This has really been a beautiful vacation. Josh and I have both totally slooowwwed down. And, I’ve been taking good advantage of the gorj natural setting here to contemplate, exercise and, as discussed at Cheaty Kitchen yesterday, EAT WELL! Yay!

Doing LOTS of yoga…with RASCAL…. I love my pink mat. Seriously. I have about five yoga mats of all different colours. This one’s my fave. This one is home….

I feel really great. A little hungry (for lack of whole food in the kitchen), but better than I’ve felt in a long time physically and emotionally. Great to have another pair of hands to help me with the kids so I can have some space and time to recupe, relax and re-centre. Awesome. And, great to have a pool to jump into to swim my ARSE off (literally). Only problem with swimming, for me, is that I ALWAYS have to stop to save the drowning bugs…. I can’t swim peacefully knowing that some creature right next to me is fighting for its life — insect or FROG or whatever….

Ribbit….

Other than swimming, I’ve been walking the country road a lot. Check how LOVERLY….

Butterflies! There are tons here. Mostly monarchs. Beautiful monarch butterflies. Monkey’s obsessed with “princesses, fairies and butterflies,” ahem. So, this pic is for her — even though poor beautiful monarch looks more like a moth thanks to my brillers pic-taking!

Other than walking gorj country road, we’ve been occupying ourselves with crafts….

PIPE-CLEANER DAY…. Monkey made this for me. Isn’t it GORJ??

Sight-seeing (these are classic pics of Rascal)….

Floating (swimming lessons are reeeeeeeally paying off, as you can see…erg blerg beglerg)……

She’s floating in her baby brother’s floatie. HE, on the other hand, is a total FISH in the water!

Connecting with cows RIGHT in the backyard….

Love…. We definitely shared a moment together, me and “Cowy”…. Beautiful, beautiful animal….

So, that’s it! Tomorrow, we’re supposed to go to a fair. With rides. Those rides that they rent. Rent-a-rides. That I would NEVER go on. I’m KIND of a little bit hoping it gets rained out. But, also kind of not — because it’s, like, the biggest event of the year for the peeps here…. And, because the Monkey’s really looking forward to the merry-go-round….

Home on Sunday…. Missing Minden BE-YOND. Can’t even tell you. They REALLY need a pet over here. I mean, cows and frogs are awesome and everything? But, you can’t go to bed with ‘em…. And, they don’t make the skin of your nose raw with their KISSES…!

OH! GARSH! WAH! MISS!

It’s Canada Day today. And, we here in Canada are enjoying some BEAUTIFUL — hot but breezy — weather! Lots of walking, lots of relaxing, chilling by the park pool, sipping a LOVELY Starbucks Soy Chai Tea Latte….

And, then I had to go to work.

Yes. SOMEBODY in this big ole country had to work today. That’s right. I had to teach yoga over at the studio smack-dab in the middle of the day. A mommy and baby class. LOVE!

OF COURSE, no one showed up because all the moms FOSHIZZLE handed baby over to DADDY and practiced yoga ALONE or sat by the pool with posh sunglasses, pink lip gloss and bonbons…. So, it was just Rascal and me….

And, of course, I couldn’t leave right away, just in case someone showed up late. So, Rascal and I hung out. I did a few sets of sun salutations, shoulder stands, twists, and I rolled Rascal around on the big ball (which he LOVED), etc.. It was FABULOUS. What a treat to have the whole studio to ourselves.

I even popped the new CD I bought at Starbucks (with my Soy Chai Latte) into the stereo….

Yes, you caught me. I’m a closet Alanis Morissette fan. I haven’t listened to her music in AGES. But, I do BUY all her CDs. She’s a great poet, a Canadian SUPERSTAR, and she sings about a lot of things I feel passionate about — the environment, spirituality, peace, love, and so forth.

Rascal and I were surprised to LOVE this song right off the bat — it was GREAT for our yoga practice…. Check it:

Love it…. Love her voice. And, great video to top it off.

Today was quite the Canadian day for me, actually. I got a visit from my patriotic 80-something neighbour (remember her?), which is always a treat (COUUUUGH!), I loved me some Alanis Morissette, and happily read about fellow Canadian Pamela Anderson sticking it to Jessica Simpson. SWEET.

I also fell in love with my little Canadian land…. When Rascal and I got home from our special time together, we joined Monkey and Josh-O in our wee, but so pretty, backyard….

What could be better than that?

Oh, and Gorgeouses….. CURL!!!!

Tonight, we go to it’sgrandma and papa’shere’s for dinner and SPARKLERS! (You have to know by now how much I LOVE sparkles…. Weeeee!) I’ll try to score a picture for you and place it right here:

(Umm…, the dead trees in the background are a forbidden topic of discussion here…. But, ahh, the brillers effects of Canadian Winters….)

FABULOUS day, my Gorgeouses…. Thanks for letting me share, eh?

In three days I’ve watched all FOUR DVDs of The Tudors, Season One. Well, I’m watching the fourth DVD right now. Princess Margaret is coughing up blood as we speak….

I must have lived another life in the 16th century because I’m OBSESSED with this time period. Sure, I specialized in 18th- and 19th-century English literature in grad school, but that was only because some professors were fighting over my sweet innocent (size-0) hottness, and the Romantic Poetry prof won by a landslide. Seriously, EVERYTHING is about hotness in grad school if you are even a LITTLE bit attractive. At least that was my experience. But, I digress.

Honestly? I don’t know what I’ll do when this DVD is done. Whatever will I do, Gorgeouses? Seriously, this is the best thing since my beloved ROME, which died a sorry death after a only two seasons WAAAAAAAAH! Let that be a cautionary tale to thee, OH THE TUTORS!

Can I just ask, before I change subject, how gorj is she?

Natalie Dormer is the PERFECT Anne Boleyn. PERFECT. It’s incredible, really. Award anyone? I’d talk about how pretty Jonathan Rhys Meyers is….

…But, he’s a little TOO pretty for me. I’m more into — don’t laugh — Jeremy Northam….

…whom I’ve loved since Emma — one of my favourite movies (and novels) of all time….

“Marry me. Marry me, my wonderful, darling friend!”

And, off goes Cardinal Wolsey. I’m almost sorry to see th’ole guy die…at his own hands….

Sigh. Anyway. Tomorrow, I’m cleaning house. My bawd, that is. I know. I make this pact every freaking week. But, get used to it: I’m a virgo; we’re like that…. I’m serious. So serious. It’s not just about losing preggers pounds anymore. It’s about reaching my WHOLE potential. Because I am SO CERTAIN that chai lattes and other sugary goodies (and the not-sleeping) are keeping me from feeling my best. Don’t believe me? Ask Kathy Freston. I’m reading her totally brillers book right now. I mean, Oprah did it, and now Heather B. Armstrong is doing it. And, they both feel great! I’m not going totally vegan, but I’m cleaning up a few “little” things — STARTING with caffeine and sugar. Prone to anxiety and depression, AS I AM, I should NOT be ingesting these things. That much my own BODY tells me all the time. And, I’m getting tired of not listening….

Anyway, I just had a beautiful little butter tart. Yes, I bought it JUST for this occasion. A little goodbye party in my mouth.

Alas, now, The Tudors, Season 1, has ended for me…with lovely naked romp in the woods….

Hhhhott. Knuckle. Biting. Hhhhhott.

And, now I (and the rest of Canada) have to wait until September 30, 9pm, for season 2. Baaahhhh.