it's my girls' world

Today, I'm linking up with Andrea for Show & Tell Tuesday for favourite vacation ever. I have a few of these that come to mind...

My favourite trip with my kids so far and hands down has been Turks and Caicos- 7 days of sun, sea, cocktails and cookies!!! In particular, the Beaches resorts. The beaches and pools are awesome and the food so delicious and so much variety! Sign me up again. Seriously, we've been there twice and we really want to go back ... if only the prices haven't sky-rocketed since then ;-s

Honourable mention goes to our Disney cruise last year also--- another one we want to do again!  

However, my other favourite trip hands down was the eight days that D and I spent in Italy. This trip holds a special place in my heart as it was the very last trip we did before I got pregnant with C. We went in May 2008, a great time of year for some sight seeing- not too busy with tourists but still pretty warm. From the flight to lovely hotels to our delicious dinners (the simplest pasta dishes with just olive oil and garlic were so spectacular) to our daily gelato, I will never forget it and I can't wait to take my girls back some day.

Reading about other people's vacations are one of my very favourite posts to read. Can't wait to get some ideas!

 

 

I saw this on P!nky's blog a few weeks back and thought that D's birthday would be the perfect time to try it out here. So here's just some this and that about my very favourite person! 

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on? Game of Thrones, True Blood, The Affair. Anything a little dark and a little twisty… oh and we watch sitcoms together and a couple dramas. 

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Well it depends on whatever I'm getting as I usually make him have he just usually has 1/2 of my salad. #greensforlife

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Black eyed peas (he is not at all picky)

4. You go out to eat and have a drink; what does he order? Hendrick's gin and tonic with a cucumber slice OR wine to share with me OR water.

5. What is his nickname for you? Sarits or Scrappy (doo)

6. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? He is NOT a collector at all. He is such a minimalist. Maybe, just maybe watches. 

7. What would he eat every day if he could? Some sort of sugar-- he's not picky.

8. What is his favorite cereal? He is not a huge cereal fan but we always have granola in the house so when there's no other sugar (see above), he'll have some.

9. What would he never wear? Jewelry-- except for his watch.

10. What is his favorite sports team? Brazil-- FIFA world cup soccer.

11. Who is his best friend? Me... duh!

12. What do you do that bothers him? Not listen too much-- either focusing more on the kids or my phone. Oh and get too emotional. He doesn't do tears.

 

13. What is his heritage? 100% Indo- Trinidadian--- just like me!

14. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? Something light-- either with lemon, peach or raspberry and maybe some white chocolate or cream cheese frosting.

15. Did he play sports in high school? Soccer.

16. What could he spend hours doing? Researching stuff--- hours and hours and hours.

17. What is one unique talent he has? He is smart, focused, objective and patient. I know it's not a talent but I adore these things about him. Oh and he makes me ugly laugh!

Happy Birthday, my love! Doing life with you is so much more fun! Happiness and health in the year ahead.

Linking up with 

Andrea, Erika and Narci for Favourites on Friday

 

Hey you, do you like the familiar or do you prefer variety? One of my very favourite podcasts is the Gretchen Reuben series "Happier". It is a thought provoking weekly series with tips and tricks on you guessed it, how to live a happier life. Recently, one of the podcasts was about familiarity vs variety and our preferences for each.

Some thrive on familiarity.  We enjoy routine, like knowing what's coming next and what to expect. We re-read books . We vacation at the same place, shop in the same stores and know what brands we stick with. We like to know what kind of meals we're having and not leave that stuff up to chance. 

That is totally me. I thrive on familiarity. I like my days planned out. I try not to mind  don't mind too many variations but like preparing myself for them. I'm totally loyal to my brands and stores. Yeah,  I don't do the same thing day in and day out- I  can get bored, like with a type of workout for example but I like knowing that there is time for a workout and I can switch up the actual exercises--- makes sense?  I totally love rereading books and watching reruns. Even with vacations, I like to visit different places but tend to research them like a crazy person before hand to make sure I'm prepared and that there aren't too many surprises... and there are some favourites that I'd go back to in a heartbeat. However, a huge exception is food. I love experimenting with different cuisines, restaurants and recipes.

Others however, thrive on variety. They enjoy mix ups in their schedules, different learning approaches and variations in plans. They experiment with vacations and don't mind if each and every day is different as long as it's productive. D is like that. He's always researching new and innovative ways to do things both at work and at home. He almost never rereads a book. He's always talking about mixing it up and going somewhere new for a few months--- taking time off, renting a house, practising somewhere else for  a bit..... and I nervously  and hesitantly smile. He was the one who suggested our trip to Malaysia--- we went there  for two months in 2013.... but truth be told it really was the experiment of a lifetime. 

I can even tell which one of my kids loves familiarity and which one enjoys variety. A enjoys reading the same books over and over again, playing with the same friends, watching the same shows or doing the very same things. C on the other hand--- girl friend would do something different every day of her life if she could! 

Knowing these preferences are helpful. For myself, as I know what I like, it forces me to push myself out of my comfort zone and not get in a rut--- push myself to vary my routine, chat with new people at a party or try a new activity. Learning is growing!!! 

Being aware of the differences also help me to plan our days, cater to our family's different needs and personalities. Like planning a vacation for example. In a perfect world, I'd find a different spot just for D, maybe a resort chain that I've used before or comes very highly recommended for me (but with tons of variety in food for us all). I'd find one with lots of activities for Cass but  maybe take some favourites from home for A and stick with a bit of routine to ensure the wheels don't fall off the wagon!

 What about you, lovelies? Are you a lover of familiarity or variety?

Linking up with Annie and Amanda.

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Last year, I did my bucket list in July. Yeah, July.... I figured I could do better than that in 2016. So in MAY this year, I'm joining Shelly by linking up and showing off my bucket list just a wee bit earlier!

I present to you Summer 2016 and all my high hopes and lofty aspirations for it....

+ Our 10th anniversary definitely needs a celebration but it also needs some organising. I need to get on that! 

+ This is my girls' first year of summer camps. They are stoked and so am I but I will miss having them home for the entire summer with me. 

+ My gardening entails removal of dandelions, dead-heading and watering the plants. #nogreenthumbhere

+ I saw the idea for a yes day on Katy's blog and thought 'yes please'! I basically say yes to everything my kids want to do. I'm sure they are going to get a kick out of that! 

+ I usually do a combo of different and easy so that way we get to enjoy the awesomeness of summer!

You can check out 2014 and 2015's lists also!

Happy summer planning everyone!!!What's on YOUR list this year?