THE GOODS BLOG: Erika's Precious Little Life ~ March Edition

This month has been a bit of a rollercoaster for me. There have definitely been ups and downs. I would certainly prefer a more steady road but such is life! You may recall that I have previously been diagnosed with aura migraines caused by fluctuating hormones. I've only had one really bad migraine before (which lasted a month - and that's when I freaked out and got an MRI done) and at the start of February I had another one. Thankfully this one only lasted five days but I was scrambling to try and find solutions before leaving on our vacation. I had no way of knowing if this migraine was going to last an entire month again and affectively ruin my vacay. Thankfully it did not!! And then we left on our week-long vacation to Negril, Jamaica! We had an amazing time! This was our second time staying at a Beaches resort (fourth time at Sandals/Beaches) and it's always beautiful and full of really great activities for kids. We love the consistency, know exactly what to expect, and the food is really good. We spent lots of our time on the beach (which was so gorgeous!) and enjoyed the waterpark and going snorkeling. The Sesame Street aspect of the resort is really fun and we saw Cookie Monster like a million times. The weather was hot and sunny for the most part and our oversized family suite was really comfortable with a king bed for Tim and I, and a twin bed for Archie. We've already pre-booked Beaches Exuma (Bahamas) for winter of 2028!

Tim jumped off of a 30 foot cliff and then a 40 foot cliff!

This is Resort Erika and she has arrived!

This is my vacation happy place!

We loved it and it was a great vacation!!! When we returned home it was immediately Valentine's Day!

We also had a really fun double date night with Mary & Jonny at the new Cook County Steakhouse, which is basically steak and country music. We felt very Albertan, ha ha!

Then I received some pretty devastating news: my yoga studio is closing down. I'm a founding member of this studio and have been practicing there for three years. I visit three mornings every week. The closure of Inner Five Yoga is a really big, heartbreaking loss for me. I cried a lot. The owner (and my main teacher) Ronna is starting her practicum to complete her Masters and is then going on to become a provisional psychologist. Because of this workload (plus being a single mom to two boys) she could no longer keep the studio running as it was too much on her plate. Understandable. But still a really big life shift for me. This studio was five minutes from my house and I loved it. Now I have no idea where I will practice and it certainly won't be as convenient. I'm working on accepting this reality and hoping that this will open the door to something new and wonderful. I feel incredibly grateful for the time that I had at Inner Five. It was like my home.

This month is about sustainable strength. Rest is not a reward. It is wisdom. Life with Archie: Here are some additional highlights of Archie having a great time in Jamaica! He loved getting to visit a new country!

Archie made friends with a boy his same age named Jonah from New Jersey and they were vacation best friends.

Archie flew on his 81st, 82nd, 83rd, and 84th flights!

Archie made it to school JUST in time to celebrate Valentine's Day and hand out his valentines to his classmates! They had a Pink, Red & White Day at school and of course there was a matching lunch/snack as well!

Archie completed his six-month Intro to Piano program at Backbeat and put on a Mini Performance! He has learned so much and it has been amazing to see his progress on the piano!

Archie built a Penguin Mailbox at the latest Kids Workshop at Home Depot and a Blooming Heart and a Puppy at two different LEGO free-build events.

Archie has continued making the family dinner on a weekly basis! His next dishes were Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo and Pasta with Rosé Sauce. Both very good!

Archie attended his friend Keaton's birthday party.

Archie's school had their annual Winter Carnaval, which is always such a blast! It's a super fun day for the kids where they get to participate in a bunch of French Canadian activities and they all love it!

This is his entire grade 3 class.

And Archie was also away for a weekend at Winter Cub Camp, which he loves going to. They always stay at the same camp in Evansburg and I know that he's making a ton of core memories there.

We're always busy with lots of things, as per usual! March has a few things in store! (Holy crap, winter is almost over!) I'm attending a screening of the film The (M) Factor 2: Before the Pause. This film is about perimenopause and will be followed by a panel discussion. Looking forward to soaking in all of the info that I can get, as always! We're going to be going to Bannock Fest where we get to sample bannock from different contestants and then vote for the best one! And then there's the annual EDify Best Restaurants 2026 Event which is one of the biggest foodie events that I attend in Edmonton each year! I always look forward to eating WAY too many delicious things there! Plus I'm likely going to be trying out as many new yoga studios as I can... *sigh* THIS MONTH’S SHOUT-OUTS!: March 7th is Susan Murphy’s 44th birthday!

Wishing you the most special Susan day! Out of everyone that I know, you're probably the person that I hear from the most!! I appreciate your daily presence in my life so much and our long friendship is so meaningful to me. I hope that you collect alllll of your free birthday treats and that you feel very spoiled! Love you Susu! <3 March 12th is Kristen Smith’s 42nd birthday!

I miss you and I wish that we were in touch more! You have such a beautiful heart and I love how much you care about others. You have impacted me in so many wonderful ways and I am forever grateful for everything that we have shared - even all of the dumb shit that we used to do!! Wishing you the best day! Love you always! <3 March 17th is Mary Cox’s 42nd birthday!

You have quickly become my Edmonton family and I am so, so grateful for that. I love that we enjoy doing so many of the same things - it made our friendship unavoidable! You are such a nurturing, ambitious, and cool person. I can't wait for whatever adventures we get up to next and I know that we will be going out to celebrate your special day!! Love you so much! <3 March 26th is Krystie Watson's 1st wedding anniversary!

Wishing you a romantic day to celebrate the two of you! <3