Originally intended to simply focus on book reviews, over time, KaliDesautelsReads has morphed into its own entity.
I write about issues that are near to my heart, be they political, feminist, motherhood, mental health, or, as the title holds, books.
A thirty-something Canadian woman in my mid-thirties, I have been “super married” to my high school sweetheart since 2006, and together we have two crazy, clever, kind, hilarious, wonderful kids.
My first book – How Not To Blog: Finding Myself, One Post at a Time is available on Amazon (in eBook formats for you clever tech readers, and paperback for those of us who love that new book smell!)
I have tried a podcast – it’s still on Apple and Google Podcasts – but writing is where my heart is.
My life changed dramatically when my husband was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer in 2018, and I am now a writer for a leading Canadian Cancer Non-Profit.
I am lucky enough to have a family that loves me and pushes me to be my best, even if it is outside of my cushiony comfort zone. I have a village of friends that nourish me, mentally, and spiritually.
Welcome to my thoughts. Sit down. Stay a while. Enjoy a cup of coffee!
Alright, you guys! I need something new to binge!!! These my 2 choices – I have never seen either of them. Cast your vote below, please!!! Which would you watch?? Does Lost still hold up all these years later??
I have posted the 2nd episode of KaliDesautelsReads(WritesAndRants) to Apple Podcast, Pocket Casts, Spotify, Stitcher, Breaker, Radio Public, Overcast, Google Podcast, and pretty much anywhere that podcasts are enjoyed! Join me to discuss Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, The Staircase on Netflix, help me decide what to binge next, and the importance of self care!!
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Welcome to the most beautiful month of the year!! It’s October!! “October was a beautiful month at Green Gables, when the birches in the hollow turned as golden as sunshine and the maples behind the orchard were royal crimson and the wild cherry trees along the lane put on the loveliest shades of dark red and bronzy green, while the fields sunned themselves in aftermaths.
Anne reveled in the world of color about her.
“Oh, Marilla,” she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it? Look at these maple branches. Don’t they give you a thrill—several thrills? I’m going to decorate my room with them.”
“Messy things,” said Marilla, whose aesthetic sense was not noticeably developed. “You clutter up your room entirely too much with out-of-doors stuff, Anne. Bedrooms were made to sleep in.”
“Oh, and dream in too, Marilla. And you know one can dream so much better in a room where there are pretty things. I’m going to put these boughs in the old blue jug and set them on my table.”” .
My pride and joy. My daughter is the light of my heart and the miniature version of myself. I see in her everything. Her bravery, her cleverness, her hilarity, her tenacity, everything. Joining her on the stage to learn a hula that she had never done, and seeing her glow with happiness and excitement as she gave it her all makes my heart burst.
Double tap if you are a caffeine fanatic like me. Or if you like to see where your food comes from. Or if you like to shop locally. Green World Coffee Farm ticks all these boxes. Located in Wahiawa on the island of Oahu, Green World Farm allows people to sample different blends of their locally grown coffee, walk amongst the coffee trees, and interact with the farmers and coffee makers. You can specially blend your preferred flavour, and if you are someone who prefers their coffee with less caffeine, you can even ask to have your favourite flavours made as decaf. Their store offers coffee related merchandise, alongside the actual coffee, and is a fun place to stop in island. There is a coffee bar, selling a variety of coffee and tea beverages and snacks, with tables that allow you to sit outdoors, whilst roosters and chickens run past. I definitely recommend this as a stop while in Oahu.
2 hours on the beach, 100 pages straight of Year of Yes and my Ah-Ha moment is here!! EVERYONE is scared. EVERYONE is a little shy. NO ONE has it all figured out. Just because someone is successful or looks like they have the world in the palm of their hand does NOT mean that they are anxiety free; it does NO mean that they are confident; it does NOT mean that they do not cry in the middle of the night thinking that they had screwed up! It doesn’t! It just means that they are doing exactly the same thing that you and I are doing – squeezing their eyes shut, pinching their noses, and stepping off the diving board, hoping for the best. They are all shouting “I DID IT!! Mom! Look!! Did you see?? I DID IT!!! And I didn’t even DIE!!!” …
Give it a like if you can relate. My fear of failure has kept me back soooooo many times, you guys. It has stopped me from even climbing up to the diving board because I KNEW in my bones that I suck. I didn’t even have to try, because my failing was a given. I don’t know what changed my mind. Well, that’s not true – I do know. It was my kids. I could not teach them to be what they wanted to be if I could not demonstrate that to them. If I made my life small, out of fear, what would that teach them, other than giving into fear is an acceptable way to live. …
If you give into your anxiety, what is your reason as I have, what could be your reason to push back? What could be your reason to make your life bigger and more full than you can presently imagine?
It is common when people of fame and “significance” pass away to see your feed flooded with posts about their lives and our grief for their loss. I am surprised, therefore, to have seen very little about the passing of an impressive statesmen, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and the Secretary General of the UN. Kofi Annan did more to preserve peace, and to create a unified world than nearly anyone else in my lifetime. With grace and patience, and a desire for right, he worked to end the genocide in Rwanda, he worked to contain the spread of HIV in Africa, and tirelessly opposed International Terrorism. I wish to honour him and his work, and thank him for the legacy of peace keeping and globalization that he worked to create. …