The Journey of a Friendly Giant

“You don’t look like you’ve had a baby.” I get that line a lot. I know it’s meant as a complement, but I always feel a bit insulted. It makes me wonder what is thought about women that don’t lose the pregnancy weight? That are curvier than me, or don’t have time to workout because they are too busy taking care of their high-needs baby? It also sort of undermines all of the hard work that I’ve put in to achieve my own goals. I’m sure you will notice that based on many of my posts; but What I struggle with most is being openly over-criticized during the process of motherhood. Parenting is hard enough as it is without getting constantly judged by every Jane, Dick and Joe that crosses your path. I also wonder what that says to them about the quality of my parenting? Does it suggest that I am a good parent or a bad one? The way that I look should have nothing to do with that information, people should instead gauge how well I’m doing, and how well any mother is doing based on how happy,heal...

Have you ever met someone that has heard of you before meeting you? This is happening to me more and more as my motivational speaking gains momentum, and I’ll never get over this strange phenomena. I’m always extra careful when meeting those people for the first time because I know I’m human, but sometimes they don’t! I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying that says something about how meeting people you admire could often lead to disappointment. I always tread lightly in these situations, and if I feel like I’ve been put on an unattainable pedestal, I’m quick to correct that misconception. It’s easy to make assumptions about those you don’t see on a regular basis. From a distance, everything looks much simpler than it is in reality, especially the lives of The trouble is, we do this almost unintentionally, which makes it difficult to monitor. It takes “ unlearning ” behaviour, which is much more difficult than learning something brand new for the first time, especially for adults....

It's very rare that your first time traveling will be your only time. Once exposed to the exciting and unpredictable newness that often comes with leaving home, the chances of you making more travel plans are very high. What I enjoy most about traveling is the reminder it gives me that life comes in different colours, flavours, tastes and smells. Traveling also does a wonderful job in teaching lessons of humility and tolerance of different ways to live life. I'm no rookie to the traveling game, my travel bug has become more of a monster; I've lived in over 5 countries and visited over 25 in my lifetime so far. In fact, this blog originated as a travel blog for an international internship I was fortunate enough to experience with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). I wouldn't be the person I am today without having traveled as much as I have, and I hope my now 14 month old (already!?) can say the same one day. Needless to say however, like most thi...

"So how's daycare going?" When I say ‘okay’… what I really want to say is that it’s not that great.  Daycare isn't getting easier for me, but it is getting easier for him (apparently). He still screams "MAMA!" every morning with big tear drops streaming down his face. It still crushes my heart every morning, (how can it not?...)  I'm not numb to his crying yet (What If I never am?)....  Plus I'm still breastfeeding so physiologically, and quite literally… I'm a hot mess. This is the beginning of week three, and he has now started crying for the entire 20-minute car ride to daycare. He then proceeds to fight me when I try to take him out of the car seat when we arrive. He's strong too! He has ripped a blouse and a necklace almost effortlessly because he didn't want to let go of me when I tried handing him off to the daycare attendants. He also head-butted one of them right in the mouth, taking her by surprise and frankly,...

Throwback Thursday anyone? 2009 post I’m proud to say that I’m one of the happy ones. Maybe not all of the time nor at every moment of life; but in general, my mood is a light and pleasant one filled with absolute marvel for the world and the people that I’m blessed to be surrounded with. I admire a lot of people, and appreciate the small things in life; like long conversations that effortlessly ripple through a plethora of topics about absolutely everything and nothing. I appreciate the strangers that say hello with smiles on their faces when they walk down the street. I appreciate the way the sky looks most of the time, it’s breathtaking to me, and instead of looking down at my smartphone all of the time, when I'm outdoors, my head is usually looking up directly at the sky awaiting the next masterpiece. I know it sounds a bit ridiculous, and a lot of people think I’m faking the joy that I seem to exude, but I feel sorry for those people because they’re dead wrong. Alas...

In today’s world, it’s easy to be sad; especially if you’re an empathetic person that reads the paper, listens to the news, and sees the world as harshly and as vulgarly as the media portrays it daily. In today’s world it’s easy to lack confidence in yourself; especially if you’re online and connected to several social media outlets; constantly comparing your everyday life, to the exciting highlights of your seemingly effortlessly attractive, adventurous and worry-free friends. Nonetheless, despite the constant negative influences that are force-fed to us on a regular basis, there are strange people among us, people like mysel f, who manage to find happiness despite the lack of absolute perfection in their lives. I happen to be in a field of work that encourages me to motivate other people. This position has taught me a lot about myself, and about the commonality between absolute strangers. (Ironically distracting side note about  Social Media) : It's a powerful tool that ...

If you have a Facebook or an Instagram Acccount, I’m sure you’ve seen the following image: However, despite the cynicism around New Years resolution, I’m still a fan and here’s why.       1.    I love a challenge       2.    And I'm one of those annoying people that always stick to my resolutions. Last year, my goal for the year was to read more books and spend as much time outdoors as possible. At the time I let my life get so busy that I didn’t make time for things I truly enjoyed. Both of my resolutions were revolved around improving my overall happiness. How did I accomplish this goal? Firstly, when my husband and I moved to our new home, we chose not to get Internet or Cable. (My brother still things I’m crazy for living this way.)  Now, after dinner, instead of zoning out in front of a glowing screen, we go for walks together. Instead of lazily scrolling through Facebook for hours on end, we both read. ...

Journal blog post: Word for word. 10/12/2014 The world makes it easy for everyone to be fake. In fact, there are countless examples, where falsehood is celebrated, admired and envied. Take Kim Kardashian for example; she faked her way through an awful sex-tape, and several failed relationships with several famous men to get her name, her face and the other body parts that she flaunts, on the map. Then she “breaks the internet” by exposing her cosmetically enhanced, and generously photoshopped naked body for the world to see. People are still talking about those photos, which makes me wonder how many children have seen it as well… probably too many by now... Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against Mrs. Kanye West; she’s just doing what she needs to do to get the attention she craves… However, she is the prime example of a superficial society being influenced by the physically beautiful people of the world. Even if her beauty has been cosmetically enhanced, it ...