Talking Slow Living on Ruth & Ragnar

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I get asked a lot about slow living and minimalism and how I bring these to life in our family. Well, first I should probably tell you that most of my week is anything but slow. I work full time outside the home in a very hectic job. I work in politics in Canada and not only are the days hustled, they are highly unpredictable, chock full of emotional people and high stakes situations. I’m a naturally calm person, people often describe me as “zen,” which is probably why I’ve survived in my job. However, after working in this environment for a few years I started to notice that I carried that hustled, stressed energy home with me. I would furiously clean and tidy all evening, I would speedily move from one task to another, and multi-tasking was the only way I did anything. On the weekends I would hustle around doing errands, taking Ro and Sen to a list of activities and catching up on my social calendar. I couldn’t seem to find a slo-mo setting… Read the rest of the post over on Ruth & Ragnar.

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Summer Trip Part 2: A Day in NYC

We arrived in New York City around 6:30 pm on Sunday, after a 9 hour train ride that started in St. Albans, Vermont (photos of Part 1 are here). Tuckered out from our long day, we did a little walking around Times Square and then retired to the room we had rented on the border of Chinatown and Soho.

The next morning, with 10 hours until our bus ride to Philadelphia the kids woke up early, excited to explore the city.  We kept true to our modus operandi in Ottawa, walk out the door and see what the city has to offer. But first a peek out the window…image

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…finding greenery wherever we go, Soho had a number of beautiful ivy covered walls.

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…on our way to market for breakfast we stopped to play at Union Square Park, a nostalgic place for us, as the children played there three years ago when we visited.

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…outside Union Square park there is a fantastic farmers market where we grabbed fresh fruit for breakfast, and, of course, enjoyed the flowers and colours inspiration.

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…walking past the Flat Iron Building on our way to the flower district (is that’s what it’s called?)

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…plants in the alleys of the flower district, Ro found a fallen hibiscus and put it in her hair.

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…colour and texture inspiration sitting on the sidewalk.

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…headed back to our room to pick up our bags for our bus trip, walking back slowly via the High Line.

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…it was a hot day, popsicles for a late afternoon lunch. Ro had hibiscus and Sen had lemonade.

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…getting wet in this fun water feature on the High Line, the kids also played here three years ago when we visited. Ahhh, memories.

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…Sen trying to keep up with his summer list “Swim Every Day” commitment, laying down in a half inch of water. I’ll allow it!

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…off the High Line, walking through Soho and inspired by the texture and pattern of this grate.

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…quick stop in at Purl Soho, enjoying the colours, patterns, textures, and Ro in search of the perfect teal colour for her mood board for the dress she is designing with Mimolab.

Purl Soho NYC

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…Sen fascinated by the winder.

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…she found the perfect teal colour.

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…and now to grab our bags, rush over to the bus terminal, on our way to Philadephia. Stay tuned for Part 3.

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Clothing details: Sen’s honey bee organic underwear from Underables; Sen’s swim bottom from Gardner and the Gang; Sen’s striped romper from Little Heirloom; Ro’s top from American Apparel and skirt from Little Heirloom; we all wear Salt Water Sandals from Mini Mioche.