The Weekend

It's cold and dark in Toronto this time of year, and since it's still two more months left until spring you gotta come up with fun things to do.

Getting all dressed up for our weekly Date Night with my husband is one of my favorite things to enjoy every week.

I've also enjoyed doing some decorating and shopping during the month of January. When all the Christmas decorations went back into the storage room our home felt very empty. I decided to replace the Christmas decorations with some new accessories. On Saturday I bought a new orchid and a candle for the breakfast table.

I also took the time to shop a pair of new winter boots from Steve Madden. During the month of December I spent all my weekends on Christmas shopping, so in January I'm enjoying having time to shop a few things for myself.

Healthy eating is one of my goals in January, but you gotta balance that up with a few macaroons every Saturday. Coffee and macaroons is my favorite sweet treat in January.

On Sunday evening I enjoyed a glass of red wine from Wayne Gretzky Estates and a new magazine.

The Best Take Out

The other day we had one of those chaotic days again when both my husband and I were sick, but we still had to prepare for an important meeting we had the next day. Who was going to cook dinner? Nobody. We didn’t have time or energy leftover for anything more than what had to be done. We got Take Out, again. Most of the time we get Thai food, I can’t get enough of Chicken Pad Thai, but I also love a burger from Hero Burgers. Thank God for the suburbs where you can find many different Take Out options! I grew up in a small town, where you didn’t have much to choose from if you were too tired or busy to cook dinner.

It feels like we've been getting Take Out a lot this January. There hasn't been one week when nobody's been sick in the family over the last month and a half. Everyone I talk to has been sick lately or is still sick, the not so fun part of winter has arrived in full force. The good news is that the weather has been beautiful the last few days, we have both snow and sunshine in Toronto today! It's a beautiful Friday! 

New Healthy Habits in January

Healthy eating is one of my goals in January. My favorite healthy snacks right now are: organic granola bars, clementines and apples with peanut butter.

I don't have a lot of appetite in the morning so I usually have a small breakfast, in January I'm choosing Greek yogurt and a bowl of fruit for breakfast.

My goal is to not eat any sugar during the weekdays in January and then on Friday, Saturday and Sunday I can enjoy some sweet treats. Last weekend I treated myself to a Peppermint Hot Chocolate on Saturday.

On Sunday I treated myself to four big macaroons, I think macaroons will become my favorite dessert during the month of January.

Two of my New Year’s resolutions for this year are self-care and self-preservation. Self-care for me in 2017 will be all about prioritizing exercise and a healthy diet. I also want to make sure I don’t let my life get so busy that I don’t have time for enough exercise. If I want to live for 70-90 years I can’t afford to not exercise on a regular basis. A few weeks ago, a friend of a friend died of a heart attack, which once again reminded me that life can’t be all about success on the expense of our health if we want to live beyond 50.

I also want 2017 to be the year when I learn some important lessons about self-preservation. During 2016 I was reminded of how important it is for me to not be afraid of disappointing others. I have no problems with setting boundaries in my personal life but I’m becoming more aware of my pattern of being a "people pleaser" in work relations, which sometimes lead me to step outside of my personal boundaries. I want 2017 to be the year when I clearly define my personal boundaries and stick to them, no more sacrificing my personal boundaries to “keep the peace”. When you become "a pushover" to keep the peace you quickly enter self-destructive behavior. I think one of my mantras this year will be: “I know my boundaries, and I will protect them.”

It’s not fun to become aware of self-destructive or negative patterns that we have in life but there’s no other way to learn and grow in life, is there? Every new year brings new lessons for us to learn. We don’t stop learning and growing when we graduate high school or university. I think it’s helpful to realize that our weaknesses and faults are not something we need to beat ourselves up for, they are a natural part of life. There is not one person on this planet who has nothing to work on in life. We all need to keep growing, but we can do this while being kind to ourselves. We need to give ourselves (and others) grace.

Joyful Moments in January

This January I'm joyful as I look at the pictures from our Christmas celebration in Finland. I really enjoyed spending time in the archipelago during our trip to Finland.

I don't get to spend every Christmas with my family in Finland since I live in Canada so when I get the chance to do that it's a very special time. As a child growing up I was mostly focused on what kind of presents I would get for Christmas and as an adult you realize how little stuff matters. The joy that stuff brings to life is temporary but the joy that family brings is worth so much more than all the stuff in the world.

In January I'm also enjoying the last few days with our Christmas tree, in a week or so it will be time to pack up the tree in a box and put it away until next year. Our home will be a lot less sparkly without the Christmas tree.

We have almost no snow in Toronto at this time but I really enjoy sunny winter days when I can take walks along the beach with my hubby.

January is also a time to set new goals for the future, so far the only goal I have is to get back to healthy eating and exercise. I got sick during Christmas and didn't do a single workout during our trip to Finland so now I'm really looking forward to getting started again. My goal is to do four workouts per week and eat healthy four days a week. On the weekends I want to treat myself to pancakes, hot chocolate and other wonderful winter treats.