Delinquent blogging...

I must apologize for my delinquent blogging on this here site. It's really terrible, I know. While I'm on maternity leave, I fear this may continue to be the case.

But, for those of you who follow Alberta magazines, I'm blogging somewhat regularly for the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association, so I invite you to check out their site at http://albertamagazines.blogspot.com.

I promise to get blogging here in the near future! Thanks for your patience.

Stoking the Fire

I cannot believe that it's already the end of January. Time flies. One good thing about that is, I can't wait for winter to be over given the extremely frigid Alberta weather we've been having! I mean really, -20 as a high is downright depressing. We've just had a brief reprieve but as I look outside and see the flakes falling and the thermostat dropping, I know we're in for yet another deep freeze.

That means staying indoors and cozying by the fireplace. It's also a good opportunity to stoke the flames of love, if you will. Timely, since my daughter is approaching four months old and I can finally entertain the idea of sex without simultaneously reliving childbirth (sexy, I know). Valentine's Day is also coming up--a good excuse to rekindle the romance, at least as best as new parents can.

With romance in mind, have a read about a couple I interviewed about their wedding day for Avenue Edmonton. People find love in all sorts of places, and I love writing love stories. And it's true what they say. You discover a whole new kind of love when you become a parent. But I was surprised to find that my love for my hubby has also evolved watching him as a proud papa. Can you feel the love or what? Okay, okay, enough fromage. I'm grossing myself out. Until next time...

New Year's Resolution or Should I Say, Reconstitution

The New Year is creeping up on us, and with it, the annual desire to clean the slate and have a fresh start. I've never been big on New Year's resolutions. I'm more of a fan of year-round resolutions. But this year, I find myself looking at the New Year mark as a "ready, set, go" trigger for getting back in shape. I know, I know, how cliche. But truly, pregnancy has done a number to this once happy body. Now it's all , how shall we say, loosey goosey. I really should have been much more appreciative of how low maintenance it was before. Now, I see a hard road ahead, full of crunchies and other strenuous and time-consuming, not to mention boring, abdominal and pelvic exercises. Sigh.

Hence, the reconstitution. Reconstitution of my body that is. Or here's hoping (see above image minus the retro '80s highcut aerobic pantie). In truth, the New Year could really be an excuse for my procrastination to date. But I prefer to keep things on the up side so we'll view it as goalsetting rather than goal-avoiding.

With this newfound focus on my health, it's only fitting that a few of my last assignments before maternity leave were for the Apple, Alberta Health Services' magazine. In it, I interview Olympic Champion Chandra Crawford who had to go through a different kind of reconstitution, recovering from her injuries to compete at the 2010 Olympics. Read about how she makes her health as big a priority as her sport.

Here's to a healthy and happy 2011!

Do Your Best

Well, I'm the proud new momma of Miss Annabel, who has just hit the ripe old age of three weeks. Hence why I've fallen off my blogging (and many other activities such as sleeping and showering). I gotta say, this mothering thing is a lot more challenging than anticipated, largely because I am more sleep deprived than I ever thought possible. (To think that I was worried about the labour--it's laughable now!)

But I'm doing my best because I must. It's what you do when it's for your child. I never really thought the meaning of becoming a parent would be so palpable so early on, but it pretty much kicks in ASAP.

Doing your best is about all you can ask of anyone. And if you truly do perform at your best, then it is almost always enough. And if it isn't, part of doing your best is knowing when to ask for help. Which I am trying to do as well.

Along the same lines of doing your best, Avenue magazine's November issue features the annual Top 40 under 40 (nice segue, I know). I had the pleasure of interviewing Stephanie Raynor-Hohol, one of this year's top 40 who is a single mom and business owner, working hard and doing good. Have a read through on all her do-gooding.

Until next time, which hopefully won't be too far off, but if it is, you now know why...

Going Back to Au Naturel

It's funny. You'd think that being pregnant would be a time when going "au naturel" would make the most sense. And I'm referring to health supplements, not strutting around naked (although I don't judge those who wish to do so). And yet, pregnant women are advised not to take anything herbal or "natural", not because they are necessarily bad for the growing babe, but because there's been no testing of such products on pregnant women.

I recently interviewed a couple of researchers at BCIT who are trying to fill the gap in how effective Natural Health Products (NHPs) really are. Not only do they hope to determine efficacy of NHPs through a holistic approach, but they also plan to see what additional benefits NHPs may have that have not been traditionally explored. You can see my story at Innovation Canada.ca.

Now that I'm in the homestretch (38 weeks pregnant and counting), I'm looking forward to having my babe and also being able to enjoy NHPs again, starting with my soothing herbal teas and essential oils.

I bet some of you are wondering what my take on birthing and going "natural" is. Let's just say I'm keeping an open mind! Here's hoping for an "easy birth"--an oxymoron, I'm told.

Wishing for Sunshine (a la Scottsdale)

So we're officially winding down summer although many Albertans would argue that we never had a summer to begin with. This year's summer was one of the most dismal weather-wise that I can remember. But, I have had it pointed out to me that it was the perfect pregnancy summer because apparently scorching heat is the worst for expectant mothers. I can only imagine since there was nary a day that we cracked 20 degrees Celsius. I'm sure my fetus and I could have dealt with just a little more heat.

Thankfully, I can reminisce about my spring trip to Scottsdale--where sunshine and heat are plentiful. We went down for my girlfriend Libby's wedding and of course, I couldn't help but write a story about our Arizona adventures, which published this month in both Avenue Calgary magazine and Avenue Edmonton (page 62).

Four Seasons' stunning pool area

We had a blast wandering through Old Town Scottsdale along with wining and dining at the likes of Talavera at the ultra luxe Four Seasons Scottsdale at Troon North. That resort is oh-so-lovely, making it easy to sit back, relax and soak up the sun. We also took to the skies in a hot-air balloon ride. And of course, we shopped. Arizona has no shortage of outlet malls!

We can't wait to make our way back. Have a read and see for yourself what Scottsdale has to offer.

Here's hoping we get a balmy autumn...

Walking the Talk

Alberta is a place full of wonderful walks. Being close to the mountains, we tend to head west to hike it out on alpine trails. But there's much to be said for heading south too. Like checking out the treks in the fair city of Lethbridge. That's what I write about in the latest issue of Canadian Geographic's Travel magazine. Have a boo at what's worth hiking in Southern Alberta's biggest hub. Hup, two, three, four!