Social networking online can truly be a magical thing. We met Meranda Olson on our Facebook Fan Page and feel really lucky to have made the connection. While a spring blizzard roared here in Canada our clothing was down in sunny LA being styled and photographed by this talented artist.
The images speak for themselves. There is no doubt that this photographer is destined for great things and we feel honored to be a part of her journey. Thanks Meranda for capturing the essense of our brand in every single frame - we ❤ these photographs!
Some words from the photographer:
My name is Meranda Olson and I have been in love with photography ever since I figured out how to use a camera. I hope that one day I will photograph for Vogue kids (l can dream right?). My two boys keep me busy (and a little insane), Korbin is four going on 25, and Ryker is three and the most loving mini human ever! In my spare time (whenever that is) I love all things DIY and my house resembles a thrift store, ever since I’ve moved out from my parents at 18.
I call Bakersfield, CA home and I totally have a love/hate relationship with it 50 degree winters and 110 Summers.
Visit Meranda Noel's Photography website
Visit Meranda Noel Photography on Facebook
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Phone: 661 333 4538
Facet Joint Arthritis...really? and don't say I told you so....
Written by Michelle WardWhen you are young and people tell you that what you are doing will have long term health consequences you often will just shrug them off.
When you are young you are invincible. When you are young you think your body is going to cooperate forever.
The “That’s not going to happen to me” has quickly turned into the “oh drat, it’s happening to me”. * sigh * pass me another Motrin would you?
The consequences of all those crazy years on the bike have finally caught up with me and I have been diagnosed with moderate facet joint arthritis at the tender age of 46. All centralized in my lower back and please note this point as it’s important for any parent or kid reading this who is out there pursuing sports where there is a high risk of injury.
This is not a cautionary tale (don’t do like I did) because if a young person is reading this they are going to think just the way I did. However, if I can convince one person to wear proper protection when out pursuing the sport of their choice then this blog entry is worth the keys that I tapped to produce it!
Yup, that’s me in the photo circa 2001 ripping fast through the downhill mountain bike trails at Blue Mountain Resorts, in Collingwood, Ontario (our hometown). That’s what makes (and made) downhill mountain biking so exciting. When you reach high speeds on super steep trails you are on the edge of losing control and I LOVED this aspect of the sport. I crashed a million times and broke/fractured assorted body parts including my fingers and ribs. I always wore a full face helmet, chest, shin, and arm guards. I did NOT however wear a spine guard and I should have. If I had chosen to wear it, there is a good chance I would not have the problems that I have today.
I was a somewhat clumsy bike handler and this often resulted in me being catapulted off my bike at high speeds, landing smack dab on my back. I repeated this many times and would heal up and get right back on my bike the minute my body would let me. Take one and repeat every two weeks…pass me another Motrin would you? These repetitive injuries have damaged my facet joints and spine.
The reason I didn’t wear full chest protection with spine guard included was the cost. At the time I just didn’t make it a priority to save for one and looking back now I wish I had.
If you participate (or your kids) in any sports, please look into all safety gear that would be applicable to help protect against injury. Sometimes meeting the “basic requirements” for protection may not be enough – ESPECIALLY given the skill of the participant. A mountain biking friend of mine has been at it for 18 years has never broken one bone. I also know many others who have sustained all sorts of injuries, some inevitable and some preventable if more protective gear has been utilized.
There is always a risk when participating in any sport BUT why not do everything you can to prevent & manage injuries?
In the meantime I will stare at my MRI report in awe, pop another Motrin and begin the long journey of coping and managing my facet joint arthritis.
What a pain = literally. At least now I have a diagnosis in hand.
Get out there - have fun and buy/save for the protection you will need to enjoy the sports that bring you happiness!
Music is really important to our daily family life. To say that we couldn’t live without it is an understatement.
We view music like food, you introduce a variety and over time kids begin to develop their own unique taste. Some songs become instant favorites and other ones take a little longer to appreciate and some you just never quite digest.
Okay so now the reason for this blog entry. Passion. Eat the music. I love that.
It’s so important as parents that we share whatever we are passionate about with our kids, whether it’s hockey, music, dance, reading, singing, football, skiing, painting, it just doesn’t matter.. They get to see that fire ignited inside of us and become familiar with what that looks like, feels like – it shines the light on the creative spirit that dwells deep inside their hearts.
The beauty of sharing passion is that they see by learning from us, they recognize that same fire within themselves.
Just the other day one of my Facebook friends posted a picture of his son wearing a Toronto Maple Leaf jersey, they were enjoying the game together. The grin on my friends face said it all. He is so excited to be sharing his love for hockey with his son.
Passion. It’s so darn beautiful.
Okay - double rainbow beautiful when we see it reflected back to us - through the eyes and spirits of our children.
Adam Ant, Skrillex and Kale – what are your kids listening to?
Written by Michelle WardEnter my Mother (once again). I was so excited by all this new music and I wanted to share it with everyone and anyone who would listen. On our long drives up to the cottage Mom would allow me half the time to play my fuzzy/crackly singles.
I can guess now (as a Mom myself) that sometimes after a long week of working full-time hearing “Press Darlings” by Adam and the Ants may not quite be what she was in the mood for. But she always listened and remained open and tried to understand and appreciate the music that was (literally) changing the very direction of my life.
It got us talking and it kept us talking. My Mom is one smart cookie.
Exit stage left Gretchen (as mom of kids) and enter stage right Michelle (mom of two kids).
We have been exploring music with Kale and Desmond since they were kicking around in my belly. As I have said before in previous posts we play it all for them, reggae, hard rock, ska, classical, pop, alternative…you get the idea. Now Kale is developing his own taste and it’s my turn to share in his excitement about what is becoming candy to his ears!
On our last trip to Toronto all Kale wanted me to play was his new fave DJ/Musician Skrillex. It was 8 am and I was my usual fuzzy self, seeking caffeine, sunglasses and some familiar music to get me through the 2 ½ hour drive south. I was just about to say “No Kale, why don’t we listen to Two Door Cinema Club instead” and then the words got caught in my throat.
That memory of my grey Sony boombox in Mom’s old yellow Buick hit me like a steam engine!
I looked around to the back seat and there were these huge, bright green eyes staring back at me. He was so thrilled by the idea of sharing his music with me.
Then the question I had to ask myself - Who do I want to emulate in this situation? What parent do I choose to be? Yea…you guessed it….
On went Skrillex at 8 am and Kale danced in his car seat for 1 ½ hours.
Is it music that I would download and play myself? Likely no but that’s not the point. If we close ourselves off to what turns our kids on we loose some of the connection that we have worked so hard to build.
Thanks Mom for another amazing parenting lesson and you can bet that your Grandson Kale thanks you to!
David Lee Roth, Tom Chaplin from Keane & Desi’s first haircut…
Written by Michelle WardHe started school recently and to no fault of the school gender bias began to bubble up to the surface. On his first day of class the question arose a couple of times, “Are you a boy or a girl?”… Desi very strongly (and loudly) replied “I am a boy, I am a boy!”.
The tipping point has occurred and Desi is no longer exclusively hanging with us, Grandma’s/Grandpa’s/Nana’s, daycare and extended family (where his hair length is a non issue). He has entered the public arena – the wild west so to speak, where girls are supposed to wear pink and boys are supposed to wear short hair. It’s hard to believe that in 2011 we are still so stuck in these confining gender roles, but truth is – we are. We have to talk about these issues with our kids - it's the only way things are going to change!
It’s a bummer and there is no doubt about it, Dave and I are bummed.
Up until starting school Desi was happy with his long hair and last week, after reading stories he asked me to have his haircut. I didn’t want to make a knee jerk decision so told him that we would wait a week, talk about it and then if he still wanted it cut that would be okay.
The toughest part about this is that it’s no longer about us (the collective), it’s about Desmond and what he wants to do. As parents we have to respect his wishes BUT I feel terrible that he is (at the age of 4) already feeling pressure to fit in.
Key to this story is I wanted to educate him about gender and that it’s okay to be different (in however that difference defines itself in the individual). Thanks to my wonderful sister-in-laws friend Liz who introduced us to the video titled “TomBoy”. It was easy for Desi to understand and it got us talking which was so important to me. He related to the girl in the video “they think she is a boy and people think I am a girl…” etc.
I ended the week long conversation with pictures of his favorite singer Tom Chaplin from Keane.
Desi LOVES Keane and I knew that over the years Tom has had both short hair and long hair. We googled his name and up came hundreds of pictures. I pointed to a shot of Tom with long hair “Is he a boy?” “Yup” replied Desmond, then I pointed to a shot of Tom wearing short hair “Is he a boy?” “Yup” replied Desmond. Then we did the same with Drew Barrymore (I think she is awesome) as over the years she has worn both short and long hair. I needed him to understand, even at his age, that it is our differences that make us special. That men and women wear both short and long hair and either choice is fine.
This seems like a lot of work I know and some of you probably think I am overdoing it with all the video’s and pictures. BUT here is the thing this story is about much more than hair length. If we don’t open up this kind of dialogue now – then when exactly are we supposed to do it?
Since he is such a Tom Chaplin fan I let him dig through the pictures on google and pick out a shorter hairstyle to take to our hairdresser this Saturday. She is BRILLIANT and he is in good hands.
All the Grandma’s want a lock for their Desi scrapbooks and you can bet we will be holding onto some too. Maybe when he is older he will choose to grow it long again. In the meantime an important conversation has taken place and as a family we are the better for it.
CLICK HERE to view the Tomboy Video
Synopsis: Alex a 9year old girl fights bullying and gender stereotypes. I was the director and producer. This film is based on a book by Karleen Pendleton Jiménez who worked closely with me on the video. We won Best Animation at Orlando Hispanic Film Festival, Best Web Animation at Savannah Animation Festival, CBC Canadian Reflections Award among others.
Between the ages of 11 – 16, I was a tween/teen mind trapped in a little kid body and it was tough. Along with this no growth thing came much taunting and teasing from the kids I went to school with. Much of it was supposed to be “fun and in jest” but it hurt all the same and there were days when I just wanted to be invisible. Sometimes life just isn’t fair when you are a kid.
Enter my awesome husband Dave, who is also a later bloomer. He experienced all the stuff I did and then some and we both can relate to what it’s like to not quite fit in.
One thing is for sure, two late bloomers who measure 5’5” and 5’7” don’t cancel out and make tall kids. My son Kale is super small (and super charged) for his age and I worry about him being teased at school. Dave and I talk about this all the time and we do our best to help him develop strong self esteem to stand up to the bullies that are likely going to find him down life’s path. We can only provide so much on our own as parents and activities like skiing, cycling, music classes can compliment what we try to instill in him.
One place that I developed self esteem was an all girls camp called Tanamakoon in Algonquin Park, Ontario. I was 14 when my Mom put me on a bus to send me away for a month and I was terrified. I remember clutching my Clarinet and crying as I looked out the window as my Mother waved goodbye and told me to have a good time. She was a late bloomer too and also went to Tanamakoon so she knew what this experience would do for me.
Within about 10 minutes the sweetest girl (and ironically one of my camp bunk mates that year) popped her head over the bus seat and said “Hi, I’m Jenny, don’t be sad you are going to have so much fun, camp is amazing, this is my third year, do you wanna sit with me?”…and from that moment on I fell in love with Tanamakoon.
I discovered that I was fully accepted for who I was as a person inside and nobody at camp cared that on average I was about a foot smaller than others my age. This allowed me to stretch way beyond my comfort zone and try many new things. The freedom of knowing that I would not be judged or teased was truly a life changing experience. Camp altered the very blueprint of my inner self and for one month a year (for 4 years) I was super-small, super-charged and super-loved by my peers and counselors. The self esteem I gained at camp made me stronger and eventually the bullies at school began to leave me alone.
Kale is enjoying 2 weeks of day camp at Blue Mountain Resorts in Collingwood. He came running in the house after his first day, full of stories and proudly displaying his camp rope bracelet that he had made. He told me that he is never going to take it off and I remember that feeling like it’s yesterday. Each day brings more stories and new things that he has tried with new friends that he has made.
Hot damn. Magical stuff. Good stuff. Makes me smile inside and you know what? Guess who helped to make it happen?
Yeah…you got it, Kale's Grandma Gretchen. No clarinet on Kales first day but you can bet the phone rang in the evening “How did Kale enjoy his first day of camp Michelle?”. “Oh Mom, I blubbered and I began to cry…he just loved it…just like I did, just like you did...”
The gift of the camp experience handed down from one generation to the next. Self esteem finding it's way into the very fibre of my son's soul.
Magical stuff. Good Stuff. Summer camp is cool.
We were very lucky to enjoy 22 years in Muskoka at our rented summer cottage. I know that at times it was very difficult for my parents to keep that dream going. Every year when March break rolled around Mom would say “No trips on March break, your Dad and I have chosen the cottage and it’s all we can afford”.
Then the fun would begin!
My Mom would always make March break a complete and total blast. Not only that she always rolled it out on a budget. Each year we would re-paint a room in the house. Mom would let me pick out the paint color and together we would transform a room. I used to get so excited when we visited the paint store – the possibilities! Then on other days when she had to work she would bring me along and we would work together in the card aisle. It never felt like work because my Mom is one of the most positive and fun people you could ever spend time with. I would look forward to a “break” where Mom would give me enough money to buy fries and gravy and a coke in the Bay Cafeteria.
I figure the key to this story is that she must have been slightly stressed juggling 3 kids during a holiday week with limited funds and working full-time job but I never felt it.
March break was fun and oh so special with Mom and that is all I remember!
Holiday hugs to all parents this March break. I hope that you enjoy some time with your kids in whatever way works for your family!
As I type these words, I am working in the chalet at Blue Mountain while Kale skiis with his morning group. Then we are off to a movie in the afternoon. Maybe next year we will paint a room in our house and if we get lucky Grandma Gretchen might join us!
That would be the ultimate in fun – thanks Mom – I love you.
When was your first time? I know when mine was...
Written by Michelle WardThe cottage itself was an oldie and a goodie, built in 1880, a real old school traditional set-up. By far the coolest and most unique part of this property was the boathouse, coveted by the young, because once you were “old enough” you got to sleep there. Imagine how excited I was when my parents said you can join your brother and sister and sleep in the boathouse. I was 8 years old. I remember the exact age because Paul McCartney and Wings had released ‘Band on the run’ and you can bet it was on high rotation on our portable record player!
This is when ‘it’ happened, my first introduction to the magic of live music.
My parents would send us down to go to bed and you can bet we didn’t. We would play cards, talk in whispers and then the loud thumping would start. We would grab our bathrobes and head down to the dock. Our feet would dip into the warm water making ripples that echoed out in front of us and a sudden quiet would come over us.
Music sounds like heaven when it’s cascading down a lake and reaching out towards you....
You see the legendary Kee to Bala was only just down the bay from our cottage and on weekends bands would come and play. Lighthouse, The Guess Who, April Wine – it was a feast of Canadian musical talent. We would listen to the concerts and wonder what it might be like to one day, be old enough to go and see a band live at the Kee!
These evenings affected the very core of who I am. I can say with certainty that the seedling of live music appreciation was planted deep within my soul during those long summer nights. That same excitement we experienced as young kids still washes over me to this day - just before a band hits the stage!
Since these early days I have seen several bands live at the Kee and it's been a wonderful experience. Last time I was there, I went out onto the deck that overlooks the lake and watched the lights from the cottages dance on the water.
Then I wondered if there were other kids, just like us, sitting on their docks listening to the music, like we did all those years ago. What a neat idea.
Thanks Sandra and Earle for letting your little sister stay up late! Boy we had fun. Magic to be exact!
Oh my gosh - My Ah Ha moment on the mountain - We have become one of those families…
Written by Michelle WardThis was before my hubby and I made babies.
At the resort there were many hardcore ski/snowboard families that would show up every single Saturday and Sunday and rip it up! They would hit that mountain faithfully come hell or high water. Rain, sleet, blizzards and minus 20 degree weather couldn’t keep them off the snow.
I remember thinking to myself “Are you nuts? Why don’t you go home and enjoy a movie and hot chocolate” “Those kids must be freezing, their parents are crazy” blah, blah blah. You get the idea. I just didn’t get it. Why would anyone go skiing with small children when it’s minus 20 and there is a blizzard roaring?
But now we get back to the crux of the story - this was before my hubby and I made babies, two boys to be exact, who have more energy than I ever imagined two humans could possibly have. They can sit for about 5 seconds inside before tearing our house apart. It’s the middle of winter and we live in what sometimes feels like the middle of nowhere. What’s a family to do?
Go skiing of course!
Oh my gosh. Come hell or high water we go skiing. As we have learned over the years, there are many advantages to shredding on the crazy weather days: no line-ups, the runs are empty and the hot chocolate tastes extra yummy when you go inside to warm up.
Simply put I now understand why all those families went skiing every Saturday and Sunday. Sure they love the sport but I bet part of it was motivated by the desire to not go completely insane by being cooped up inside with kids who just can’t handle being cooped up inside. Sanity prevails and the mountain wins!
Sometimes you just can’t understand certain aspects of parenting until you are a parent yourself! Which brings to mind the Postman’s Pledge – a la the Solursh/Ward clan:
“Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor blizzard, nor minus 20 degree temperatures shall keep our family from skiing at Blue Mountain”.
So it’s official - Oh my gosh - My Ah Ha moment on the mountain - it’s true - we are now one of those families and darn proud of it!
What’s interesting is that we are really starting to see these little fella’s develop musical preferences that are so reflective of their personalities. I have no idea if studies have been done on this topic and certainly you can bet I will digging around the internet to found out.
Kale is a thoughtful, intense & highly mathematical little dude. When I watch him skiing you can see he is really focused, picking his line down the hill. He is a thinker and then a doer and that’s the best way I can put it. Ask him what music he likes and he will give you a long list of artists who are intricate, spiritual & melodic in their song writing. Kale’s playlist right now includes: Phoenix, Brandon Flowers, XTC, Joel Plaskett, Pink Floyd and early Adam and the Ants.
Desi on the other hand is a full-on balls to wall get out of my way kind of kid. I would describe him as a doer first and a thinker second. This would explain his recent ski injury that had him crashing after barreling down the bunny hill with no fear and no intention of stopping. A trip the ER revealed a buckle fracture to his ankle and I can bet this will be only one of many sport injuries that this kid will experience. Ask Desi what music he likes and he will just start yelling “Play Ozzy Mommy, Play Ozzy”.
Desi wants to rock and somehow instinctively starts to throw that big blond mop of his around when the music starts. Desi’s playlist includes: Ozzy Osbourne, PIL, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, and when it’s naptime Bob Marley.
I think this is fascinating stuff. Same kids, same parents, same musical offerings and their taste couldn’t be any more different. Their approach to how they are as people really seems to be reflected in the kind of tunes they want to hear.
I better buy some high fidelity ear plugs because Desi’s concert choices are going to be very different from Kales. Hold on Mom and Dad this is gonna be a wild ride!
Well as they say, live and let live or should I say listen and let listen!