Bo's Bodacious Blog: mom of teens

I am back after a much needed break. Spring was BUSY! I knew June was going to be a lot but when it wrapped up, I had a beyond empty tank. I am not sure if it was that much busier or I am getting older and not able to handle as much. Regardless, after the last day of school on June 27th, I kind of crashed and just took time to sleep, read and not be social. I was still editing photos from grad sessions a few hours a day but I just kept mostly to myself. Last week, we went full out visiting and reconnecting with friends and family and now I am back at the lake, trying to find a good balance between socializing and recharging over the next 4 weeks before we need to gear up for fall and back to school mid-August. So let's jump in and see what I accomplished in quarter 2 of my goals. I am not formally setting any goals for summer as I need to just go with the flow I've decided. Leave me a note about how your goals are unfolding now that we are half way through 2025, or what your summer looks like.

PERSONAL

✔*Splurge on a cleaner once in May and June. I know June will feel insane so I need to commit to spending the money to help me stay sane. I will need the help!- YES!!!! This was a life saver for me. I think I am booking her in for September when I return back to work and I am going to do this for December as well.

✔*Splurge on fake eyelashes every three weeks, and nails once a month.

✔*Hair appointment including a cut and color. - I went dark closer to my natural color, although the sun has bleached it back, and I absolutely love it!!!!!!!

My hairdresser nailed it, she always does.

7/10 *Try to listen to one audiobook/month and read two books (finish The Dimond Eye and read whatever book is chosen for book club). Also, finish reading the journal articles on ADHD.

Audiobooks: This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune ⭐⭐⭐
Audiobook: The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose ⭐⭐⭐
Audiobook: The Woman in Me by Brittany Spears ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Audiobook: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Dimond Eye by Kate Quinn ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wellness by Nathan Hill ⭐- I tried to both read it and do the audiobook and couldn't. I think only two people in my book club got through this one. I normally never put a book down but being so busy and having such little time, I was willing to let it go!
ADHD Journal 50% completed, will pick up again in the fall.

✔*Go to dr. and explore adult ADHD. - I did this and she was on the fence because I do have excellent coping strategies if I do have ADHD. I tried concerta for a couple of weeks and ultimately didn't notice too much difference and it began giving me stomach pains daily. Being June, I didn't explore switching medications but maybe I will in the fall/winter if I feel like I need/want to.

X*Enroll in dog agility with Oreo again this year. - I decided that I just didn't have the capacity to take this on this year in the end. It's hard to say no but I was so overwhelmed that I called the organizers and said I just couldn't make it work.\

PHYSICAL

✔* Complete my first Duathlon on Mothers Day. This duathlon was supposed to happen in fall 2024 but was cancelled due to an extreme wind storm so my girlfriend and I are slated to do it this spring. It's a sprint distance which is 5km run, 20 km bike, 3 km run. - This was soooooo much FUN! I felt so proud of myself for trying something new. I didn't do as well as I had hoped but the atmosphere was so supportive, empowering and a ton of first timers. It was a dedicated Mother's Day event so seeing all the moms and women of all ages and fitness levels really made the event so much more. I am planning to do it again in the fall if it works in my schedule. I was also interviewed as an inspiring mom that runs for our local running newsletter which was delightful, you can check it out here.

FAMILY/RELATIONSHIPS

✔*Family trip to Europe!!!! - Our trip to Europe, Venice & Paris, exceeded every expectation I had. The girls were the perfect age to travel with and were really interested in doing it all, from churches, to castles, history, shopping, food, and even were great sports about sharing a bathroom and beds. My mom and dad also joined us and the girls loved being able to share this experience with them. We did it all, gondola ride, pizza, cappuccinos, Verona, rubbed Juliette's boob, traveled by boat and plane, Dodge's palace, Eiffel Tower at night, family photoshoot, JellyCat store and shopping, Louvre tour, Versailles castle, explored cool neighborhoods, quint stores and Disney Paris. We walked and walked and walked. I really need to make some posts recapping this trip so that we can preserve it forever.

Paris 2025

Venice 2025

Halie, Halie, Halie! This spring is going to be fully about Halie and her grade 12 graduation.

✔*Create a scrapbook as a gift for Halie. - This project was a labor of love!!!!! It took me hours, upon hours, upon hours, like 40+ hrs; but it is beautiful and a keepsake that she loves. I made it through Vista Print (Canadian) and the photobook is beautiful.

✔*Attend Halies graduation ceremony and family formal dinner.
✔*Do her grad photos, friends cap and gown photos and family photo.

✔*HOST a grad celebration in June for family and friends. - We had 40ish people in our house because it was the one day that it literally rained ALL day long. It was loud, chaotic and full of love for her.

Anya

✔*Dance, dance and dance. Enjoy her dance competitions and final dance show. 3 dance competitions, and 2 recitals. We did it all and I have to say not only did she grow in skill but also just her ability to roll with the punches and the ups and downs of competition. She NEVER complains about going to dance and loves the girls, teachers and the art.

✔*Take dance photos.

✔*Enjoy watching baseball in June. - Anya went back to a co-ed baseball league this year and absolutely loved it. It's likely her last year playing and I was acutely aware of that, so I soaked up as many games and opportunities to cheer her on.
X*Begin driving with her behind the wheel once a week. - We need to get her out driving more, especially in the city before the winter. In the fall we need to make this a major focus so that she is ready and confident in the city when snow falls.

Birthday Celebrations

✔*Do an experience gift for my niece Ella at the end of June.

PROFFESSIONAL

*Please follow my photography business on FB or IG.

✔* Host spring mini-sessions and ideally I'd like to book between 6-8 sessions. - I ended up only doing one evening and half the sessions.

✔* Book 4 graduation sessions, remembering to keep it reasonable and manageable this June. - well I booked double this in May/June and they are still going into the summer. I need to learn to say NO, but they are all so beautiful.

7/10 *Continue to post/promote my photography side gig on IG and FB, 2xweek. - Consistency as with my other IG account is just not there.

FINANCIAL

✔* Document a breakdown the full cost of our trip to Europe as a family of four.

✔* Rent out our cabin out for in order to recoup some costs. Goal: $1500.

I'll be back on Thursday, July 17th with Ageless Style and we are talking about how we are staying cool this summer. Join us for some summer fashion inspiration and link-up.

Happy Thanksgiving Canadian friends! A day to reflect and give thanks to everything good in our lives, and even the challenges in our lives are put there to teach us something. There are so many things in my life that I am extremely grateful and thrilled to be able to experience but ultimately it all comes down to the people and the relationships with those people. Here are my top 5 things I am grateful in life.

1. My family. Both my husband and my girls, but also our extended families. They are there to support, celebrate and cheer us on. My husband continues to be a strong and collaborative partner, and I am so grateful for that as we enter a season of parenting that we find difficult. There I said it! Parenting teens, although the girls are wonderful in so many ways, has been hard for us as we find the balance of letting go, but also still wanting to connecting with them and continue to invest in our family. It's a season of learning for us and I hope that other parents of teens know that they are not alone in these times change, growth and learning. Regardless of the challenges I am so thankful to have two healthy, happy, children that made me a mom.

2. Our friends. Like family, our closest friends do the same for us as family. I always think of my friends as the family I got to choose.

3. Our cabin. A piece of haven, right here on earth.

4. My career and the team at work. People at work, the students, families, and most importantly my collegues, make going to work sustainable and usually a place of joy.

5. My heath and my body. It keeps me going and doing all the things that I love to do.

It's a simple list and I could get really specific but it really does boil down to these daily interactions that make me happy and healthy.

It was a small Thanksgiving for us, as Logan got COVID and his last day of COVID jail was yesterday. Since our plans with family fell through it was just the four of us but I still decided to make a big meal to enjoy as a family. I also, got dressed up because it made the day more special and cooking in the kitchen all day seem separate from the actual meal. I put on this lightweight, flowy (so I could eat all the turkey, buns and pie), accordian pleated dress from Aritzia, and accented it with gold jewlery. I love how olive and gold work together and I finally dug out my favorite boots from last year to pair with them. I think I am actually going to wear this exact same outfit this week for our admin meeting.