Friday's Fabulous Mom: Allison Boyd

Cashmere & Carrot Sticks' fabulous Mom for this week is Allison Boyd. Allison is a woman who radiates energy and whom always has a smile on her face.  I'm sure you'll enjoy reading all about her and her Mom ways today.

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I am Allison Boyd and I live in the lovely town of Aurora, Ontario. I have been married to my best friend Jason Boyd since 2000. I am the mother of Abby (aged 8) and Cameron (aged 6). I love my family and am grateful everyday to wake up to these three beautiful faces. I own my own business in health care marketing and love what I do! Outside of work and kids activities I personally enjoy Zumba, rollerblading, socializing with friends and reading.

Allison and her beautiful family

What’s on your bedside table right now?
Now this is embarrassing……my computer, iPhone, TV remote, various home decorating magazines, note cards….hmmm…not recommended items to send oneself into a deep peaceful sleep!!! Loved this question as it made me think I should probably change this!

Something you do as a Mom that June Cleaver would approve of …. And something she would raise her eyebrow at?
June would approve of my high expectations on manners. June would NOT approve of me letting my 8 year old stay up until 11pm on a school night and watching “Say yes to the dress” when my husband goes out of town.

Any words of advice for keeping all the clutter and toys from overtaking?
Marry my husband, aka: neat freak! LOL. Jason and I are a match made in heaven when it comes to having a clutter-free home. I think it helps when a couple has the same philosophy on this topic.  I would consider our family the “anti-hoarders.” Since the kids were little, every 6 months or so we take a trip to Good Will. We get the kids involved and go through the toys to decide as a family which ones they are ready to donate.  It has always been an added benefit to give the kids the sense they were really helping another child.

If you had an entire afternoon to yourself, what would you do?
If  “by yourself” means away from the family or work, it would be to spend the afternoon on a patio with girl friends. I definitely miss the days when there were endless hours to sit all afternoon and chat (thank goodness I now have my book club! J). If “by yourself” means truly on my own, then an afternoon at the spa is my perfect afternoon.

 How do you squeeze in the ever-so-important time for just you and your husband?
We are very, very blessed to have both sets of grandparents live in our town. This has given us a lot of opportunities to be together alone With such support we have been able to travel and have many “date nights.”  As the kids have gotten older, we are seeing more and more time together as the kids are starting to play with friends outside of our home. What a strange feeling to have a few hours on a Saturday when our kids are off at friends.

Something special or unique that you do for your family that you hope they remember fondly in the future:
 From the time the kids could stand/walk we have had “mom –led” family dance parties in the kitchen. Hip –hop, hard rock, reggae, pop…the kids may think that every Mom breaks into dance at any given moment.   My hope is when the kids leave home they remember a home filled with love, laughter and music.  It is impossible to feel sad when your’e dancing, so we make it a part of our daily/weekly activities.

Your go-to family meal that you know will be loved by all, eaten by all and serve some nutrients too!
The latest is quinoa and tofu stir-fry. It's packed with protein and flavor. I feel so good when the kids eat this meal.

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Thank you so much for participating today Allison and giving us a glimpse into your life. I definitely can't wait to see the hip-hop version of your kitchen dance party at next book club!