Real Life

The Present is Peace #PeaceDoveProject

by Jenn & Chris on December 13, 2014

The other night, we were all discussing how to prep our kids to not expect a million presents under the tree. We each lamented the consumerism in today’s world and how badly we wanted our kids to understand the importance of giving back in the holiday season.

Then our friend Jacquie piped up about the Peace Dove Project.

Jacquie has a heart of gold, a generous spirit and enough energy to match a dozen people. Her and her husband decided this year they wanted their kids to focus on something different. To focus on Peace and understanding the importance of it. So they created the #PeaceDoveProject. A simple idea to teach kids how to think globally.

The intent is simple. Rather than giving typical, uninteresting, uninspired gifts to parents, friends, teachers, family and more…

Give them a dove. A dove with a portion of a map included. A dove with a mission. A dove to inspire a peace initiative at Christmas time.

A very simple process and a great afternoon craft idea.

How to make the Peace Dove

Grab a piece of thick white felt. (the sturdier the better)
Use the template below to cut out a dove. (On a typical 8.5 X 10 sheet, you can get approx. 5 doves)
Cut a slit in the middle of the dove
Take a piece of map (Either buy one map of the world or download maps off the internet)
Fold it accordion style (back and forth vs folding it in to itself)
Slip through the middle of the dove to make the wings
Add ribbon to the top
Gift to someone special
Help spread peace and love around the world

Below are some great awareness, action ideas and template for you to use to make your own Dove gifts.

The Present is Peace

The white dove is a recognized sign of peace.

This dove has been made especially for you and is intended to guide you on an experience of spreading peace this holiday season.

Your dove’s wings are made from a unique page of the atlas of the world.

Open up your dove’s wings.

What country or region did you get?

Let’s pretend that this dove flew to you and you have the opportunity to send a message of peace back.

What could you give?

You are encouraged to use this region as inspiration to add peace to the world.

We believe that as you spread peace, you will receive it back with joy and hope in the mix too!

Some ideas for exploring peace in your dove’s region could be:

Awareness:

What is currently in the local or international news for the region?
Consider what peace or lack of it looks and feels like in this region?
How are women, children, and minorities treated in the area?
How do they say peace in the language of the region?
Are there peace heroes in the area?

Action Ideas:

Give financially to peace work in this region through a trusted charity.
Make a friend or acquaintance from your dove’s region.
Write a letter or take a stand for an issue relating to peace.
Learn and share a song or story of peace in the tradition of the region.
Volunteer here at home for the issues facing your dove’s region (ie. literacy, poverty or hunger)

Please share with us the region you got and what you are doing for your peace impact at the PeaceDoveProject Facebook Page

On Twitter @PeaceDoveProj

Use #PeaceDoveProject on FB, Twitter and Instagram to spread the peace.

We sincerely hope that as you explore peace this holiday season you will receive it back abundantly and it will become your best holiday present!

Jacquie and Family have a goal of 500 peace initiatives this Christmas.

I think we can blow that out of the water. Will you do the #PeaceDoveProject?

Family Matters

I can’t find my underwear – Surviving a reno

by Jenn & Chris on December 11, 2014

I have just been walking around naked in my house for the last 15 minutes.

Not because I’m being flirty with the hubs or because I’ve just gotten out of the shower.

It’s cause I can’t find my underwear.

Who knew underwear might very well be my downfall?

A few weeks ago, we experienced a series of hardwood accidents (the floor has begun to splinter) that finally had us admit it was time to get new floors. That prompted a super quick search for a good deal and even faster installation plan. We found a fantastic offer that fit within our budget (Damn, flooring is expensive!) and made arrangements to have them installed this week.

Yes, this week.

You know, between the party we had on Saturday and the party we are having this coming Sunday? Yes. Sunday.

Hope we will still be like this at their age.

Why on earth would we do something like this at this time of year? Because we kind of had to (in for a penny in for a pound) and because we were given a great incentive on the installation. Of course we did. Cause who else would be moronic enough to replace their floors two weeks before Christmas?

A number of friends have said that this has Jenn written all over it. Is it because I’m a person that just tackles whatever is in front of her and gets it done regardless of the effort it takes to get there? Or is it because I have overloaded us to a degree that is baffling to them? Their world not being the same comfort zone as mine in terms of events, logistics, etc..?

I have done events for 90,000 people, managed rallies with 2,000 motorcycles, organized massive road shows and demo programs across Canada. I live and breath in a world where Plan to Fail and Fail to Plan is the norm. Where flexibility and adaptability are a person’s best game.

But this one might break me.

I’m not sure what it is exactly. Managing the kids logistics in with our own? Trying to coordinate a plan when the timing isn’t quite working? My Type A personality causing way too much anxiety with how “apart and strewn about” the house is? We’ve done renos before but surviving a reno is always a challenge. No?

This is where #TeamPowell truly makes our magic happen.

Both of us are keenly aware that we are on the high rung of the stress ladder right now (work for each of us has been epic busy the last few weeks) but I see us striving to have each other’s back. We recognize that emotions are raw right now and are very careful to not take it out on the other. (This was something we learned was crucial when we quit smoking).

We are working to find moments to have fun in the midst of the chaos. To laugh.

and right now I think its hysterical that I can’t find my underwear.

Family Matters

Today was tough

by Jenn & Chris on December 10, 2014

Mom Says:

I just finished a most positive Twitter Chat about advice. I could have used some advice today.

Today, I accompanied my son and his class on a field trip to a Pioneer Village. At first, he didn’t want to go, caught in his literal mind that people have died in the past and that if he went he would die as well. (This is one of those “Autism quirks” I don’t quite understand. (Literal interpretations get him stuck and any kind of mention of death completely derails him.)

We talked it through and eventually he was excited about going. His teacher this year is epic. Kind. Respected. A perfect mix of gentle and firm. The enthusiasm of the class trip won over and we suddenly had an excited little man.

We had our usual challenges when we got there. Wandering, talking out of turn, changing the subject to suit him but for the most part he was excited and engaged.

After lunch, we had a chance to wander in our smaller group to explore. We ended up in the Blacksmith workshop. He was excited to watch and describe what the blacksmith was doing. (Giggles from a group from another school) Loudly, he asked the Blacksmith if he would be his friend. (Laughing from another school). He turned to the people beside him and said “Why are you laughing at me? (more laughs and mimicking voices). This went on for a couple of minutes. He would listen intently to what the Blacksmith had to say and then repeat “Will you be my friend?” Cue more giggles and Spence got hurt.

I didn’t know what to do.

My stomach felt like I got gut punched, my heart physically ached, my throat tight. I was desperate not to burst into tears and scream at all these kids about how much of an asshole they were being, how collectively their laughs felt cruel and sporty. I saw my son hurt and I was lost on how to make it better.

I took him aside and asked him how he was feeling.

OK? He looked so confused. He said “Mom, why were those kids laughing? They weren’t being very nice.” No they weren’t and for him, it was that simple. But it affected him and for the rest of the trip he struggled. Lost from how mean they were and struggling to understand. So was I.

Dad says:

I get all this second hand, but it arrives just as I am working to finalize arrangements to go to our first Maple Leafs game. Me and my son, at a hockey game. All that said, it was amazing, but that ain’t this post. I want hunt those kids down. I want to destroy their grade 4 experience. I don’t because I’m better than that. But I don’t want to be.

I talk through the experience with Spence. He is elusive, but we get to the point. There are jerks in the world, and sometimes they enter ours. You just need to point it out, turn your back, and move on.

I need to own up here. I don’t think I ever, in any seriousness, excluded or hurt people for being different in any way. Race or colour was never an issue I can be sure, but if there was ever a chance at a joke I took it, and I am damn sure I didn’t think of anyone’s feelings in pursuit of the punch line. And I am honestly, completely sorry. I didn’t know, or extend a thought outside my own little world. It wasn’t vindictive, but I am sure it hurt someone who didn’t deserve it, and I am sorry for that. I can’t change the past, but I am so aware of what the future feels like.

A good friend once told me that the one thing you didn’t realize you had so much of until kids is Guilt and Fear. Today, was a tough day. Today, we experienced both. It was awful. I look forward to figuring out how to conquer the mean and move on.

Family Matters

Parks & Rec RANT

by Jenn & Chris on December 6, 2014

DAD Says:

Are we ready for the assault? Let’s review:

Supplies supplied? rations check, coffee and internet access confirmed

Logistics: Turn off all data usage to ensure maximum bandwidth availability

Battle plan in place, with multiple options for any situation or combination that may arise.

Batteries are charged to full, phone has 3 bars.

Preparations are complete, we are good to go.

This is not an online dark ops challenge, a tough mudder race, or even christmas shopping saturday at the mall.

This is worse, MUCH worse.

We are signing up for Parks & Recreation programs, and may god have mercy on our souls.

Here is my pet peeve list, in no particular order.

7 am?? Really? This could all happen at a more civilized 10:30 without offending anyones sensibilities or religious requirements.

Throttled access: Ok equal righters, I know that some people don’t have internet or a computer and deserve a shot, but that doesn’t change the fact that I sit here for 24 minutes working on my carpal tunnel syndrome clicking incessantly like a poorly trained monkey, no offence to my simian brethren. No computer? Call. No phone? Go down to your local office.

Site set up: It sucks. This day and age, the whole thing is misrouted and only about a decade behind. It is slow, clumsy, and generally awkward. Oh, and they just updated it. Here’s your cookie for a job done.

Did I mention 7 am? Tempers run pretty high at 7 am on a Saturday morning when you are wait listed for swimming choice #2…

I think I know why Robbie got into the crack; he was probably all wound up trying to get junior artist on wednesday nights ’cause monday we have brownies and Sunday is church…

MOM Says:

I think in 10 years of marriage, Chris and I can still only use 2 hands to count how many fights we have had in that timeframe.

2 of them have been over Parks & Rec.

Nothing was more stressful than our first Parks & Rec sign up years ago. Having not developed the “System” yet, we naively hopped on the computer and somehow just logged in. Sweet. Click, Click and Done.

The second time, we sat there clicking for over an hour and when we finally got in there was absolutely nothing left bar a swimming lesson at 7pm on Friday evening. (Cause we all know how enthusiastic us moms and dads are to head out for swimming after a long week of work at 7…on a Friday…when PJ’s, Pizza and wine are FAR more the sensible option.

We have had more than one occasion in which one of us has eyed the clock at 6:58, leaping out of bed and calling for credit cards, family numbers, wifi login, and the Fun Guide. We have totally missed it a couple of times.

Over time, we developed a system. We were a machine. 2 laptops, 2 smartphones, and our house phone. Sometimes we hit it. In and out in 10 minutes, sometimes its over an hour. The best time being when it took till 9:20am. (2 hrs and 20 min after registration opened) That was one of the fights.

BEST TIP:

Establish a network. There are 3 families within our network. One of us will typically text the other 2 to remind them its Registration day. Once we have completed our registration, we will try to get back in. More often than not, we have found ourselves taking program codes over the phone to register their kids for the programs they want. Has saved A LOT of fights.

There are absolutely fabulous programs. They just need to get with the program and catch up to 2015.

Family Matters

Karma & my #LifeAdvice

by Jenn & Chris on December 5, 2014

Mom Says:

There is a sweet spot you need to find in social media these days. It’s about finding ways to stay positive in such a heavy atmosphere of negativity .

It’s so easy to get sucked in. You are assaulted daily with snarly, grumpy, angry posts and horrid, heartbreaking issues that can’t help but bring you down. It comes naturally to be negative. You have to work at being positive.

I have chosen not to bring that negativity further into my life. No likes, comments or shares in order to see less of them in my feed.

Instead I am focusing on creating karma that brings a positive frame of mind and a happy outlook on life.

To do that, I looked back to some of the best pieces of #LifeAdvice I have been given over the years.

1) If someone takes the time to show you who they really are, believe them the first time.

My mother in law shared this Maya Angelou quote with me on one of the first days we met.

I loved it.

This one has gotten me through a hundred or so moments of frustration when someone I care about (or think I should care about) acts like a total arse. Once an arse, always an arse. They showed you the first time their true colours, why so often do we hope that people like this somehow change?

Don’t be surprised by their jerkiness. Just move onward and upward. Leave them to their ugly.

My MIL also taught me how to find quiet on the end of our dock. For that I am forever grateful.

2) What does this all mean in the context of life?

This one my dad gave me. I didn’t realize at the time how often I would refer back to this throughout my life.

If you are upset…really upset at the way things are going, take a step back and look at it in the whole context of your lifetime…does it really matter? That much? 10 out of 10 times, it was a no.

My dad had many wise words growing up. I used to not “get it”. Now I see his influence so often when I am talking to the kids. Thanks Dad. (& Thanks for being my dance partner)

3) If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.

I cut this Maya Angelou quote out as a teenager and put in my journal. She seems to circle my world on an on-going basis.

Bottom line, in this karmic world you are still responsible for your own destiny. YOU make the choice on how you are going to live.

If YOU choose to live negatively, always complaining, always finding the down side in things..the negativity will be ever present.

But if you choose to live a life focus on “positivitude” then you will invite positive into your life and amazing, beautiful, wonderful things will start appearing in your world.

Trust me..Karma might be a bitch. But if you are nice, you might get to know a different side of her.

Dad Says:

Early in my life I was told I would need 3 things.

A good lawyer, a good accountant and a good wife.

Not necessarily in that order.

@Manulife is asking you to spread some positive by thanking those in your life who have given you great #LifeAdvice. Take a moment to thank someone important to you. That positive will sure come back in spades.

Family Matters

Cabbage Patch and The Girl

by Jenn & Chris on December 4, 2014

Mom Says:

It was 1982 and Cabbage Patch Kids were everywhere..and nowhere. Legendary stories have passed through the years of 6 hour line-ups, fist-fights and the “hunt”. The search for a pervasive Cabbage Patch kid in the height of a Christmas craze.

It was commercial carnage.

My mom has a great story on trying to find a Cabbage Patch Kid right up to Christmas Eve. She ultimately worked her illustrious magic and somehow managed to have one under the tree for me that year. It was the BEST and most memorable year of my childhood.

Sophia Lauren - My first "Baby" growing up — Sophia Lauren – My first “Baby” growing up

My Cabbage Patch Kid’s name was Sophia Lauren and we did EVERYTHING together. The responsibility of motherhood first played out as I filled out the adoption papers to officially adopt Sophia. I loved her with all my might.

A new “Cabbage Patch Kid” has come to our world this Christmas.

Her name is My American Girl and she is this year’s IT GIRL.

I thought we had managed to avoid it.

And then one little girl got one at school….

And that (as they say) was the beginning of the end.

I have to give them credit. The My American Girl has done a brilliant job of marketing their franchise. They have extended their line from the original historical BeForever doll to include My American Girl, Girl of the Year, Bitty Baby and a thousand additional accessories. They have apps and books and movies and online presence. Oh my!

Discussions though of My American Girl dolls seems to bring venom to some mommy’s lips.

Yes, its American. I get that. I actually looked hard at supporting the MapleLea doll. I gotta say its feels a bit like buying a BETA in a sea of VHS. In a world where a User Experience can make or break a product, MapleLea maybe needs to step it up a bit. Be engaging and entertaining, active on social media, tell us the story of the Canadian dolls, create emotional ties and extend product offerings beyond the doll. If you are going to market in this space during THIS time… You HAVE to market with strategic intent.

The bottom line is that my child wants something desperately for Christmas. Who could forget Ralphie in The Christmas Story when all he wanted was a Red Rider bb gun?

As much as I might not agree with the commercialism of it all, this is her one big present. It is what it is.

We still have my Cabbage Patch Kid. She’s currently hanging out in my daughter’s room, looking forward to her new friend, the My American Girl Doll.

BFF's - DD's Cabbage Patch and my old one. — BFF’s – DD’s Cabbage Patch and my old one.

Dad says:

I never had a cabbage patch doll, but I did hold one hostage to get a ball back from a neighbours yard when I was 9. Complete with a ransom note. Sorry Donna, wasn’t meant to be traumatic or scarring.

I am of two minds on this; the abhorrent hyper capitalism of the holiday, the real reason of Christmas, blah blah blah. It is awful, but getting mad at the retailers about this years trend is like yelling at the teller about your interest rate. The other side is this: we are able to provide our child with something that may well be a lasting joy, and so that is the end of this discussion.

Do what you want, don’t hurt other people. It’s that simple.

The many moods of quarantine.

Maldives on a Budget

The Naked Truth.

How to #KonMari your Digital Media

Gift Guide for the Adventure Traveler/Camper

Can Social Media and Mindfulness Share the Same Space?

The Present is Peace #PeaceDoveProject

I can’t find my underwear – Surviving a reno

Today was tough

Cabbage Patch and The Girl