#backtobackbends Challenge

If you are friends with me on Facebook you would have been bombarded with photos of me doing yoga.

During the month of July I took part in the Back to Backbends challenge sponsored by Alo Yoga and hosted by Kino Yoga and Beach Yoga Girl. Each day we had to tackle a different back bend. They were all pre-established and set to build on one another to work on back strength and flexibility. I learned so much about what I was capable of doing during July. Between working on fixing my shoulder injury and building strength in my practice, I have really seen some major improvements. These challenges are an amazing way to get involved in the Yoga community and expand your practice. 

I hope to take part in another one soon!

Here are the photos of my challenge with a few extras thrown in for good measure. 

Day 1 - High Crescent Lunge

Day 2 - Warrior 2

Day 3 - Extended Side Angle

Day 4 - Revolved Side Angle

Day 5 - Intense Chest Stretch or Pyramid Pose

Day 6 - Wide Leg Forward Fold

Day 7 - Seated Splits

Day 8 - Compass Pose

Day 9 - Reclined Hero Pose

Day 10 - Camel Pose

Extra - Tree Pose

Day 11 - Reverse Plank

Day 12 

Day 13 - Upward Facing Dog

Day 14 - Bow Pose

Extra - Flying Pigeon

Day 15 - Inverted Staff Pose

Day 16 - Low Crescent Lunge

Day 17 - Reclined Lotus Pose

Day 18 - Wheel Pose

Day 19 - One Legged Bridge Pose

Day 20 - Dropback Prep

Extra - Practicing Headstands

Day 21 - Mermaid Pose

Day 22

Extra - Working on my Shoulder Injury

Day 23 - Headstand Splits

Day 24 - Scorpion Pose Prep

Day 25 

Day 26 - Cow Face

Day 27 - Locust Pose

Day 28 - Wild Thing Pose

Day 29 - Wheel Variation

Day 30 - Crow Pose

Day 31 - Chair Pose

Mrs. E

Our Happy Home ~ A New Deck

Outdoor living is a way of life here in Canada, 

We are lake people. We are camping people. We are fire pit people. We are patio people. And we are definitely deck people. David and I have been bad Canadians for the last few years. When we moved into our home the former owners did not leave us with much. They were computer gaming people and therefore not outdoors people. We didn't even have stairs into the backyard and they had been living there for 12 years!

We had to prioritize what we wanted to do on the house. Our renovation list was massive and unfortunately the deck just wasn't at the top. This year we decided to make it a priority. It became crucial for us to have an outdoor living space. As the kids get older we find that we are spending more and more time outside. If the weather is nice, the kids are outside playing from sun up to sun down. We made a call to our amazing contractor Tony, worked out a schedule and design and in two different phases we built a massive, beautiful deck. David was able to help with some of the work which helped bring down the cost a bit and we also finished a bunch of planting around the deck area to make it feel more like home. 

We have used the deck more than I ever thought we would and it's only the first summer we've had it! Here's to a lot of summer beers outside while the kids run through the sprinkler. 

Mrs. E

First Family Camping Trip

Have you ever woken up in the morning with no plans for today and thought to yourself.... Let's go on a mini road trip..... We have. 

In early June we woke up one Saturday morning and realized we had absolutely nothing to do. I looked at Dave and said "Pack up the kids. We're going camping." Those who know us well know that Dave and I used to camp all the time before we had the kids. Even up to the time that I was pregnant with Sydney we would fill the car and head to the mountains for some adventure and an escape from the city. On this particular day we went from deciding to go camping to driving out of the city with a fully loaded van.

We managed to get a last minute campsite at Ol' MacDonald's camp ground and lake resort. It is only about an hour and a half from the city and is perfect for families. They have lots of activities, four person bike rentals, a beautiful beach and indoor options on rainy days (like school house movies and popcorn). We set up camp, made hot dogs for lunch, hit the beach and relaxed.

Dave and I have always camped in a tent and we have always cooked over the fire. Introducing the kids to a rustic way of living was so much fun. They loved every single minute of it. My only anxiety came from all of us sleeping in a tent together and whether or not we would even get any sleep. Sydney was asleep by 8:30 and Henry went down just after 10. To my surprise they both slept until almost 8am the next morning and loved that we had all slept together as a family. 

Even though it was last minute and a lot more work with the kids, this will go down as one of my favorite memories as a family. Needless to say, we will be doing it again next summer for sure!

Mrs. E

I'm Back!

It has been a loooong time since I posted anything on our blog.

I took the last month and a half off to focus on one of the passions in my life... yoga. I recently returned from Costa Rica where I completed my Yoga Teacher Training. I am now a certified Yoga Teacher! I have been holding onto a million photos from the summer, plus all of my photos and stories from Costa Rica. I am hoping to post them all over the next few days so stay tuned!

Mrs. E