Woman in Real Life

I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I can't speak any Italian. No more than a few words anyway. Why is this born and bred mangiacake embarrassed? Because I've known my husband almost three decades. Which means I've known his Italian-born and raised parents for almost three decades. And they speak Italian at home. We went to Italy on our honeymoon. I sat in silence as my husband's lovely family members attempted to make conversation while my husband translated (reluctantly I might add).

But this isn't a story about me and my ignorance. Rather it's about my 12-year-old daughter. I begged my husband to teach the kids some conversational Italian when they were little. "Even just at feeding times," I helpfully suggested. That way they would learn Italian words related to food. And we all know those are the most important Italian words to learn. But it didn't happen.

On June 14th, it will be five years since I wrote this post about my domestically gifted grandmother, thus launching the little blog that I have come to love. I created Woman in Real Life at a time of significant change in my life. Having just quit a full-time job that I held for over 14 years, I was unsure of what was next for me career-wise. I knew only a few things for sure. I knew I needed a break. A break from nasty bosses and work that lacked creativity. I knew that I've always been a writer. (It's the only passion I've ever wanted to turn into a career.) And I knew I wanted to be a better, happier mom and human being.

When I found out that DK has an entire book devoted to energy bites (it's called Energy Bites, haha), I was intrigued. I love a healthy, tasty portable snack more than anyone probably should. But seriously, how great is it when you have nutritious and delicious little bites of energy in the freezer all ready to grab on the run?

I love looking at the beautifully crafted work of "makers" on Instagram - embroidered hoop art, handmade hats, witty t-shirts, pottery mugs, lovingly hand-sewn baby clothes - there are so many talented women crafting gorgeous, unique items for others and often caring for families at the same time.

I don't have any particular talent in this regard. I like to bake, take pictures and write, but when it comes to crafting I am purely a hobbyist. That doesn't mean I won't keep at it though, just for fun. And I'd also like to inspire my children to harness their creativity into satisfying projects - there's nothing like the feeling of finishing something wonderful that you've made by hand. This month, I picked out some books to inspire us from DK's Made By Hands Boutique.

Over spring break we enjoyed a "staycation" of sorts (if you call de-cluttering the house a staycation). We had some extra time to enjoy our giant collection of books, including our most recent finds - two wonderful books from DK's Big Ideas Boutique. These books tackle big topics (think philosophy, science and even Sherlock Holmes) with simple explanations and great big, beautiful pictures. My husband picked out The Movie Book from the boutique because he and I have long been extreme movie addicts.

Winter is on the horizon and that means I'll soon be spending quite a bit of time hibernating. While evenings spent in front of the fireplace with a book and a hot cocoa sound pretty good, eventually all that time indoors (especially with kids) leads to boredom. That's where these books from  DK Canada's Craft Boutique come in handy.

Lest you find the title of this series, Idiot's Guides, offensive, publisher Mike Sanders says these books are simply meant to help us in our ongoing quest for new knowledge. And that's always a good thing. "We find really smart people who are experts in their fields and then we roll up our sleeves and get to work, asking lots of questions and thinking long and hard about how best to pass along their knowledge to you in the easiest, most accessible way possible," says Sanders. In other words, you are most definitely not an idiot. But nobody knows everything.

I have plenty to learn, so I picked out these two fun titles from the DK's Idiot's Guides boutique - Idiot's Guides: Organizing Your Life and Idiot's Guides: Knitting. I'm always looking to better organize my home and our daily functioning and I'm always hoping I'll do more (or any) knitting!

Twice a year, when my kids' birthdays roll around, I have visions of making amazing homemade birthday cake creations. More often than not though, I end up buying a cake or making a simple round cake with a plain icing.

I guess I'm a bit intimidated (okay, more than a bit) by cake decorating. Fancy cakes look so complex, and I imagine the decorating takes some artistic talent. For inspiration for future birthdays, I ordered these two DK cake decorating books.

As much as I hate (hate, hate) to admit it, winter isn't that far away. So, when I was asked to pick a book from DK Canada's gift boutique, I went with a book that promises to help make winter more cozy, more fun, more tolerable.

DK's Winter Knits Made Easy features 40 patterns for lovely, warm knits to keep everybody in the family toasty this winter. Hats, sweaters, scarves, socks, blankets - all the items that are needed to keep man, woman and child warm inside and outside of the house.

Keeping the kids occupied over summer break is always a concern. We try to balance formal sports/dance activities with family visits, travel and some good old-fashioned downtime. Where downtime is concerned, I find it's helpful to have a solid collection of kids' books in the house. I turned to DK Canada's Summer Fun Boutique for a selection of books to help me keep the kids happy and productive this summer (all at 30% off too!).

I haven't been to New York City since my husband and I went to visit friends before the kids were born. (The eldest is 12, so it's been a while!). This time we are taking the kids with, so it's sure to be a whole new experience. Lots of walking to do in New York. Here's hoping for energetic, cooperative kids!

In order to get the most out of our experience in New York, I got a bunch of Eyewitness Travel guides from DK Canada. With all of the museums, landmarks, family attractions and food available in the city, expert guidance is completely necessary.

Doesn't it turn you off of crafting when all the various bits and pieces that you need have scattered to the four corners of the house? It does me. That's why, in an attempt to organize our family craft supplies and inspire us to craft more, I claimed a small bookshelf/storage unit in the basement and dedicated it to crafting and sewing.

Our craft cubby is squeezed in between the air hockey table and a very large doll house (which no longer gets used but can't be parted with). I stored my sewing machine (which just happens to have been my mom's sewing machine all the time I was growing up) on top of the unit, so it's easily accessible on the off chance it may soon get some use.

Men are pretty much impossible to buy for, right? Which makes Father's Day a bit stressful for us daughters/sons/wives. But there are always books to buy - with books on pretty much any topic, there just has to be something to please your husband and/or father.

I picked out two books for my husband from DK Canada's Father's Day boutique. The books in the boutique cover topics such as cooking, sports, sailing and wine. And they are 30% off right now, which is always nice.

This Mother's Day, there will be breakfast in bed (I'm thinking blueberry pancakes - hint, hint), hot tea, lovely handmade gifts from my little beauties and, of course, books and magazines to browse. My fave thing to do on Mother's Day is to snuggle up in bed with a giant stack of reading material, like I did last Mother's Day. Nothing too heavy or deep - just stuff that's enjoyable to read and absorb.

April 22nd is Earth Day and I am looking forward to celebrating with my kiddos. We are going to explore the natural world around us with the help of a few enticing books from DK Canada. Right now, DK is offering a selection of inspiring titles in their Earthly Pleasures Boutique. Best of all, these books are 30% off! (I confess there are few things I like more than a discounted book.)

However much our kids love watching TV and playing video games, their favourite activities always involve hanging out with Mom or Dad. That being said, I know that our busy lifestyles don't often afford us as much time as we would like to just simply have fun with our kids.

For those moments when you do find yourself with a fully unscheduled day ahead, a great book can provide you with inspiration for creative activities to share with the kiddies. From now until April 7th, DK Canada's March Break Boutique offers a range of exciting crafting, cooking and activity books for 30% off. If you are a DK fan, you know that their beautiful, colourful books are fully illustrated and fun to read. My kids have quite a collection and they often choose DK books to read at bedtime.

When a family is stuck inside as we have been for the past couple of (freezing!) months, it becomes a parent's duty to brainstorm activities for the kids. Although some kids might be just as happy left to play video games for hours on end (and I have one of those kids), DK Canada has a better suggestion.