What I wore

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I went to the office yesterday and today, a year ago that would’ve been normal, now it is super exciting and a reason to get out of leggings!

I wore two of my new favourite pieces:

Yesterday I wore grey Frame Le High Skinny Jeans (With a Noisy May sweater).

Today I wore a ruffled BB Dakota sweater (with black Citizens of Humanity corduroy jeans)

I loved both looks, made me wish more people were at the office! That said I did see a few colleagues that I haven’t seen in a long long time, which was so nice and felt so normal in spite of the (not pictured) masks!

Byeee 2020…we’re all moving on!

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Good morning 2021!

Last night was a nice family night at home, but also sad. I have always, for many years anyway, celebrated New Year’s Eve with friends and really missed it. Although I loved having my kids with me, they too should’ve been celebrating with their friends. We ordered pizza, watched Soul, and the first two episodes of Bridgerton, and enjoyed the night.

2020 was a difficult year for all of us, including my family.

In particular isolating, school closures, and lock-downs have been very hard for us emotionally. There are so many people and things we have missed-and we love socializing. There are a lot of articles to talk about the mental health and emotional cost of loneliness, and I definitely feel that that’s true. Of course we are lucky that was our biggest problem; we know that there are people that have lost their homes, their jobs, their livelihoods, their loved ones. But it hasn’t been easy.

There have been good things as well though. We’ve had lots of family time, had a great summer together with lots of outdoors time, gotten closer to some people, and gotten some distance from others. I’ve read loads of good books (check out my goodreads list here), watched loads of good shows, and rediscovered my love of board games with my family. Zoe has been learning to drive, done great in school (Although grade 12 is not the way it should be and it is heartbreaking that all kids are ending their high school education in this way) and already been accepted to one university. Charlotte just turned 12 and has been reading a ton and doing great in school. I have slowly been getting back to the highway (This time last year I was in the middle of EDMR therapy from the highway driving anxiety, which is supposed to be very effective but did not work for me).

Physically, I’m doing great! I continue to be no evidence of disease, I did find a small lump close to my incision in my right breast late in the summer, and was very fearful of a recurrence. A mammogram and ultrasound indicated that it is a build up of fat from the surgical trauma, I have never been so happy to hear that I have excess fat.

Although I was not trying to lose weight this year, the combination of eating at home a lot more, lots of walks, regular exercising, and healthier eating has led me to lose about 15 pounds… I’m very happy with the way my body looks and feels right now! I started off the year with a lot of spinning, then did body combat program by Les Mills, lots more spinning, and currently I’m doing a mixture of Les Mills programs including bodycombat, bodyattack, and the trip which has amazing spin classes.

Now it’s a new year, I’m trying to think if I have any resolutions. I guess, as much as things have changed, they have also stayed the same so my resolutions are the same as most years.

-Stay fit and active

-Be healthy

-Be kinder

-Be in better contact with my friends (pick up the phone more! Texting is easy but it’s just not the same as talking, especially during these times), and make some new friends

-Talk more and gossip less

-Be a kinder, more thoughtful, more present, wife and mother.

I wish that today would just automatically make everything better after the horror that was 2020, I know that’s not going to happen, but I truly believe things are going in the right direction, and 2021 will be a better year!

I don’t even know how to title this

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A few days ago, somebody posted this. As a result of my response to it, and someone else’s response to that, I have now lost a friend.



As a breast cancer survivor, I’m aware of a lot of things.

I’m aware that breast cancer is not pink or sexy. It’s scars and missing or misshapen breasts.

I’m aware that breast cancer is not about boobs or football players or cute T-shirts or catch phrases. It’s about men and women fighting for their lives every single day. It’s about going onto my support groups, and every single day seeing a post that at least one person has died. It’s about treatments that take away parts of our body, our hair, burn off our skin, take away our fertility, and our ability to neach menopause naturally…and that’s all if we live, and don’t have “severe” side effects.

I’m also aware that a lot of money, and research, and awareness goes towards breast cancer. I’m aware that it seems like breast cancer gets more than its fair share of this. I’m also aware that that’s because breast cancer gets more than its fair share of death, it is the second leading cause of death of women in North America, 20% of female deaths are due to cancer and the majority of them are breast cancer. That, not because it’s about boobs, is why there is so much advocacy, awareness, and research.

However, as a human, I’m also aware that regardless of what “my“ condition is, there are a lot of other life altering and life-threatening illnesses out there. There are so many different kinds of cancer, and so many other illnesses such as MS, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, fibromyalgia, heart disease, stroke, non-cancerous tumors, mental illness…the list goes on and on.

It’s important to me to recognize that, this is why I choose to fundraise for, donate to, and support so many different important causes! Far more than breast cancer, truth be told. I have the tax receipts to prove it!

However, as a breast cancer survivor (who will quite possibly have a recurrence one day) and a mother, it’s very important to me that breast cancer is not minimized. Yes it gets so much money and research and awareness, however I won’t apologize for the attention and research breast cancer gets. Remember; second leading cause of death of women. Think about that. Think about what that means to you if you are a woman, or a mother of women. One out of eight women will get breast cancer.

If you want to post something about another illness, please do! Most people that know me should know that I support everything, I donate to nearly every thing that my friends fundraise for. That’s a goal I made for myself and have kept. I am happy to share an support whatever matters to you. What matters to my friends matters to me. I always want to learn more about other situations, and share, and educate.

Illness and suffering is not a contest or a competition. There is no need to minimize, put down, or make light of another disease to highlight whatever you or your loved one is suffering from. I would never do that, and if I saw someone do that, even to highlight breast cancer, I would speak up against it. I expect the same. If you’re going to post something that minimizes breast cancer, then expect me to push back. If you’re not cool with that, you’re not supportive of me.

Since the original post was meant to educate and inform about diabetes, which I think is a very important cause, I will share some of the own information that I found. Click here to donate to JRDF.