Here’s a look at my top five winter essentials. Besides the necessities, like snow tires, shelter, and a great moisturizer. Things like scarves, tea and books!

Top Five Winter Essentials

A Blanket Scarf

Okay, the first of my top five is the most extravagant item on my list. My fringed cashmere scarf comes from Kit and Ace, a Canadian company. And I’ll tell you why I LOVE it. First of all, it fits in with my idea of quality, sustainable fashion. (I bought a cheaper $50 blanket scarf from Chapters/Indigo. It’s soft and a lovely bright blue colour, but I wear a lot of black clothing and it sheds. Boo.) I bought my cashmere scarf two years ago and it’s my constant companion. It hasn’t aged, despite constant use. It’s wonderful for trips (car, plane, train, any mode of travel), used as a shawl in my office, as an incredibly warm scarf (and extra layer) over my winter coat. It will last for years!

Books (Of course!)

My second on the top five list is a no brainer here! Books can get you through a lot of winter related challenges like blizzards and cold snaps. It rained here in January and created extremely icy conditions. People were skating in the streets! It made surfaces treacherous. My daughter has mobility issues and it made getting out and about difficult. Rather than risk falling, we stayed home. I mentioned my January reading list here. I felt laggy and draggy this morning so treated myself to an easy morning and finished Year One by Nora Roberts. Other than a couple of nitpicks, I enjoyed the characters, her take of what brings the world to it’s knees, and her post-apocalyptic world.

Tea

I know there are a lot of coffee drinkers out there, but I’m a tried and true tea drinker and no top five list of mine would be complete without tea. I enjoy a cup of Earl Grey every morning. My favourite afternoon teas are Blood Orange and a Rooibos Cinnamon Chai. The evenings are spent sipping Peppermint or some type of citrus blend.

Essential Oils

I love essential oils! I tried a new blend today: 4 drops of Lavender, 3 drops of Bergamot, and 2 drops of Peppermint. It’s said to promote serenity. It was very pleasant and I’d definitely use this mix again. There is also a congestion relief blend I often use: 2 drops of Eucalyptus, 2 drops of Peppermint, and 2 drops of Tea Tree. I’m also a big fan of this headache roll-on!

Netflix

What did we do before Netflix? Wait until our favourite shows came out on DVD so we could binge watch that way. Or store up episodes on our PVRs. We can still do this, but it’s never worked for me. I forgot about the show and move on. My husband and I  just finished binge watching two seasons of Stranger Things. So. Good! It’s honestly the first time we’ve been so committed to a show. Now to find something new to watch.

What are some of your winter essentials?

A reminder that the romantic suspense boxset, including BACKLASH, Closer To Danger is available for preorder! U.S. and Canada.

I love being a Mother! But I’ll be honest, lots of days I fail at the job of mothering. Being a mother is hard. There have been many times I’ve wished I was in possession of a psychology degree or was, at the very least, was a mindreader. There are so many fierce, wonderful mothers out there that have provided me with inspiration. My own Momma included. I love her to the moon and back.

I’m thinking of my favourite books and who the mother characters were or weren’t in those stories. Although, in most of these stories the protagonist is often motherless. Take Anne Shirley, from Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. And of course, Disney is in love with the storyline of motherless children and animals.

The lack of mothers, the search for mothers, the importance of mothers is an far-reaching theme in books, movies, art, etc. Everyone, regardless of their origins, needs the warm, loving, protecting embrace of a mother.

In my own writing, for instance, motherhood is often a theme. In BACKLASH (Aspen Lake Series, Book 1), Constable Chase Porter and young Jason McCarran are both motherless and victims of abusive fathers. In EXPOSED (Aspen Lakes Series Book 2), recovering alcoholic Kate Logan’s own mother passed away when she was a teenager. In Gone (Aspen Lake Series Book 3 Work-In-Progress) Grace Bighill’s mother disappeared when she was 12. In OFF THE GRID (The Downtown Eastside Series) Sophie Monroe feels responsible for her older sister, Marnie, and is more of a mother to her than their own mother. Another character, Kellie Andrews, a young woman alone and afraid about to give birth.

Mothers in Fiction

Other books come to mind when I think of various mothers defending their family, their property, or their life. And other books depicting mothers who struggle or fail to give their children what they need. And women who adopt the role of mothering. Mothering isn’t necessarily a main theme of all of them, but these books all included mothers I’ve never forgotten or women who survived neglectful relationships with their own mothers or women who had no mother’s at all. I’ve listed a few of them in the order that I read them.

1. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
2. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
3. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
4. The Pearl That Broke It’s Shell by Nadia Hashimi
5. Room by Emma Donaghue
6. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
7. We Were The Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates

I’m beyond thankful for my own mother who’s wonderful at mothering. I’m thankful for books who tell the stories of mothers and mothering. What are some of your favourite fictional mothers?

I’m not the most coordinated person on the planet. I’m also not the strongest or the fleetest of foot. But I’m learning that doesn’t matter much in the grand scheme of getting healthy. I’m also realizing that my exercise self can learn a little something from my writing self. Determination and the desire to improve are everything.

I’m a grinder.

Merriam Webster’s definition of a grinder: athlete who succeeds through hard work and determination rather than exceptional skill.

I’m not sure about the athlete part, but as someone who started at the bottom of the fitness rung, I’ve definitely made progress during my five month strength and fitness training journey. Heck, as a person who hadn’t done a squat or a lunge (never mind a plank, because WHAT!) in literally decades, I’ve come a LONG way. I’ve learned being slow, methodical and clumsy doesn’t matter. By showing up and doing the work, even when I’d REALLY rather not, my physical strength is returning and my mental health is improving. I’m increasing my flexibility, balance, endurance, and coordination. So, win!

My writing is following the same path at the moment. The words aren’t flowing and the path forward is often foggy. But I’m determined to get this project done so I will sit my butt in my chair and I will work through my roadblocks. I will grind away until I get where I want to go.

But back to exercising! Here are a couple of things I use for inspiration and motivation.

Harder To Kill Podcast by Steph Gaudreau. Steph is also the force behind Stupid Easy Paleo which focusses on nutrition, fitness, and mindset. Steph’s philosophies also jive with the things I’m learning from my personal trainer (Yes! I have one of the those and more on that in another post).

Nerd Fitness Blog. An excellent resource.

Run, Selfie, Repeat – Kelly Roberts. Kelly is on a mission to help others become the strongest version of themselves. She’s honest and open and lots of fun. She also just ran the London Marathon (it didn’t go well) and got a selfie with Prince Harry.

You gotta be who you are. Own your starting point. Set a goal. And grind away at it until it’s met.

Are you, like me, a grinder?