On returning to small-town living

It’s funny how fast you forget what it’s like, this small-town living stuff. You’d think I’d remember after 21 years of living here and only 3 years away.

What a three years those were. I got married, had a baby, learned how to do for myself all those things that I’d never had the self-confidence to do before then. I missed my family back home, but the growth that happened in me during those years was worth it all.

Now I’m back – temporarily, but back nonetheless.

And remembering just what it was like.

I miss my farmer’s market. I miss our toy lending library. I miss all the programs, all day, every day, including weekends. Even though I’m not a big shopper, I miss all the stores. To sum it up, really, I miss having options. The option to buy food locally. The option to attend a magnificent variety of programs – shows, playgroups, workshops, all of it. The option to go out and buy a new shirt when I need one. Heck, I’m a bit ashamed to admit it, but I even almost miss Walmart.

And the people – wow. The gossip, the backstabbing, the viciousness, the small town politics. I remember how nervous I was when I first moved to the city, convinced that people there would be cold and hard and, well, mean. That ended up being the most surprising part of city life – the people were nice. There was very little gossip, none of the viciousness I’d grown accustomed to here, and a shocking lack of judgment towards others. It didn’t matter how you dressed or who you hung out with – people just accepted you as is, no questions asked.

I had to face the consequences of such small-town gossip just last week. Someone I don’t even particularly know was telling my co-workers that I was pregnant, despite me having not told anyone here, and despite me having not even told my supervisor yet. Because of the spreading rumour and my belief that it is unprofessional for your boss to hear such information second-hand or to be the last to know, I made the decision to tell my supervisor about the pregnancy much earlier than I had planned to, and only a day after one of his other employees had told him she was pregnant as well. What a marked difference to my experience in the same situation in the city, where a co-worker learned I was pregnant and kept the information to himself until I was ready to tell my boss and my other co-workers myself. It just boggles my mind that someone I don’t even know was discussing such personal information with my co-workers. Small-town living – where personal boundaries are all but non-existent.

Still, it’s not all bad here. The lack of options and boundaries aside, I do appreciate the quietness, the slower pace, and the neighbourliness. Just last week we were looking to borrow a roto-tiller for our freshly-dug garden. In the city we probably could have rented it from the hardware store, but here all I had to do was ask a friend if he had one. He was out of town at the time, so he had his brother come over on his tractor and till our garden for us – a job that would have been huge for us to do manually, but took him less than 10 minutes to do far better than we could have ever hoped. The little guy was thrilled to watch the tractor, and I was thrilled to spend the next evening filling the freshly tilled soil with all sorts of vegetable seeds and plants. Here was a man I’d never met before, taking the time to till our garden and refusing anything in return. I can’t say how grateful I am for his kindness.

So, I might not be able to buy the new pair of work sandals I so badly need, I might not be able to take my son to a playgroup or spend an evening with my husband at a concert, and I might have to learn how to deal with having everyone know my personal business for a few months, but it’s the people that make this town so homelike at the same time. There’s the lady at church who remembers when I first moved here at two years old, and now I’ve returned with a two year old of my own. There are the smiles and waves from everyone who walks by. There’s the peacefulness of a quiet walk to the park and the likelihood of stopping to chat with someone you know along the way. There’s the stranger who will drive over on his tractor to till my garden for me.

All in all, it’s really not so bad after all.

The most wonderful thing

Two months ago, on April 7, I thought those two beautiful lines were the most wonderful thing in the world.

Yesterday we heard our baby’s heartbeat for the first time, a strong 156 beats per minute. And I changed my mind about the most wonderful thing in the world. To hear evidence that your baby is growing, thriving in your womb, is even more wonderful.

Come Christmas, I know it will change again with the birth of this precious child.

First smiles. First steps. First words.

It just keeps getting better and better.

On moving with a toddler

Ah, moving with a toddler. Now there was an interesting experience.

The drive was about 35 hours long. I did it in three days when I moved to Ottawa originally, but I didn't have a two year old and a couple cats in the backseat, so we gave ourselves four days and said we'd stop when we needed to each night.

Surprisingly, though, we didn't need the four days. The little guy did amazing on the trip. We made it 10 hours on the first day. He fell asleep just before we were about to stop for the night on the second day, so we kept going, making it 15 hours that day. Another 10 hour push and we were home. He was pretty fed up by the last three hours of the trip, but unfortunately for all of us there was literally nowhere to stop! Ah, northern living. Fun stuff.

Honestly, I think the toddler did better than the cats. They were unhappy felines the entire trip. They refused to get out of the car to use the litter box or have food and water every time we stopped, so they went each long day with full bladders and empty stomachs. Lucky for them, they decided the hotel washrooms were an acceptable place to relieve and refuel themselves each night.

Just after leaving Ottawa, there were a few brief moments of "oh my, how are we going to survive this trip" when first one cat started meowing, and then the other – and then the toddler joined in. We both groaned at that point, with visions of 35 hours worth of three meowing voices. Fortunately, he lost interest in imitating the cats within a bearable span of time. The cats themselves kept it up for much longer (and received many a grumbled threat from my husband about leaving them on the side of the road to fend for themselves in the wild), but we're here, so we must have survived.

We had talked often with the little guy about our upcoming move in the month prior to it. We talked about saying goodbye to this house, driving to a new house, and seeing Grandma and Grandpa and all his aunties. He seemed to understand and he handled all of the changes with amazing calmness. The hardest part has been his repeated requests for two of his friends, Luke and "Liah" (Eliah). How do you tell a little boy that he'll never see his friends again, or at least not for a few years? So far he hasn't found any little friends to play with here, either, other than his four aunties (the youngest being only eight years old) – and even if he did, he'd only have to say goodbye to them again when we move to Vancouver in the fall. That is always the hardest part about moving, though - having to say goodbye to so many of the people you care about.

The brightest spot, on the other hand, was coming home to family. It has been such a blessing to see the little guy really getting to know his grandparents and aunties. I grin every single time I hear his excited squeal of "GAMPA!!!" when he sees us turn in his grandpa's driveway. It just melts my heart. I've been enjoying spending time with the oldest of my little sisters (she's 23 now), and, of course, with the rest of my family. It will be hard to say goodbye in the fall. While we don't have family in Vancouver itself, my in-laws are all in the area and, I'm sure, itching to visit whenever they can. I know Jacob will miss "Gampa" and all the rest horribly, but he loves his Opa and Oma and two aunties too. Hopefully we will be able to see them often.

And then, come Christmas, he'll have a new little brother or sister to get to know. How blessed we are.

We are so happy with our new home here. It's hard to believe we were paying slightly more rent for our little condo back in Ottawa as we are for this three bedroom, two level house now. It sits on four acres of land and is just outside of town, about a 10 minute drive to my workplace. Country living has been wonderful. With both of us being introverts, the extra privacy and quietness is great, and our huge yard has gotten lots of use already. There are little shoes filled with sand from the sandbox, sweatshirts that smell of woodsmoke from the firepit, a freshly dug garden, and lots of land and forest to explore. We will miss it when it's time to leave.

We won't miss, though, the hard smelly water and the painfully s l o w Internet connection. You can't have it all, I suppose.

But how blessed we are to have so much.

When everything changes

Bad blogger. Bad, bad, neglectful blogger. Shame on me.

Ah, but where to start. I'll have to stick to the short version, because the long version would simply be too, well, long.

First, we've moved halfway across the country. We're back in northern Manitoba, the same tiny little town my husband and I met and grew up in. Quite the experience, being back here again – but that would be the long version. Suffice it to say that the boy is loving having his "gampa", "gamma", and four aunties around to give him lots of attention, and we're loving the big beautiful house we're renting for the same price as our little condo back in the city. Oh, and we've dug up and are ready to plant our very first vegetable garden.

Second, and the reason for the move, I've returned (temporarily) to work full time while my husband becomes a full-time SAHD. I say temporary because we'll be moving again in the fall, the rest of the way across the country, to BC where my husband will be returning to school (electrical engineering) and I will again become a work-at-home mom. As my husband was unable to find work after the company he worked for shut down last June, I applied for and accepted an opportunity with a post-secondary educational institute here in Manitoba. While I could have returned to my former job full time in the city, it would have meant long days without seeing my son. Moving us here meant, in addition to having my family around, that I could come home every noon hour and spend some time giggling away with the little guy. It's not an optimal situation, but it seems to be working well so far – again, though, I'll try to stick to the short version.

Third (and arguably most exciting), we're expecting again! What a long year it was, waiting for this wonderful blessing. The baby is due mid-December, and we are planning a midwife-attended homebirth. We are so excited. I haven't been feeling too bad so far – bouts of mild nausea here and there, a definite lack of energy, not much interest in food – but nothing at all like my first pregnancy where I was horribly sick 24/7 for the entire first three months. I'll take the occasional mild morning sickness over that any day. We've been talking to the little guy about the baby, but I have no idea how much he really understands. Right now he'll say there's a baby growing in mommy's tummy and that he's going to share his milk with the baby. He's currently nursing 1-3 times a day – I don't plan to actively wean him at this point, but I won't be at all disappointed if he gives it up on his own! Fortunately I've had very minimal pain while nursing and no apparent change in my supply so far.

Well, that's the short version. I've got more to say – so much more – but I'll save it for later. Everything always seems to happen at once, doesn't it? I think I'm ready to settle back into the blogging world, though, now that we're settled in here. Settled in and waiting expectantly for a gloriously warm and exciting summer. Come soon, sun.

Knitting adorableness

Last month I began knitting a pair of wool pants for the little guy. I intended to use it as a diaper cover, but wouldn't you know it, he was mostly out of diapers by the time I finished. Fortunately, they make adorable pants anyway.



This was my first foray into making clothing (other than hats and mitts). It was so much simpler than I expected, I'm kicking myself for putting it off so long!



I learned a few new techniques in the process, most notably short rows (I was a short row virgin before beginning this project) and provisional cast on. Fun stuff!

(Pre-blocking)


The Details

Pattern: Adorabubble Baby Britches (Ravelry; Etsy)
Yarn: Lion Brand 100% Wool in midnight blue
Needles: 4.5mm and 4.0mm
Mods and Specs: Custom sizing; enclosed i-cord drawstring waist, seed stitch cuffs.
Began: Feb 17, 2009
Finished: Mar 11, 2009



Current project - my first pair of socks!

Ah, Spring

How I love thee.

It's the time of year where some people are out in shorts and sandals while others are still huddled inside parkas and winter boots. Me, I'm somewhere in the middle - still sticking to longer skirts, but I couldn't resist slipping out the sandals in place of the winter boots today. Ah, happy feet. I detest socks.

When my husband makes fun of me, I just remind him that Jesus wore sandals. Hence, I am more godly than he. *pats self on back*

I love the smell of spring - that warm and wonderful fresh spring smell. (Or is it the smell of melting dog poo and rotten leaves? Either way, I love it.)

I can feel my spirits rising already. The warm sun, the growing patches of grass, the warm breeze, the longer days, the warmer temperatures, the lack of biting cold, the warmth, the lack of snow, oh yes, and the warmth. Mostly the warmth. And the long walks where you come home feeling refreshed instead of wanting to die from the cold.

On the other hand, at least winters here aren't as bad as they were in northern Manitoba where I grew up. I haven't forgotten those -50C days that froze your nostrils and eyelids shut and left icicles on the men's mustaches. Woohoooo, those were the days. Is it any wonder I have such an aversion to winter?

Then again, the snow forts we built were pretty awesome.

Still - spring, glorious spring, is here at last, and I am one happy lady because of it.

Wouldn't it figure that next week the little guy and I are headed back to northern Manitoba - still firmly in the throes of winter - to visit my family? Ah well, goodbye sandals. I shall see you again when I return.

Recommended Reading: For the wee ones

So far, our son is as much a bookaholic as both his parents are (he didn't have a chance, really). I thought I'd share some of our favourites.

One of our favourite favourites - both mine and my son's - is Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers. The illustrations are delightful, as is the rhyming verse. And I can't help it - I'm automatically partial to any child's book that lists breastfeeding and babywearing alongside bottle feeding and strollers.

Our very first favourite - the first book that my son "learned" (knew what actions were coming up next) - was Baby Cakes by Karma Wilson. We both still enjoy this sweet little interactive book.

Another old favourite of ours is George and the Dragon by Chris Wormell. This is one of those books that is just plain fun to read.

Our most recent favourite discoveries are I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Shustak and How Do I Love You by Marion Bauer. Both books are adorably illustrated by Caroline Church. My son requests both of these over and over.

We're just getting really interested in the I Spy books here, so that's been something fun and interactive to do lately.

Although I'm not a huge Sandra Boynton fan, we do love Snuggle Puppy. Such a sweet book.

We're not always fussy, though. We do love almost anything by Dr. Seuss!

We're big fans of Richard Scarry here as well, but by far our favourite ones are Cars and Trucks and Things that Go and What Do People Do All Day. These books will keep my son entertained for nearly an hour at a time, so full of entertaining illustrations. Incidently, these were my husband's childhood favourites as well!

Speaking of classics, who doesn't love We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen? Or Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr (and illustrated by the infamous Eric Carle)? Or Love You Forever by Robert Munsch?

Ah, who are we kidding. We love anything by Robert Munsch!

If you weren't fortunate enough to grow up with Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak, please, do yourself a favour and buy this book of monthly poems! In March the wind blows down the door and spills my soup upon the floor. It laps it up and roars for more. Blowing once, blowing twice, blowing chicken soup with rice.

Another of my husband's childhood favourites is Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Burton. This is a very cute book.

Then there's Jan Brett - surely I don't need to say more? We particularly enjoy The Mitten, along with our newest Jan Brett favourite, Noah's Ark (thank you Trace for pointing out this particular gem!).

Another new discovery is Karen Kingsbury's Let Me Hold You Longer, a sweet book about remembering our children's lasts as they grow. My husband, however, thinks the book is just plain depressing. I prefer to describe it as "bittersweet" - as growing up always is.

Naturally, not a single home library would be complete without at least one set of Mother Goose nursery rhymes - our Mother Goose book of choice is illustrated by Scott Gustafson. I could not possibly rave over these beautiful enchanting illustrations enough. Our next purchase will be his Classic Fairy Tales.

Max Lucado's Wemmick books are among our favourites as well, particularly You Are Mine. Although these books are too long for my son to sit through yet, he loves the illustrations and requests them often anyway. For now I just paraphrase the important messages in each.

Speaking of important messages, we do have a couple other favourite Christian children's books - I Love You This Much by Lynn Hodges, I'd be Your Hero by Kathryn O'Brien, and God Loves You by Kathleen Long Bostrom. The last one is part of the Little Blessings series, illustrated by Elena Kucharik, artist of the Care Bears. I love her illustrations, but more than that, I love finding a series of Christian children's books that aren't either really bad, really "off" theologically, or watered down to the point where the message itself is lost. I have a very hard time finding good Christian children's books, so this series is definitely one I appreciate.

On the topic of good content (thought not from a Christian viewpoint here), I do appreciate the level of information in Dinosaur ABC by Roger Priddy - not enough to make it boring, but enough for it to be a book that grows with kids. Right now my son loves the pictures of dinosaurs (and hearing me try to pronounce the names - good thing it comes with pronunciation keys!), but as he grows there is more detailed information there for him to dig into. Likewise with Priddy's Monster Machines book - great for toddlers who like pictures of trucks, great for little kids who want to know more details about them.

One of the nicest set of gift books we've received is Why I love my Mummy and Why I Love my Daddy by Daniel Howarth. Another wonderful illustrator and very sweet books.

Well! I'm sure I have more favourites, but that's more than enough for now. I'm always very excited to find a new children's book that is really good, and I look forward to having our options grow along with him!

What are some of your favourites?