38 thoughts…

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Hey!! Today is my 38th birthday. Grateful for another trip around the sun and I felt compelled to write a list of 38 thoughts/words of wisdom that have inspired me…

1. Be creative everyday

2. Communicate with transparency in interpersonal relationships

3. Get out of your comfort zone

4. Use post it notes to organize, prioritize and remind yourself

5. Learn something new everyday

6. Surround yourself with successful people

7. Listen to more music

8. Understand your biases so you can move past them

9. Use your voice (both verbally and written) to share your ideas, thoughts and opinions (the world needs it)

10. Don’t follow the trends or masses

11. You don’t have to like, watch or do everything online, that your friends post/do or because everyone else is doing it

12. Sit in silence

13. Meditate and journal daily and in that order

14. Run (longer but slower), stretch and foam roll

15. Be better than you were yesterday

16. Being disciplined with yourself is self love

17. Drink more water

18. Nail polish isn’t something I need to wear everyday

19. Hug and say I love you to the kids/hubby multiple times a day

20. Your best & highest self is who you should connect to everyday

21. Reach out of your network to make new connections

22. Being an introvert is amazing

23. Read more / scroll less

24. Brain dumps and list making is very therapeutic

25. There are 3 mindsets you can use in any situation: growth, opportunity & detachment

26. Try your beat to envision your best self/life everyday (especially on the hard days)

27. Forest walks for the win

28. Before you go to bed: brush/floss your teeth, wash your face, wear an eye cream and brush your hair with your head upside down

29. If you really want something, talk openly about it to people who can support you in getting there

30. Listen, always listen

31. Know you are loved + love yourself

32. Appreciate where you are (knowing you wanted this!)

33. Dress up (and take a picture of your OOTD whenever you can!)

34. Slow down, rest, pIgor but then keep going

35. Mornings are my magic (morning pages, morning walks and especially morning distance runs)

36. Dance, for no reason

37. If you want something done right, best to do it yourself

38. Be grateful, always!

Lolo’s 2nd birthday

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Holy shIt this is a long post! I wanted share some photos of E’s birthday celebrations and I didn’t know exactly what to write. And then the words just started flying off from my fingers to the key board to the screen. I decided to publish this for my memories and for Miss E if she ever wants to know how she entered the world…!

I still remember the days leading up to Lolo’s birth 2 years ago. It all started on the Friday before she was born, March 3 2017. Our current family of 3 had gone out to dinner and started to walk around the mall letting Miss S ride the coin rides, a typical family date night tradition for us that we had become accustom to for about a year at that point.

As we were walking around the mall, I started getting intense pains – which I honestly though were gas. Gas that was coming and going. Thinking back on it, the pain was pretty intense in that I had to stop walking and just hold a chair, wall, pillar – really anything for support. I know now they were contractions, but they weren’t consistent and went away later on that night.

The next day I also had the contraction pains on and off, but again by the evening when we headed to my in laws for dinner, all the pain had disappeared. I figured I was going to go into labour soon, I just thought I was a 3-5 days away. I was really banking on being able to take my vacation starting Wednesday of that coming work week, but I really should have taken a clue from when I was pregnant with Miss S – these girls won’t let me take a vacation 😜

Sunday March 5 2017, around 10:30am, contractions started again and quickly became very regular. I was focused on my breathing telling Miss S that I was doing “yoga breathing”. And she knew something else was going on. I’ll always remember to this day what she said to me: “mummy, you are doing yoga breathing because my baby sister is coming soon”.

We put down Miss S for her nap and Mister A started tracking the contractions on an app. They were getting closer but because I had 2 days of disappearing contractions I figured I should take a shower to calm down. Before getting in the shower, we called my parents to let them know the status. I continue to have contractions in the shower and it was then I realized this might be the real deal. I got out of the shower got dressed, called my parents, got emotional, they said they were on their way, so I did my make up and Mister A loaded up the car. By the time my parents arrived I was in full on labour but doing a good job of breathing through the pain. My dad said that if the baby was coming to just pull over and call 911 as they could deliver the baby on the side of the road. 😬

We started to pull out of our neighbourhood only to realize I had forgotten my purse…! So we turned around to grab it. The next 27 minutes were a blur but completely reminiscent of a movie scene of the husband trying to speed to the hospital with his labouring wife screaming at him to drive faster.

We arrived at the hospital around 3:35pm. On the walk up to labour & delivery triage I had 2 contractions and was even offered a wheel chair by a nurse who was returning to her shift. I declined and continued having contractions but waddled and breathed my way through them. As soon as I got to the desk I told them I wanted a female doctor with slender fingers. They asked if it as my first and I said no, and everyone went into serious mode: “She’s 38-5, multips, we need to get her checked”. I got checked and I was 7cm (way further along than I was expecting). I told the nurse I had to use the washroom, and she warned me not to push 😟

I remember them clearly saying “she’s multips, mother is multips, multips wants an epidural, multips x min apart”. I finally asked what “multips” was, the nurse told me that mothers of multiple (multips = multiple) children usually go through the last phase of labour pretty fast – so they wanted to act quickly. Within 20 min of being admitted I was in a labour room and they had called for the anesthesiologist. I was 8cm when I got the epidural and I was glad to finally have had it. It was around 4:30pm when I finally was able to just lay back. But not for long…! The nurse was in and out checking the monitors, fixing the catheter, adjusting my position. Mister A had to make all the calls, take pictures, call the nurse when I had questions. Around 5:50, I was checked again and it was time to push. I pushed maybe 4-5 times and the doctor told me to stop. Turns out the cord was wrapped around her neck twice hence why the nurse had to keep checking the monitors and adjusting me.

Miss E was born at 6:12pm on Sunday March 5 2017. She cried non stop until about 8:30pm. Mister A asked I could put her back 😬

All sarcasm aside, she is our cuddle bug and she completes our family. She has the most mischievous yet contagious smile, she loves broccoli and running after sister. She’s very stubborn and head strong because she knows what she wants. She reminds me every day that kids are not obligated to their parents. She and her sister always show me that they belong to this earth and we can only guide them to be strong, independent and good people.

WildONE // 1st birthday party

Posted on March 24, 2018 by Bhanu Misra Marya

As you might now (or maybe you’ve been following along)…

Miss El turned ONE this month.

It took us a LONG time to figure out what kind of party to have for her in terms of theme and event. We went back and forth between a big hall party (typical desi style) and an intimate gathering at home. We finally went for the latter and I am so glad we did! As much as a I love the idea of a big event it was much more relaxing and engaging to do our own little thing :)

When the theme of a WILDONE popped up on one of my endless Google and Pinterest searches I was so obsessed! The words/phrase described Ellie to a T. With Miss S I had decided on a theme (Shabby-Chic) months in advance. I knew the colours for the party were pink, gold and off white. I knew the sweets I wanted to serve, the DIY burlap banners I was going to make and even the search for a perfect vendor cake started when she was 9 months old. I was a little late to DIYing for our little Lo, but I think the theme and the party came together perfectly in the end!

The colours were black, gold and green (with a little bit of pink thrown in for good measure). It was very easy to decorate the house: lots of toy animals and foliage!

For the banner:

Asked the Hubz to draw the word WILDONE in block letters
My father-in-law exactoknifed them out
I got some faux foliage (similar foliage) from Dollar Tree, cut off the leaves (in varying sizes) and hot glued them to the letters.
I felt that it was missing something so I added little white flowers (from the same said foliage) and then pops of dark or light green paint to add some more depth. I also used the left over branches on the ends.
Lastly I added the green daisies for a more feminine touch!

*This is something I saw online and then DIYed to make my one (here and here is some inspiration)

We knew that we HAD to do a cake smash (considering it didn’t really work at Miss S’s birthday). So I decorated her high chair with black and gold streamers (to match the invitation colours) and added a vine of flowers. To our sideboard we added a variety of stuffed animals and huge tropical leaves. It was a perfect set up for a WILDONE’s first sugar!

For the cake we wanted something cute and not the fondant cake that seems to be so popular these days. To be honest I am so confused by fondant! I grew up eating soft moist birthday cakes that have whip cream fillings (no custards, no butter cream and no fruit please and thanks!) and a plethora of whip cream slathered all over it! I know the more expensive cakes also have butter cream but because Miss S can’t eat that stuff (and I personally don’t like it) I was happy with whip cream :) I actually found this at Fortino’s. They do a variety of designs on cupcakes (with a count of 24 or 48) shaped into the number of your choice. I told them I wanted a nature scene (greenery and a water front) and then I added the toy animals myself!

Off the Shoulder Top | Mens Polo | Birthday Crown (ours is old, but this one is so cute!)

These cute dresses are from Marshalls (almost identical) but here is a similar option. This is our highchair and we LOVE it!

Whoa…that was picture heavy!

Outside of all this, we ordered/made Mediterranean food for lunch and had the cupcakes, fruit and ice cream for dessert. We also played 2 games. I know it’s very popular to post to social media your baby’s monthly pictures and even though I didn’t really do that I did send these update photos to my family. So one of our games was “Monthly mugshot match up” – and yep you had to guess which picture was taken in which month by solely looking at El’s face! It was surprisingly hard and everyone got majority of them wrong! The other game we played involved answering some trivia about El along with leaving her a sweet message. I kept all the trivia sheets (with the special messages) for her to read when she’s older :) I know kid’s birthday’s get a bad rep but gosh I love them!

35 Favourite Things #HappyBirthdayToMe

Posted on October 20, 2017 by Bhanu Misra Marya

The day before yesterday was my birthday And if you can tell by the title, I turned 35!

Initially I didn’t give it a second thought, because ever since I turned 18 I realized I always have felt like I was 16 :)

But I figured, I’d mark the moment with a little reminder to myself of 35 of my favourite things.

1. Hugs from Miss S and EliHaze
I am grateful for when my girls wrap their tiny arms tightly around my neck and lately when Miss S tries to reach all the way around my shoulders. I completely agree with all parents who have ever told me that kid cuddles are the best.

2. 1 second video app
I’ve been struggling with trying to capture the special moments but also stay present with the kids. Buuut, I think I’ve found something that may be the solution. I used this awesome app for about 6 months. It’s so fun to watch how our life changed in those months. Just doing some sound edits and will be posting it soon.

3. Day dates with the Hubs
Before kids, the mister and I went out almost every night. Living downtown, we took advantage of every scene possible. The ‘Liscious events, Nuit Blanche, Going to movies after work/dinner, even a late night (10pm) gym session was a luxury we enjoyed. However now, we take serious advantage of the “day date”. I know we may have a few more years ahead of us before we can truly enjoy a night out again so we are using daycare and a kiddo napping in the car seat whenever we can!

4. My DSLR
Mad love although I am in the market for a something new :) Like this and this or this.

5. My blog
I think anyone out there who has a blog agrees. And even though I’ve questioned parts of the blogging experience – my blog is a special place for my words, thoughts, art and photographs.

6. The Library
I love walking into a big room full of books, and then walking out with a stack of books for free (for appx 3 weeks) is even better.

7. Our kitchen chalkboard
I actually got the idea to paint a wall in our kitchen from a family member who also had it in her kitchen. Sometimes we use it for our grocery list, doodles, teach a lesson to Miss S, a seasonal message, a reminder, a to-do list. But it fosters our family’s cohesiveness and creativity – which is top of my list.

8. Kiddo art work
Whether it’s stuff that gets sent home with her from preschool or things her and I create together when her pops is in school – I love it. I really really really hope I am instilling some foundation of creativity in her.

9. Marketing/Social Media/Millennials/Hygge
I probably sound like a big nerd but I find the above topics so fascinating – especially how they interwine.

10. Gratitude
It’s a habit I picked up a few years ago, but it’s still my favourite mind recharging tool. (Now if only I can get into meditation)

11. Easy green smoothie
Handful or two of baby spinach, one chopped up pear, a few splashes of lime juice and teaspoon of maple syrup – the EASIEST greens smoothie eeevvaaaa! Also quick add ons for my weekend smoothie: cinnamon, ginger (fresh with peals on), a banana, coconut water, hemp hearts, celery, cucumber #Slurp

12. Moleskin planner
I’ve mentioned this a few times, I am kind of planner and journal obsessed. But the Moleskin planner is my current fav. It’s a a one or TWO year planner with a SOFT COVER! It has lined pages beside a weekly page, tons of simple stickers, monthly calendars, free pages and a pocket.

13. The Social
Love this TV show. Especially when I was using the gym on my work lunch break. I can break up the work day to watch it lol

14. PodCasts
I know they’ve been around for a while, but I only got into them recently. It’s such an EASY way to get information without having to look at something (i.e.: a screen). I started this one recently after reading this book. Other favs include: Richroll, The Millennial and the Ted Talks.

15. DIYing
Probably the coolest concept. Growing up I didn’t really have anyone role model to me what a DIY was so when I started planning my wedding and realized it was thing I was hooked. I do it a lot from party decor to house hold stuff. Somethings I want to try in the next year: rope basket in different shapes and sizes (thinking small one for the front door key / phone spot and something larger for Miss S’s room)…aaanndd maybe this too.

16. Fresh roses on our coffee table
The house can be a complete disaster (which it normally is) but when I see the fresh roses on the coffee table – I feel like I am in a hotel lobby or in someone who’s house is clean and spotless LOL

17. Reading Blogs
I think I’ve said this before but blogs (currently and more specifically lifestyle blogs) are so inspiring and motivating. I’ve been reading blogs for over 10 years now – The one blog I used to read/interact with is no longer around, but the writer was a sweetheart and so relatable. That said, with social media the past time of ACTUALLY reading the blog posts is now a long lost hobby I feel.

18. My faux Marble table top
I saw a DIY for this in the summer and it was the coolest thing so I made one. Theeennnn I realized I could probably just swap out a table top from an actual table (maybe something from Ikea or Target) and actually have a “marble table”. In any case it’s perfect for clean background / flatlay shots that I love taking and it cost me less than 10 bucks!

19. Counting my steps
I think a few years ago when 10K steps a day became a thing I didn’t catch on. But the older / wiser I get I feel like walking is a misunderstood form of physical activity. I realized this by starting the BBG program (which I didn’t finish – twice now) I love the gym, I love weights and I love running but I am starting to fall in love with walking. I’ve been going back and forth between my phone and my husbands fitbit flex (which I gifted him but he doesn’t use lol). And some days when I am feeling really motivated, I walk circles around my house just to “get my steps in”

20. My Foam Roller
I first started using a foam roller in 2012, but it should have been sooner.

21. This photograph is by far my fav photograph from this year. You can find it on my Etsy shop too!

22. Doing arts and craft projects with my daughter
I am legit that IT analyst corporette/Mat Leave mom by day and that wannabe DIY/Craft Mom all the other times of the day lol. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now just gotta find a way to do more DIYs and crafts in the day :P

23. Going to the gym on my lunch break
I never thought I would be one of those people rushing to the gym to get a workout in during my lunch break – but it’s been the best decision for my lifestyle (as a working mom).

24. Instagram
I’ve been using it since 2012 on my personal account and since 2015 as an extension of this blog. It is still by far my favourite social media site. I always find motivating and intriguing people to follow and I love scrolling my own feed to see all the cool things I’ve been up to/pictures I’ve been able to capture.

25. Our neighbourhood
All the parks and green space – serious game changer.

26. Yoga / Sun Salutations
I don’t do it enough but it always makes me feel better. Now next year I need to get into meditiation.

27. Facetime
I know this is super old technology but it’s major thing holding me back from getting anything other than apple products. Plus – It’s an awesome way to talk to grandparents, cousins and friends who are not close by.

28. Loaded Oatmeal
Although I haven’t had oatmeal in a few weeks I love love love personalizing it and making it into a hearty meal or very filling snack. Some of my fav toppings are: hemp hearts, hazelnut almond butter, cacao nibs/dark chocolate chips :)

29. Wholewheat toast with melty pb, banana and chia seeds
I would eat it everyday.

30. Intention/Minimalism
Being more aware of what I am doing/eating/thinking/saying has allowed me to be more conscious of my consumption. And that awareness is only something a 35 year old can get :P

31. Giving up chicken (and bacon!)
I have never been so proud of myself then I have these past almost 4 months.

32. Journaling
Whatever form it is in, i.e.: this blog, bullet journaling or even in a folder of word documents. The process and practice is very invigorating to me.

33. Red nail polish & Red lipstick
Honestly someone just perma-stain my nails red because it’s truly the only nail polish colour that I can keep on my nails for longer than 3 days :P

34. The words “I am”
Totally related to being intentional these words are really powerful. I recently read that chanting the words “I am, I can, I will, I do” during meditation is probably more doable / powerful than focusing too hard on breathing.

35. Mind Maping
Getting all your thoughts out on a topic or project is so freeing!

Birthday girl

Posted on October 19, 2011 by thrulesyeux

Taking the day off for my birthday was the best idea ever. If you are a corporate slave like me – you’ll probably enjoy it to. I’m always so inspired by people who can say “I quit my day job to pursue my dreams”. I wish my dreams/personal legend would be more apparent to me so I could possibly doing the same. Until then I’ll “work to live” – enjoy my time off as much as I can, maintain my work life balance and enjoy myself as much as I can at work.

The photodiary is a bit backwards here lol. We started off with brunch at “Coras”, then went over to “The Ballroom” for some daytime bowling and cocktails, and ended the evening with Milk (spiked with Baileys) and cupcakes. The martini glasses were a must!