then I guess I qualify. Here at Cookie's Chronicles I write about parenting, home life, food, knitting, writing and whatever else suits my various moods. At Cookie's Book Club, I indulge my passion for books with book review and interviews with new and noteworthy authors.

According to tradition, having received the Versatile Blogger Award, I must share 7 things about myself with all of you and then award 10 fabulous new (to me) bloggers the Versatile Blogger Award.

I recently shared 7 things about me after receiving the Stylish Blogger Award.

Here are 7 more things you may not know about me:

1. I have great ideas. I am extremely good at starting new things. In fact, I have approximately 1,746 things on the go at any one time. I'm not the best at finishing things however. If I ever finish just one really great thing and become rich as a result, I shall hire a personal finisher to finish things for me.

2. I don't like blue cheese or anything else that looks and smells like it came from the south end of a north-bound seagull.

3. I'm not sure what my freebie list says about me, but here it is. Join me in a sigh of appreciation for the glory of these fabulous men: Johnny Depp, Daniel Craig, Matthew Fox, Robert Downey Jr, Brad Pitt.

I mean no disrespect to my loving husband by sharing this list. In fact, in the spirit of equality I will now share his freebie list: Charlize Theron, Olivia Wilde, Elle MacPherson, Anne Hathaway, Evangeline Lilly. I actually had to help my husband with his list, and of course his first pick was me, bless him.

4. I despise socks. No, really. The way they twirl around my feet so that the heel is always at the front and the seam is twisted under my toes. The way they hide from each other in the dryer. They're sneaky little devils. The way black and dark blue socks can be paired together when dressing on a dark winter morning and later reveal their embarrassing true colours in the bright light of day. Socks, be warned: If ye are found with a hole, without your partner or in anyway conspiring to undermine the comfort of the foot ye belong to, ye shall be tossed into the trash faster that ye can say Argyle!

5. Water. Jo. Agua. Eau. Wasser. Of all the wonderous liquid substances the world has to offer, WATER is my favourite (Appleton's Jamaican Rum is a close second). However you say it, nothing quenches thirst like water. Nothing soothes an aching body like a hot water bath. The sound of running water is like food for the soul.

6. I love music (I may have alluded to this the last time I shared 7 things about myself). I can't actually imagine life without it. When people ask the desert island question - what three things would I bring to a desert island (assuming I had the foresight to pack them in the unlikely event of an emergency) - music is always the first thing I think of. Books come second. Ideally, I would own a waterproof, solar powered iPad or tablet loaded with all of my favourite songs and the best books of all time. That would leave me with space for two other things: some sort of universal knife that includes a magnifying glass (for starting fires) and fishing line. Interesting that I go to comfort (music and books) first before basic needs.

7. If I have a motto it is this: Life is too short to drive under the speed limit.

And now to pass on the Versatile Blogger Award to 10 fabulous and versatile bloggers who I have come to know and admire.

Here I considered two things when deciding who to pass the award onto. First, I looked at how versatile these bloggers are. These ladies and gents write about many things while still relating it all to their central theme, and they do it well! I also wanted to award it to fabulous new bloggers. As a new blogger myself, receiving this award was fantastic feedback for me. It told me that I was doing something right and inspired me to keep going! To these new bloggers I say, keep up the great work!

1. Bruna of Bees with Honey. We have the same 'friendship motto': "the more, the merrier."

2. Rach of Life with Baby Donut. We both refer to our kids as a dessert item.

3. Kimberly of Mama's Monologues. She's a stay-at-home mom like me with three - yes, I said three - boys!

4. Abby of Mommy Moments with Abby. She runs a daycare and has the best craft and activity ideas to try with your own children!

5. Christine of The Aums. She and I share a love of books, and a desire to pass this love onto our children.

6. Ado of The Momalog. She and I both had to do 'this' without our parents to guide us. I love this line from her bio: "Whenever I get smug and think I’ve figured something out, it all changes…because children keep on growing and in their wake, I do, too." Too true, Ado.

7. Stephanie of Meatless Mouthfuls. I love that she's trying to eat out less, prepare and serve healthy food to her family and pass on a love of cooking and good food to her kids. I'm going to be checking out Stephanie's blog often for tips and great recipes.

8. Marisa Frank. She's a mom of four who works hard to keep herself and her family in good health.

9. Michelle of Mummy Loves Tea. She's crazy about tea. Really that would be enough for me, but she also has a way of making me think about life's deep subjects. I LOVE that.

10. Christina of Spilled Milkshake. She's a mother of six - SIX! - with a chronic illness, and she's sharing her challenges and her triumphs with the world. You're an inspiration to us all, Christina!

Congratulations ladies!

Please pay these ladies a visit and show them how great this mommy blogger community of ours really is. They'd love to hear from you!

My Own Words: Guest Blogging at The White Words

I'm guest blogging today!

My post, I Choose Community, not Competition is featured today at The White Words. Please stop by and share your thoughts.

While you're there, check out the rest of Anne's blog. She's really pretty awesome! Be sure to tell her Cookie's Mom sent you.

I Took The Mom Pledge

I didn't need much of a nudge to take this pledge. Thanks to Cristi of Motherhood Unadorned for the prompt.

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This pledge is not just for bloggers. It's also important for readers and commenters to read the words and take the pledge. It's about supporting each other, empowering each other and not bullying each other. So please consider taking The Mom Pledge by clicking here.

The Mom Pledge

I am a proud to be a mom. I will conduct myself with integrity in all my online activities. I can lead by example.

I pledge to treat my fellow moms with respect. I will acknowledge that there is no one, “right” way to be a good Mom. Each woman makes the choices best for her family.

I believe a healthy dialogue on important issues is a good thing. I will welcome differing opinions when offered in a respectful, non-judgmental manner. And will treat those who do so in kind.

I stand up against cyber bullying. My online space reflects who I am and what I believe in. I will not tolerate comments that are rude, condescending or disrespectful.

I refuse to give those who attack a platform. I will remove their remarks with no mention or response. I can take control.

I want to see moms work together to build one another up, not tear each other down. Words can be used as weapons. I will not engage in that behavior.

I affirm that we are a community. As a member, I will strive to foster goodwill among moms. Together, we can make a difference.

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Join the community here and take the pledge!

The Stylish Blogger Awards

The lovely Robin of Farewell, Stranger, recently honoured me with the Stylish Blogger Award! I can't tell you how it has inspired me. It's been a rough year (we've had many nasty colds), and I lost a bit of steam this past week... or has it been two weeks? Let's just say that May has not been a stellar posting month. But now, armed with some killer antibiotics and encouragement from Robin, I'm ready to put my best face forward again. Thanks for the award, Robin, and thank-you for your honesty and bravery in sharing your travels through motherhood! You are an inspiration!

According to tradition, having received the Stylish Blogger Award, I must share 7 things about myself with all of you and then award 10 fabulous new (to me) bloggers the Stylish Blogger Award.

Okay, all set? Got yourself a mug of tea or a cup of joe? Feet up, nice and relaxed? Here are 7 things you may not know about me:

1. I have freakishly accurate Name That Tune skills. Seriously. I can hear as little as one bar of an obscure song and tell you its name and artist. Music so pervades my brain matter that I remember lyrics and guitar riffs more easily than anything, including what I just ate for lunch. If I want to remember something, I just need to set it to music.

2. I dislike housecleaning intensely. In fact, I'm not a fan of domestic life in general. Occasionally I get the urge to cook something, but if I take a few deep, cleansing breaths it passes soon enough. I exaggerate slightly. I am told that I make an amazing assortment-of-stuff-we-had-in-the-fridge snack tray, and I'm pretty good with a blender. I really don't like to cook, but I do like to eat. I'm always on the lookout for easy and delicious meal ideas, so if you've got one, I want it! I'll share some of my favourites here too. I don't want to see anyone waste any more time than is necessary in the kitchen (unless they're having a party).

3. I would like to try martial arts, but I'm so uncoordinated I'm afraid I'd kick my own butt.

4. If I won the lottery, I'd be a professional student. I'd be totally lazy about it and skip lots of classes, but I'd still learn a bunch. I love to learn new things. Also, if I won the lottery, I'd travel the world! I'd learn a lot on the road. Right. Scratch the professional student career. Who needs an education when you have money? On second thought, scratch the world travelling thing too. If I won the lottery, I would eat out every day - all day. Of course, I could do that while I travel. Un-scratch the travelling thing. Boy, being a millionaire is a more complicated than I thought!

5. I like hiking, camping, a big roaring fire, and any other way that I can zen out (that doesn't involve meditating - every time I try to meditate I end up planning how I will redecorate the living room - it gets expensive). I love the outdoors, but as I get older I become more of a fairweather outdoor enthusiast. In the summer, I try to get out as much as I can. In the winter, I'd much rather watch this video of a crackling fire and eat marshmallows out of a bag than go outside.

6. I would like to learn how to play golf, without all the whining and swearing. I hear it can be done.

7. I'm a passionate person. I have a hard time NOT standing up for the little guy. It gets me into trouble sometimes. I'm trying to learn to pick my battles and to focus my energy on creating positive change in the world. Though I've always had an ability to see both sides of an argument, I'm still working on appreciating all of the ways of looking at a thing. I'm trying to find a balance between voicing an opinion and standing up when it is right to do so, and being open to seeing things in a new way.

And now to pass on the Stylish Blogger Award to 10 fabulous bloggers who I have recently come to know and love.

First a word about the award. If I was being videotaped (with my knowledge) while blogging, I would probably endeavour to be stylish in the nice shoes, love the hair sense of the word. But since no one can actually see me, I'm happily typing away in my 'comfy pants'.

So if it's not about our clothing or hairstyles, what does it mean to be a stylish blogger?

These very deserving bloggers - some of them writers or aspiring writers, some of them moms, some of them both writers and moms - have plenty of style. Being a stylish blogger, in my view, is about being bold and brave, and sometimes venturing where no blogger has gone before with beautiful results.

With this award I honour the way these ladies present themselves, their honesty, their creativity, their sense of humour and their sharing nature. Thanks to all of you for the laughs, the tears, the encouragement and the support!

1. The lovely and talented, Ashley Graham - She's caring and supportive of fellow writers and bloggers and a great Twitter friend!  Check out her top tweets of the week. Yes, she's already received numerous awards from her peers, but she's worthy of a few more.

2. Tonya of Letter for Lucas - Like me, Tonya uses her blog about life as the stay-at-home mother of a young boy as a means of therapy. I wonder how many times the words SAHM and therapy appear together in a sentence. Tonya, I hear you girl!

3. Rachel of Cool Bean Mommas - She's very funny and original, and her food posts make me salivate... almost enough to cook. Even though I have one child and not three like Rachel, I still relate to her Mommy Evolution post. I started this gig full of energy, armed with a camera, scrapbook and plenty of crafty ideas to stimulate my child's creativity, and now consider it a good day if my child has been fed and has matching socks.

4. Carri of Adventures in Mommyhood - She understands that being a good mom and a love of vodka can co-exist. Her blog is super stylin'. She's getting lots of follower love already, but there's a good reason for that. She's blunt and hilarious! Bottoms up, Carri!

5. Kim of Let Me Start by Saying... - She wrote one of the most tragically beautiful posts I've read in a long time (Exhale). I'm grateful for her honesty and her courage, and for giving me a benchmark to measure my own writing against.

6. Leighann of Multitasking Mumma - Her recent Vlog still has me chuckling. She's won this award before too, with good reason. She's another brutally honest blogger (I'm sensing a trend here), and the results are highly entertaining. Thanks for the laughs, Leighann.

7. "J" and "S" at Venti With the Girls - Their posts are thoughtful and funny. On Mondays they host a Monday Vent. Let it all out! Then come back at the end of the week for Bright Side Friday to express your gratitude for the good stuff.

8. Louise Wise of Wise Words - Louise supports her fellow authors by showcasing their works on her blog. She also supports other bloggers by featuring writing or book-related articles that have resonated with her. She's a friend to the self-published author and all lovers of books!

9. Elizabeth Ann West of EA West Writing - She provides a wealth of information to would be writers on her own journey to becoming a self-published author.

10. Nicole of My Idealife - Nicole is a new blogger like me, a mom like me, and I find her musings on motherhood highly amusing. Show her some comment love!

Blogger is Back Up

Well, maybe no one even noticed... after all my blog is still just a baby. But if you were wondering what happened to my latest post, here is your answer. Blogger had some technical difficulties and was shut down for about a day, and many posts were temporarily removed. Hopefully, my post will be back soon.

Still under the weather here, so I have nothing to report today anyway. Just hangin' with the Jackster lamenting the multitudes of things I am not accomplishing. Oh well. Life is about moments not milestones. There's nothing on my to-do list that hasn't waited so long it can't wait a little longer! At least I'm with an adorable and charming little boy who makes me laugh.

I hope you and yours are well!

TGIF! Have a fantastic weekend!

I'm twitterpated!

It's springtime! A time of year when all of the world's creatures become twitterpated.

Term:	twitterpated
Part of Speech:	adj
Definition:	confused by affection or infatuation
Etymology:	twitter + -pated 'pertaining to the head'

                                              Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/twitterpated

If you've ever watched Bambi (it's ok, you can tell me), you're familiar with the term. If you haven't, here's a snippet:




I was lying in bed this morning, not sleeping (Jack woke me up to get him a blanket in the middle of the night), and thinking about the previous day. Yesterday I created a Twitter account. I kid you not. You can now follow me on Twitter - just click on the bright blue button somewhere over there------>.

Since it's inception, I've been talking about how ridiculous the concept of tweeting is. Why do I need to know what Amy is doing every minute of the day. Amy is waiting in line for coffee to go. Amy just found a quarter on the Subway! Amy is bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.

Well, I see now that it can actually be a useful tool, particularly if you're a blogger. There are a few interesting people and companies that I can follow on Twitter, and then decide if I want to visit their web page to learn more. It saves me time. I get many quick bits of info without having to visit many different sites. I can also tweet about my own blog entries, keep my viewers informed and save them some time too.

Still I was laying there this morning thinking to myself that I'd sold out. How could I have changed my tune seemingly overnight? And then it hit me. It's spring. And I am twitterpated! In that state a person will do all sorts of crazy things, like becoming attracted to something she once had no interest in.

Spring is in the air people. Watch your step!