My Favourite Articles and Links This Week

A positive attitude: the world’s most underrated secret to success.

This was fascinating: Women spoke only 27% of all the dialogue in 2016’s 10 biggest movies.

If you ever feel like your day-to-day is less than extraordinary, remember this.

This slow motion video of a hedgehog running is the cutest thing I’ve seen all week!

This little snippet reminds me of that 90’s movie Sliding Doors, and how connected everything can be – your inconvenience might be someone else’s miracle.

My Favourite Pins This Week

What wonderful breakfast idea- baked ham and egg cups! I find you don’t need to grease the muffin tin if you use silicone muffin liners, and adding some chopped spinach or kale to the egg mixture helps up the veg content. Pinterest link is here, and the original recipe post is here.

Do you like citrus desserts? Then you are going to love this greek yogurt grapefruit cake. Even if you don’t like grapefruit, you can substitute any of your favourite citrus- lemon, lime, orange, blood orange, whatever you want! The greek yogurt ups the protein content, and the overall recipe is much healthier than atypical cake. Pinterest link is here, and the original recipe post is here.

What a great idea, a cross stitch canvas! The step-by-step guide is really well laid out and shows you exactly how to line up the design and punch the holes. In this one they use embroidery thread, but I think this would be amazing in a fingering weight yarn instead! Pinterest link is here, and the original DIY post is here.

Feeling like it’s a new year, but you are in the same old rut? Here are 17 tiny things you can try to break out of your routine and shake things up. I don’t even feel like I’m in a rut but I love this list and have been trying things out. Hooray for adventures outside of the comfort zone! Pinterest link is here, and the original list is here.

Yeah, this is me. Every. Single. Time. Pinterest link is here!

This weekend I’m participating in the Toronto Women’s March, one of the many that are happening all over the world! Guy and I are bringing the kids, even though Lila might be a bit young to understand (and James will definitely not know what’s up). I have never participated in anything like this before and I have a difficult time articulating exactly why I feel I should go.  Except – this feels like it’s so very important, the kind of important that is difficult to see until it is written about historically. Considering that there are hundreds of women’s marches planned in different countries and cities around the world tells me that something very big is happening right now.  When was the last time women from that many different places got together to reject fear and hate? Because I can’t think of any in my lifetime. Freedom, human rights, and civil rights aren’t limited resources. Working to extend those fully to others does not limit the supply to anyone else.

I get to vote because others fought for my rights. I got to choose if and when and how many children I wanted because others fought for my rights. I got to go to university because others fought for my rights. The foundation of my wonderful, privileged life is built on freedoms that other women fought for. Think back to your history lessons of when Irish immigrants were persecuted, when Protestants couldn’t marry Catholics, when women weren’t allowed to vote, when African Americans couldn’t use the same hotels/bathrooms/seats on the bus as white people. All those things were considered to be totally acceptable at the time.

The right thing is often is uncomfortable, maybe even a little scary. But I need to know that one day, when the context of the 2017 global Women’s Marches are placed in history, I didn’t just stand by and let others fight for rights that I enjoy. I need to know that in a small way I lent my voice to help make a better, more inclusive future; that my kids saw it happen. And maybe one day they too will lend their voices to fight for what is right, and make this world better for everyone, not just a privileged few.

Have a lovely weekend, my friends. Whatever your feelings on the subject, however you choose to spend your time, I hope that you have a good weekend filled with kindness and happy moments.