Welcome to MonicaBooth.ca!

Hello, friends!

Welcome to the first post of my new(est) blog, monicabooth.ca! I’m so excited to finally have this website up and running, and I can’t wait to start writing posts and sharing them with you!

You may recognize my older posts from my previous blog, Boothopia. Not much has changed in terms of the look and feel of this website, but I’m happy to now be blogging under my own name.

It just feels so much more like… me.

In case you’re a brand-new visitor, a super welcome to you, and please allow me to introduce myself!

My name is Monica, and I live with my husband and two young sons (the unstoppable 5-year-old Lil’ Ziggy, and the impossibly adorable 7-month-old Lil’ Buddy) in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. I’m originally from Hamilton, Ontario, but I’ve been living out west for about 10 years.

I love growing plants, baking cookies, drinking coffee, crocheting blankets and reading good books. My dislikes include cleaning the house following any of the aforementioned activities 😉.

I’ve been blogging on and off for the better part of 20 years, going way back to high school. I had a… wait for it… Deadjournal. It was mostly filled with teen angst and 100-question surveys that I shared with my friends, but I was proud of my space and the voice I was developing in the brave new world of the internet.

Since then, I’ve blogged on multiple platforms until my most recent blog, Boothopia.ca. Boothopia was mostly written to keep my family and friends in Ontario and around the world updated on the growth and development of Lil’ Ziggy.

I stopped blogging in 2017 because I was experiencing anxiety and burnout so severe that I struggled to put words into coherent sentences. Simply put, I completely lost the ability to write, both for my blog and at my day-job. In fact, I pretty much lost the ability to read and process information in any way. It was scary. It may be difficult for some to understand, and I won’t go into further detail in this particular post, but I truly feel like I lost control of my mind for the better part of a year.

I’ve made a lot of progress since then, but the non-stop, fast-paced and clickbait-driven culture that we live in is definitely a stumbling block on my way to feeling whole and healthy again. I tear myself free only to be sucked back in again because it’s far easier to fall back on old habits.

I’ve been trying several ways to bring some balance and a feeling of control back into my life. In that process, I feel like I’ve stripped back almost everything that I can, gotten rid of all that doesn’t serve me and my family. I’m so thankful that I’m now ready to start rebuilding.

Part of that is feeling like I can finally write again.

I’m mainly writing for myself right now, but I also want you to know that I’m writing for YOU too. This ain’t yo’ mama’s content farm of listicles, though. There are enough blogs out there giving you 13 tips for blah blah blah.

Instead, I’ll be writing from my heart to yours on a variety of topics including my joys and struggles, as well as my newfound interests in minimalism, simple living, slow parenting and eco-friendliness.

My aim is to inspire you to come along with me as we try to make sense of our world and improve it together. I hope my words bring you comfort, encouragement and motivation, no matter where you are on your journey.

(And since we’re living in a weird time right now, being quarantined during the COVID-19 pandemic, at least I’m bringing you something to read while you stay home. Seriously guys, stay home.)

So with that, I welcome you once again to monicabooth.ca. I can’t wait to share this journey with you.

 Feel free to contact me at hello@monicabooth.ca, and don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter!