Running, Renovations, Roadtrips and Raw Food

I really don't set out to come up with a title that alliterates, but these 4 items were on my mind. I know it's been a long hiatus from the blog, but September and October were utterly crazy. I think November is a bit more calm, now that we're almost half-way through, but I certainly don't expect December to go by unnoticed.

We have settled into all our regular routines around here. School is going well for the kids, and they are busy with sports, piano, birthday parties and all that other fun stuff that kids get to do. I've been trying to keep up with my running as regularly as possible, and I've done a few races to keep myself motivated and focused. Connor and I ran a 5k race together in October - we had a great time running together, and I was very proud that he was able to run the whole time! He hadn't trained at all, so I was very impressed with him. I hope we can do some more races together in the future. It's likely only a matter of time before I have to work to keep up with him, so I should enjoy this while I can! This is a great time of year for running - the temperature is perfect most days, it's not too wet, and it's so peaceful running through the forest on a bed of fallen leaves and watching more leaves gently falling. The added bonus is soaking in the hot tub in the chilly air right after a run.

So, on to renovations! I have added before pictures to the blog, but don't yet have the during and after photos. I will be sure to post those once I have them ready. We had decided that we'd like to knock out the wall that separates our office from our laundry room/mud room, and move it over to create more space in the mud room. Our office was huge, and even now that it's smaller, there's still plenty of space. But we found ourselves feeling very crowded in our mudroom, with kids and backpacks and bags of groceries and shoes and jackets and laundry all getting in the way! So, the wall was moved over (not by us, of course), and the tile floor ripped out and replaced with cork flooring and the walls repainted, and now we have a much improved space! All we have left to do is to add "lockers", which come with seating, hooks, and shelves, and we should be completely organized. Those should arrive in the next couple weeks, and we're very excited to see the finished product. So far, I'm just enjoying all the extra space when doing laundry, and not having anyone getting smashed in the head by the door! (My kids have a habit of sitting down to take their shoes off right in the path of the opening door).

I was pretty lucky and got to take two vacations in the month of October. The first was by myself, for 6 nights, to BC. I spent a night in Vancouver with my cousin Frieda, and we ran the seawall together. Something to cross off my bucket list! Then I spent several days with my sister and her family, and we did a roadtrip to Oliver to visit my folks. It was great seeing my niece and nephew. I had a very fun morning (too short, of course) with my lovely friend Corina, and then I ended the trip by hanging out with my BFF, Carla. It was a fantastic holiday - so great to see everyone and to see the sights of BC (happy to visit, but Ontario is home!).

I was home about a week, and then we ventured out on a family roadtrip to Chicago, with my mother-in-law along for the adventure. We were gone for 4 nights and we had such a fun time. It was great exploring a new city, and between the Navy Pier, downtown Chicago, Soldier Field and the Lego Discovery Center, there was so much to see and do. I highly recommend visiting Chicago if you ever get the chance - it's a beautiful city.

Finally, (and I'm trying to give you the Coles Notes here) - raw food. I was asked recently if I have gone raw yet, and the question got me thinking. At first, I felt like maybe I had failed a bit, as I certainly do not eat a completely raw diet. But then I wondered, did I ever really plan to do that? Perhaps I saw it as the ideal to strive for but did not consider the feasibility. However, I feel like maybe I have succeeded after all. No, I do not eat 100% of my food raw, and I'm guessing that I never will. I have done enough research and reading to understand a lot of different perspectives. Some are very rigid and legalistic, others much more flexible and thus, more doable. One of my favorite perspectives on this subject is given by the writer of a blog called Choosing Raw, who doesn't advocate for eating 100% raw. She does, however, eat 100% vegan. I love her clarity, honesty and knowledge on this whole subject area, and have come to respect her opinions. Check it out if you want to know more.

I do feel that I have succeeded, though, in dramatically increasing the amount of raw food that I eat on any given day. While dinner is rarely a raw meal, breakfast almost always is (usually a smoothie) and lunch often is raw or partially raw, and snacks are usually raw. Other changes I've made are to cut back on the amount of meat my family eats, to add a lot more fresh fruits and veggies to our diets and to slowly cut back on processed food. Some people may accomplish these things cold turkey, but in our family, the gradual process seems to be working. It's easier to get everyone on board this way. I'm thankful that my family is receptive to the positive changes, and I make sure to regularly talk to them about the choices we make. I am realizing that perhaps "going raw" isn't my ultimate goal, but rather, "going healthy" is.

On that note, I'm going to drag myself away from the computer and get to bed for some healthy sleep! Thanks for checking in!

Raccoon Update

Thanks to a good set of pruners and the neighbor's saw, our tree, now looking a little naked, should no longer be an accomplice to raccoons getting onto our roof. Keeping our fingers crossed, and hoping the raccoons haven't done any damage already.

So I was breathing a sigh of relief, as this was yet another potential disaster averted, when my next-door-neighbor (who lives alone and is currently a little out of commission with a fractured ankle), phoned me. I have run a few errands for her already, getting her mail, picking up a prescription for her, etc. I was happy to help when she said she needed something from the grocery store, even though I wasn't planning to go there. Then she mentioned she needed dog food. Odd, I thought, as she doesn't have a dog. I thought maybe she meant more cat food for her many cats, so I was trying to come up with a time I could help her out. Then she dropped the bomb that she needed this giant bag of dog food so she could feed....wait for it....the RACCOONS!!!! She said she had enough for tonight but not enough for tomorrow. I just about fainted. I knew she feeds them already with her kitchen scraps, which we most definitely do not like, but she actually spends money on domesticated-pet food to give them??!? Truly unbelievable. I have since phoned her back and let her know I can't make it to the grocery store. I refuse to help with that. If she needed, you know, food or medicine, or toilet paper, I'd be glad to help. But since we just likely averted raccoons (see previous post) from getting into our attic (which would likely cost somewhere in the range of $1000, no joke, to remedy), I refuse to encourage those animals. I know they'll come around regardless, but I am not going to be a part of that. I'm just sayin'.

So, do I have a right to not help her based on what she asked me to do? It's probably not illegal, but it is stupid, in my (and many other peoples') opinions. Would I have said no if she wanted me to pick up cigarettes for her, or something else along those lines? It really does not sit right with me. Anyway, that was my day!

'Coons on the Roof, or, Why My Husband was Hanging out the Window Holding a Water Gun in the Middle of the Night

It's 11:11pm. I've turned out the light, a little later than I might have liked, but 8 hours of sleep should be just fine. I'm tired after working today and getting ready for the kids to be off to school in the morning. It doesn't take long for me to drift off to la-la land, not really awake, but not really sleeping yet. My eyes pop open at 11:23 as I hear the pitter patter of little feet walking nearby. I look to see which child has come into our room, but there is no one. In fact, it is extremely rare that any of the kids come into our room at night.

And then I remember, as my mind clears away the fog of dozing off to sleep, just who is making those footsteps. Just a couple weeks earlier, we had heard this same noise as we were falling asleep, and had finally thought to look out our bedroom window at the roof that is just below. We had stared straight into the face of a raccoon, just 2 feet away, not the least bit concerned that he'd been found. I ran straight to the open window, and looked out just in time to see a raccoon creeping carefully beside the drainspout, down the roof. I made a scary noise (at least I thought it was scary) at it, but it just looked dolefully at me and kept walking.

By this time Stefan was awake, but the raccoon was now out of sight. How I wished I'd had a spray bottle to spray in the critter's face. I went and rounded one up while Stefan kept an eye on things from all the windows. (We actually have windows facing 3 directions in our room). The spray bottle turned out to be pretty wimpy, so I ventured out into the backyard, hoping no raccoons were going to leap out at me, and managed to round up a couple of the kids' water guns. Stefan was now looking out, or rather hanging out, the front window. The raccoon had started around the back, and was now at the front. He was watching not one, but two raccoons, as they used the tree beside our driveway to get onto our roof and the roof of our neighbor's garage. At least now we knew how they were getting up there - previously a mystery. While I was getting the water gun filled, Stefan had thrown the spray bottle at the raccoon that was slinking across our driveway, and had hit it, likely scaring the cr*p out of it.

But there was still one raccoon on the roof, carefully trying to stay out of water gun range. Stefan kept shooting, but that was the last of the raccoons that we saw. It was actually quite hilarious if you could have seen the two of us, prowling around our open windows, armed with dangerous water guns, just waiting to attack. We eventually got back to bed, but I didn't fall asleep until well after 12. So much for getting a restful night's sleep. We are getting very concerned that these critters are trying to get into, or have already gotten into, our attic. That would be a disaster, and very expensive to remedy. From now on, those water guns are loaded and ready to go by the window at night and hopefully that will be enough of a deterrent. Oh, and Stefan is going to do some pruning this evening as well.

I tell ya, last summer it was the snakes that always seemed to be hovering around. This year I've hardly seen any, but the raccoons are now hovering around brazenly. It certainly doesn't help that my neighbor treats them like pets and feeds them on her back deck. These creatures should be a little more afraid of people, but they're not.

I've had a very successful summer of gardening, and am already starting to rip out some of the plants that are done. I'm still having a bounty of tomatoes, chard, spinach and kale, but the cucumbers, corn and lettuce are done for the season. My carrots never amounted to anything, but I'll try again next year. I will post a few garden photos, most of which were taken at the end of July, so you can see how much it grew in just one month. I'm already plotting out next year's garden.

Two out of three of the kids are back to school today. Connor is off to grade 4 and Taya is off to grade 1. Logan has a (very slow) gradual entry over the next week and a half. It's a little quieter around here without them - I sure hope they're having a good day. Taya's teacher seems very nice and I've heard a lot of good things about Connor's teacher, his first male teacher. Can't wait to hear all about their day! Tomorrow is the start of piano lessons - Taya's first one! We'll see how that goes!

Summer

I love summer. And, just to clarify, I. LOVE. SUMMER. It's true - I could handle summer all year long, especially the weather part of it. I suppose I would eventually want the kids back in school, but the weather could still stay warm/hot and I'd be quite happy.

We're having a pretty good summer so far. We've had a really fun trip to the beach (best beach in Ontario), lots of swimming at friends' houses, lots of hanging out in the backyard, some VBS, some swimming lessons, some picnics, trips to the farmer's market, trips to the library and lots more fun stuff. The kids have been sleeping in the basement for the whole summer so far - since we haven't been camping, I guess this is the next best thing! For the most part, they've been getting along really nicely, although some days I do tend to get a little anxious for school to start! But not too anxious. Taya has started her competitive gymnastics, which will continue through the fall, winter and spring. All three have improved dramatically in their swimming lessons, which we are very happy about. Money well spent!

My garden has taken off like crazy. I've taken some updated photos (which I will need to post) and the amount of growth in a month has been unbelievable. Our sunflower now stands over 10 feet tall, with a giant yellow flower as its crowning achievement, and a "stem" the thickness of a small tree! It's stunning indeed. My two surviving cucumber plants threatened to take over not only the garden but the lawn as well. Out of those two plants, we have already eaten numerous cucumbers, much to the kids' delight, but their season seems to be winding down already. Our corn is slowly but surely producing cobs, none of which are ready to eat yet, although Taya is salivating already! Her absolute favorite food in the world is corn. Our 4 tomato plants have also threatened to take over the garden and the lawn, mainly because I didn't stake them. Lesson learned for next year. However, despite my lack of gardening know-how, the tomato plants are producing a ridiculous number of delicious red tomatoes. Some don't even make it into the house before Taya gobbles them up. My cages have served their purpose beautifully. All my greens were able to grow without interruption, and we have had countless salads from them. My romaine has outgrown its cage by several inches - who knew lettuce grew so tall! We often pick kale straight from the garden for snacking on, but other than salads, I've been using the kale, chard and spinach in my smoothies. I love going outside in the morning and picking my breakfast out of the garden! I'm so thrilled that despite some initial disasters, our garden has actually amounted to something, and we've learned a lot of ways to improve it for next year. I'm already hoping for more garden space next year!

I've been meaning to share for quite awhile on this blog about my allergies - a small miracle may have occurred! I've had seasonal allergies at least since highschool. They have always been very predictable, unpleasant, but thankfully shortlived. While living in BC, they showed up for 3-4 weeks at the end of May, beginning of June. While living in Alberta and Manitoba, they showed up for usually 4 weeks at the end of June and for much of July. In Ontario, it was usually the middle of June. Obviously there is something pollinating during those seasons that my body really didn't like - I've never figured out exactly what. For years I just fought through extreme discomfort - crazy-itchy watery eyes, sneezing, itchy ears (not fun at all). Once I finally discovered Reactine, I was able to mostly, although not completely, get rid of the symptoms. Still, it was something I dreaded every year, especially because this was one of my favorite times of year.

Anyway, in all my reading and research over the last year on all things food and health related, I came across somewhere (I couldn't remember where) about how a diet much higher in plant-based foods will help your body deal better with allergens. I was looking forward to putting this to the test, seeing as how I've been drinking daily green smoothies for just over a year, as well as having a dramatic increase in my fruit and veggie eating, and a decrease in processed foods. Well, June arrived, then left, and barely a sneeze to speak of! I kept waiting for something to happen in July, but since we'd had such an early spring, I knew I had probably gone past allergy season. I had only the slightest inklings of my former allergy unpleasantness, and never once had any full-blown symptoms! Normally, I go through a full package of Reactine just to stay comfortable. This summer, I took 2 pills, and then not because I really needed them, but more as "insurance" for a couple times I really couldn't be worrying about symptoms. I'm not a huge fan of medication, so this was very exciting for me!

All that to say, I think I'm an allergy-free girl! I realize this isn't earth-shattering news and I haven't cured any deadly diseases, but I've seen first-hand the amazing results of a plant-based, whole foods diet. Imagine if I can eventually completely get rid of all the bad stuff! I'm not there yet, but this is certainly encouraging. I am just really excited to see what happens when we treat our bodies better. I don't understand the exact science behind all this, but the results seem to speak for themselves!

It's time for us to be heading off to swimming lessons. Please don't give up on me and my sporadic blog-writing. I haven't given up, and I promise to be back!!

Have a happy summer day!

June Stuff

I've just spent the last while trying to change the background on this blog, thinking it was definitely time for a change. However, I have been frustrated at every turn, following the steps exactly, and it's still not working. I guess you'll have to look at palm trees for a while longer yet. I found a really cute strawberry background that I want to use, so I'll just have to keep trying.

Our last month or so has been full of company from Calgary, birthdays, gymnastics, a piano recital, running, and lots of fun school activities. We've had mostly fabulous weather so far, and have spent many hours enjoying our backyard. Speaking of which, I made it almost to the end of May without seeing a single snake! Thrilling. However, we did happen to see one, although that was the only time. Thankfully, the kids were outside at the time, so while I leapt onto the safety of the deck, they came running over to see it, where they proceeded to actually FIGHT over who got to touch it and hold it. If it weren't for their matching brown hair and eyes and a striking resemblance to their mother, I would swear these children didn't share a single strand of DNA with me. Anyway, after they'd all had a chance to interact with the snake (why would a person want to do that, I don't know) it finally got away from them into the tall ferns, and hasn't been seen again. I'm still not letting down my guard, but I'm feeling a little better about things. (I never did tell you about the snake skin we (I) found stuck in the chicken wire protecting my strawberries. Horror.).

I managed to get my garden completely dug out, and then we dumped a very large amount of soil all over the bed. I planted kale, red chard, spinach, romaine, corn, cucumbers, beans, peas, carrots, tomatoes and onions. Unfortunately, much of it was eaten shortly after it came up, but some did survive. Apparently, rabbits (assuming that's who is eating my garden) don't like kale, and they also leave cucumbers and tomatoes alone. Some of the corn survived as well, and the onions are meant to deter them. My mother-in-law was here for a week, and we spent a bunch of time building (as in hammer and nails and wood) cages/boxes to place over the garden to help protect it. I've since replanted a lot of the greens, so we will see if these boxes do their job. Taya's favorite item from the garden so far is fresh green onions. With all the gorgeous sunshine we've been having, with a bit of rain mixed in, the garden seems to be thriving. It won't be long before I can actually pick some of my kale to throw in my smoothies.

I'll keep this short for today, but I've added some updated photos (the garden before, the garden after, a close-up of my kale, one of the flowers in our pond, me finishing my race, and Taya's birthday cupcakes - easiest ever!) Ciao!

May Happenings

It's been a little while since I've written, so there's lots to fill you in on, but I will do my best to be brief (whatever that means). We've had lots going on lately and we are now smack in the middle of May, the busiest time of the year in our family.

First off, today we are celebrating 16 years of marriage!! I can't believe I'm even old enough to have gotten married legally and still been married that long! I'm doing lots of reminiscing today - we had such a great wedding day with so many special people involved. I wouldn't change much about that day, other than perhaps my hairstyle. Although my dress looks pretty dated now, I think it was pretty cute back then! I'm pretty thrilled with my choice of husband, too - it's worked out quite well. :)

We celebrated Mother's Day with our great friends Steve and Angie and their kids - they are our family-away-from-family here in Ontario. We've also got a few birthdays coming up - I'm turning 36 and Taya is turning 6! I'm not sure which number is more shocking. It feels like not so long ago that I was big and pregnant with Taya, while celebrating my 30th birthday and our 10th anniversary. Connor turned 9 last month, marking his last year in the single digits. I'm glad Logan is still 4 for a little longer.

We have decided to not renew Taya at her talent agency. It was a fun and interesting time, and it was pretty exciting for her to have two jobs with Canadian Tire. She is often in the flyer, and it's great to page through and see her. She's in there again this week. She has been accepted into the competitive program for gymnastics, so we'll be focusing on that instead.

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you'll know about some of our back yard adventures from last spring and summer. I am thrilled to report absolutely no slithery sightings so far this spring!! Stefan has seen one, but I have not. I know this is probably too good to be true, but I'm enjoying each snake-free day!! Don't get me wrong - I am not rolling around in the grass with my eyes blissfully closed, or walking barefoot through thick bushes, but I am feeling like maybe, just maybe, we can have a snake-free summer! (I know, I'm totally delusional, but just humor me, please!). I always do a careful check when I head onto the grass, because I don't need any *surprises*.

I have spent many hours over the last few weeks digging up a fairly large bed which was totally covered in some kind of ground cover that has ridiculous roots. It is now done and is ready for me to plant my garden!! I really have no idea about planting a garden, and there's a good chance the bunnies will eat my garden, but I'm going to try anyway. I'm hoping we have some success. The kids are very excited to get started.

I've been running a little more regularly these days, and am preparing to do a 5k race in June. I ran the same one last year and am hoping to improve my time this year. The race is to support a local charity that helps survivors of breast cancer, so of course I am running in honor of my mom, and also my aunt, who is a survivor. (Here's a shameless plug if you want to support me!).


Two lessons I've learned recently: 1) Never drink your green smoothie at the computer without a lid on it, or you may run the risk of spilling it all over the keyboard. (True story. I was almost more sad about wasting my precious smoothie than about possible damage to my keyboard! My husband was more worried about possible damage to the keyboard than about my precious smoothie. Huh). 2) Never leave your child at piano lessons without first making sure that he actually goes in the house, because there just might not be lessons that week, and you may have forgotten due to a brain that was operating at levels causing information overflow. (True story. I am truly thankful to the nice woman who stopped and waited with Connor for half an hour while I did my errand. I felt like the worst mother ever. I ALWAYS check to make sure he goes in, but that day, I did not. Don't know why not. A happy ending to this story, but I felt AWFUL for my boy, who couldn't figure out why I just left him there).

This weekend we are off to Leamington for my cousin's wedding reception - can't wait to see relatives and celebrate with everyone! Next week, we are looking forward to the arrival of my in-laws for 10 days. The kids are so excited to see their cousins, and I think the grown-ups are all pretty excited too!


Not sure where the last 5 hours have gone, but it's getting close to school pick-up time, so I'll leave it there for now. Thanks for checking in! Happy May to you!

Vacation Photos

A Tale of Two Resorts (or, How it Came to Be That the Baergs won't be Visiting the Domincan Republic any time Again Soon)

Before I get started with stories of our vacation, I just need to say that we really did have a great family time away. Our holiday seemed to be threatened at every corner, but there is much to look back on fondly.

Seriously, though, does this kind of stuff happen to other people??

We left Toronto on Wednesday morning. After a smooth flight with happy kids, we were allowed into the D.R. with barely a glance, and we easily made our way in a comfortable taxi to our resort, only 20 minutes away. Wow, were we off to a great start, or what!

We arrived at the Melia Caribe Tropical at around 4pm, and then the "fun" began. We got into the check-in line-up, and noticed right away a few disconcerted looking travellers, some on cell phones, some looking and sounding very frustrated. As we talked and listened, we discovered that these people had arrived 3 hours earlier, but had been told that there wasn't a room available for them. Somehow, the resort had overbooked. We immediately felt sorry for these people, but upon checking at a different desk, Stefan discovered that our name was in the system. Whew. Glad THAT would never happen to us.

Finally it was our turn to check in. The kids were getting restless, and hot in their travel clothes, but were somehow being patient. That's when the clerk informed us that, no, they did not have a room for us either and that we couldn't stay there, as they were completely booked. You have got to be kidding me!! We have just flown half way around the world (well, not literally, but close enough!) and we can't stay here?!? It turns out that the resort has overbooked by approximately 200 rooms (on Wednesday alone - there were more people over the next days) and they are now left to find a place for all these people. We had booked through Sol Melia's brand new website, which was offering great deals, and so had a lot of other people. But, there was a glitch in the system, and the website continued to take reservations, despite being full. We had a valid confirmation number and everything!

After we have gotten over our shock and realized that we can not persuade, cajole, or otherwise convince them to find us a room (cash may have helped. Seriously.), we are told that they will send us to another resort down the road for 3 nights, and then we can return to this resort for the last 4 nights. Not a perfect solution, but what else are we supposed to do?? Meanwhile, Stefan is having discussions with various people, but nothing is really happening. The clerks look busy, but then walk away, leaving us standing there wondering if we are still being helped. Or they get on the phone and talk in Spanish, ignoring us completely. (There are others at the check-in desk experiencing the same things, who are equally frustrated/exasperated). Finally, after a whole lot of nothing happening, Stefan finds a door into their back offices, marked Privado, and goes in to make something happen. He is immediately looked after and ushered into an office, where he continues to negotiate for another hour.

*I do realize that Canada does a great job of customer service and problem solving, so yes, we are spoiled living here. Not all countries have the same level of customer service, even though it may be promised on their website. We found out later that there were some people who used cash to encourage the staff to find them a room. And here we were, asking THEM to compensate US for all the trouble!! Wonder which customer they would rather deal with...*

After much haggling and arguing (they finally decided to not charge us for the first 3 nights, when we wouldn't even be staying at their resort), we loaded our hungry, hot and tired selves into the waiting taxi, to head to the next resort. We'd barely had lunch, let alone supper, but at least we'd brought some granola bars. We were dumped off at a lobby about 10 minutes away, where we were left to explain our situation to the next people, who had absolutely no idea what we were talking about. It was finally determined that we were at the wrong resort. Yup. We were pretty much ready to head back to Canada at this point. They told us we had to go to the next resort over. Once they found their keys, someone drove us and all our luggage to the next lobby, where we desperately hoped someone would help us.

After another hour of discussion, we finally had a room! It was quite a nice room, but we were still missing one bed. We requested a cot. Then went for dinner. Then requested the cot again. Then again. Then Stefan went to the front desk and asked again. It finally did arrive, with an official looking lady and her clipboard and walkie-talkie, who was in our room for half an hour, acting very official, but not accomplishing much. She wouldn't let me make the beds, nor would she make the beds, and we REALLY needed to get our kids to bed. Finally, some maids arrived, with the correct number of pillows, sheets, and blankets, and those beds did eventually get made, and those kids did eventually get to sleep.

Just one more fun thing before we can get to sleep - when I opened my suitcase, I discovered that one of my aerosol cans of sunscreen which was full when we left home, was now completely empty and had seeped through the plastic bag and soaked and stained much of our clothes. It did wash out, thankfully. Bed (despite being pretty uncomfortable) was welcome that night.

Thursday was a brand new day and we were determined to not waste another minute of our holiday. The weather was perfect, the resort was pretty nice, and we had a great couple of days relaxing. We wondered if perhaps we could just stay there the whole time, now that things were running relatively smoothly.

We got ourselves packed up on Saturday morning and headed back to our original resort. We had been promised a quick check-in upon our return, and were given their Royal Service package as part of the "deal." Nice in theory, but it still took at least an hour to get to our room, once again after much arguing and frustration, and wasting almost the whole morning. We did not get the sense that customers needed to be looked after. There were several others in the room having major frustrations as well, which was sad, but we at least realized that it wasn't just us!

We were taken to our brand new room, and it was absolutely stunning. It had a kitchen, dining area, living area, 2-roomed bathroom with giant tub, and a beautiful master bedroom and deck. We felt really glad to be in this room, although the only reason we got such an amazing suite was because of all the hassle. We would have been quite happy with the room we'd originally booked, and no stress!! However, it was pretty nice to have such luxury. We also had special access to a "private" pool and a "private" restaurant. Which basically meant that only select rooms had access, so they were quieter and a little cleaner. On with the holiday!!

We thoroughly enjoyed lots of time in the pool and walks on the beach - the weather was spectacular!! Taya got her hair braided, and the kids had fun sliding down a giant inflatable water slide on the beach. I was feeling so thankful that the troubles were over, and despite all the stress and frustration, I was so thankful that no one had been hurt or gotten sick.

Well, Taya got sick. We thought maybe she'd had too much sun, but when Stefan spent the next day feeling really sick too, we realized that we probably ate something not so great. The boys and I escaped (mostly) unscathed. Stefan was fine the next day, although Taya wasn't herself for a few days. But, we were still together and able to enjoy ourselves. Connor got to try a ropes course with a couple ziplines that they had at the resort and that was awesome. We had great food there, and lots of pina coladas!

As we got ready for dinner on our last day, we heard some yelling just outside our door. We had heard some yelling the day before from within the suite beside ours. I had thought it was the TV at first, but realized that it was actually people yelling at each other. However, as we tried to leave for dinner, we stumbled over a very drunk and crazy looking guy who was sprawled outside our room. His language was very aggressive, so we immediately herded the kids back to our room and outside on the deck so they wouldn't have to hear such vulgarities. I can't remember ever hearing such cursing coming from someone's mouth. He kept shouting some woman's name (maybe his wife or girlfriend?) At this point, we thought he was a local that had somehow stumbled onto the property, but it turns out he actually was a guest in the room beside ours.

We began calling for security to come, and other guests in the nearby rooms were also calling. At one point, the guy was banging on our door and yelling that he would kill us. We continued to call for security, and they eventually came, but did not remove the man. By this point, there are probably at least 20 guests gathered around the commotion, begging security to remove the man, but they instead ushered him into his room to "deal" with him. We demanded that they leave a guard outside the door all night, but no one was promising anything.

We did get to our dinner and returned to our room, and thankfully didn't hear anything from this man again. It was so incredibly frustrating to be begging security to come help, and having to wait that long. I'm thankful no one was hurt, and we could sleep safely that night, despite it all.

Then it was time to leave. It's always hard to end a vacation, but I suppose this time was different. It felt too short, but we were also happy to leave trouble behind. While we waited for our taxi to arrive, Connor and I went to the washroom, and when we returned, Stefan and the other two kids weren't there. Turns out they were in a different washroom, trying to wash wet paint off Taya's entire body and clothes. Some workers had been painting a curb, in the middle of the lobby, in the middle of the day, with no signs, (such as WET PAINT), right where we needed to wait for our ride. Taya (and every other kid I know) loves to balance on curbs, but of course she fell because the curb was so wet and slippery! Soo dumb. Then we had to dig out some clean and dry clothes for her, at which point the world's smallest car with not enough seatbelts arrived to escort the 5 of us and all our luggage to the airport. Seriously, can nothing be done right the first time? We finally got a van, that we could all fit into, and got to the airport, where everything went incredibly smoothly and we returned home to Canada, a world away.

We can (sort of) laugh at all this craziness now, and we certainly are thankful that we could take our family on such a fun vacation. We likely won't return to the Dominican again, but will definitely travel with the kids again. They had so much fun and were such troopers thoughout all the challenges (some minor ones I have left out due to time and space). We really were able to relax and have fun, despite everything trying to work against us. We made some wonderful memories, and took lots of photos, which I will share on here soon.

If you're still reading this novel, thanks! If not, I don't blame you - who has time to read such epic novels anyway? In summary, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times, but mostly it was the best of times, spending time with 4 of the people I love the most in this world. I am truly grateful.

It's a Small World After All

You're probably already mad at me and you haven't even started reading this post, because now you've got that song in your head! So sorry! It just seemed like a fitting title, so I went with it. I do have a couple good reasons for using that song title, so you'll have to keep reading to find out why.

I admit - I love a good coincidence! I love finding out how people are connected. I actually find it pretty easy to find those connections - you just have to start talking and asking questions, and you never know what you'll figure out! One time I drove through the drive-thru of a Starbucks, and within the amount of time it took for me to pay for my drink and then receive my drink, I had learned that the barista and I had a whole lot in common, including the fact that we had both lived in many of the same cities across Canada. There were other details as well, but I drove away with a smile on my face, feeling connected once again.

So here's story #1. At the beginning of kindergarten this year, Taya kept mentioning her new best friend, Alina. She seems to make a new best friend every other week, but Alina was sticking around. I knew I needed to plan a play date for the girls, but it can actually be difficult to connect (yes, it's true!) after school, when there is so much chaos, and some kids aren't even picked up by their parents. Well, wouldn't you know, we're driving home from school, almost at our house, and there is Alina, getting out of her van at her house, less than 10 houses away from ours! Needless to say, we were all thrilled, and we have enjoyed getting to know Alina and her family.

But that's not the whole story. I finally had Alina and her mom and brother over for a visit, and we got talking about family. Turns out Alina's mom's brother lives in Calgary. Of course, Calgary is huge, and they could live anywhere. But I happened to ask what area they lived in, and she told me Coventry. Well, what a coincidence - both my in-laws and their families live in Coventry - small world! Then she mentioned that they lived on Coventry Court. Well, wouldn't you know, but they live across the cul-de-sac from my brother-and-sister-in-law, about 5 houses away! How cool is that! My in-laws have even given this family some of the bikes that my nieces have outgrown. We had fun looking at google map pictures of both of their houses, and comparing our descriptions of the neighborhood.

Story #2. Stefan and I decided a month or two ago to start attending a home church (AKA - care group, small group). It meets at a house not far from ours and so far it's a small group, 6-8 people. Having grown up with a Mennonite background, it's pretty easy to spot other Mennonites, usually by their last name, or possibly the area they grew up in. One guy there had recently moved from Winnipeg, and knew a whole bunch of the same people that Stefan knew from years ago. That was kinda cool. But then I started talking to Sandra, who grew up in southern Ontario. After making the initial connection, she mentioned that she had family in the Langley/Aldergrove area, which is where I grew up. Being Mennonite, I wondered which church her relatives attended there. She couldn't remember the exact name, but thought it might be Bethel. She began to describe the area - lots of big ravines, and just down the street from where her grandparents had lived, at the top of the hill. Of course, I attended Bethel church my whole life until we were married! And of course, I know exactly who her grandparents and parents are, although I haven't seen them in many years.

It turns out that her mom, who grew up in Aldergrove, met her dad and they settled in Ontario, but continued to visit their family in BC. In my family, my mom, who was from southern Ontario, met my dad in BC, where they settled, and we continued to visit relatives in Ontario. In talking further, I learned that Sandra's mom is best friends with my Aunt Jo, and they all still get together and visit every year or so. So, do you see what I mean about it being a small world? I wonder how many people we come across every day are connected to us in these sorts of ways? It doesn't have to take a very involved conversation to make those connections sometimes. I can think of other stories similar to these that have happened over the years, although perhaps not quite so dramatic. There is a feeling of family and "home" that a person gets when they realize just how small our world is and just how much we have in common with other people.

One thing I love about living in Burlington is the regularity with which I bump into people that I knew from the years that we lived here before. There are people from the neighborhood, people from preschool, from church and swimming lessons and moms groups and just about everywhere. I even bumped into one of my favorite regular customers at the Starbucks I used to work at (he still goes there regularly) - he held the door open for me as I walked in behind him, and I said - Grande Extra Hot Cappuccino!! I actually didn't remember his name in that moment, but I did remember his drink, which he still orders all these years later! He thought it was great that I still remembered his drink. He remembered me, probably more because I was the pregnant barista at the time, but we used to have lots of chats while I was working, and I think I may have been his favorite barista! So much fun!

I hope you enjoyed reading these stories - they make me smile when I think about them. There's a joke in Mennonite circles about playing the "Mennonite Game", which is essentially asking other Mennonites who their family is, etc., that after 5 minutes of talking, you will discover that you are indeed related. I have often been asked by older Mennonite folks what my parents' names are, because that is how you start playing the Mennonite Game! It just takes off from there.

I have to mention something food related, as I actually haven't yet, and this blog is supposed to be about food, sort of! My snack right before I started typing was a bowl of my homemade granola (oats, honey, olive oil, coconut, almonds, etc.) served with chocolate almond milk. Almond milk is surprisingly good, and similar in consistency and flavor to cow's milk. Of course, almond milk is much healthier for a person. It was a delish combination which would also have been tasty with some regular almond milk. Healthy and filling!

OH!! I forgot to mention something else very exciting! We have booked a trip to the Dominican Republic with our kids! We were not planning to do this, but we found a fantastic deal and decided to go for it! We are going to the same resort we went to when I was pregnant with Connor. It is very kid-friendly and has a Flintstones Land. We leave March 31 for a week, and will be gone over Easter. Needless to say, we are all very excited!

Happy Spring Break to you!

Today

I just finished one of my favorite snacks, and it's a super healthy one! It's a banana chocolate smoothie, and it's delish! I got the recipe from Kristen's Raw Blog and then just tweaked it a bit. It's made with about a cup of water (I substitute some almond milk), a frozen banana or two (you can add ice cubes if your banana isn't frozen), some protein powder, hemp powder, a little coconut, some raw cacao nibs (makes it crunchy and soo yummy), some raw chocolate powder, and a big scoop of almond butter. This is my favorite thing to have after a workout. (Today I went for a run in the cold, wind and snow!). I sometimes add some Starbucks Via (instant coffee) and that makes it even more of a treat. I also had a cookie or two with it, but don't worry, because these were the healthiest and yummiest cookies EVER!! They're made with things like olive oil and maple syrup and oatmeal and spelt flour - no butter or eggs. I was shocked at how delish they are, and the kids all love them too! The chocolate chips decrease the health factor somewhat, but they are mandatory to the yumminess of this cookie!

We've been watching tons of Olympics around here, and I'm going to miss them when it's all over. I am a true patriotic Canadian and tend to get tears in my eyes whenever a Canadian athlete gets a medal. Talk about teary-eyed last night with TWO medals, a gold and silver!! I love the sappy part where they play the I Believe song and replay the athlete finishing their event and all the celebrating and flowers and medals. Yes, I'm a sucker, but I don't care! A friend who lives close by but is originally from Britain told me that people in her country aren't patriotic like we are, and she loves cheering for Canada. It's a great country to live in and would be even better if it just had a few more palm trees and sandy beaches! But I digress... Can't wait to see some more exciting events later today. What's your favorite sport to watch?

I am constantly amazed that athletes all around the world can train themselves to finish their sporting event within hundredths of a second of each other. If you really think about that, it's quite incredible! I am constantly amazed by the speed skaters and skiers. I have realized that I love watching the drama of short track and the pure, raw strength of long track. I also realize that I love watching the ski and snowboard cross. Talk about drama! Curling's pretty low on my list, but I'll still cheer for Canada. I even got right into that hockey game last night! I'm not a huge figure skating fan either, but I know I'll be watching Joannie Rochette, and I'll probably have tears streaming down my face while I watch. Like I said, I'll miss the Olympics when they're done!

I must get on with this day, but wanted to say hello! Hope you're having a fabulous week!

Reality

Yes, I am back to reality after a fantastic vacation. All did not start well, though. Saturday (the 30th) was the day to drop off all the kids before we headed out earlier Sunday morning. Well, right after we'd dropped Connor off (we were still in Burlington) Logan throws up in the van. He had been feeling a little off all day, but this was definitely worst-case scenario. We headed back home to clean up and wait awhile before beginning our hour drive to Barrie (where Logan and Taya would be staying). Two hours later, he was feeling a little better, and hadn't been sick again. However, we felt terrible bringing our sick boy to our friends' house and then leaving right away! But what were we supposed to do?! Not a good predicament, as you can imagine.

Once we arrived in Barrie, we got the kids to bed and then left at 5am the next morning. Thankfully, things did improve for Logan after a couple days of fever and feeling very lethargic. My dear friend Angie deserves a medal for being so caring (or at least the gift I sent her in the mail!). The kids did have a great time - the bonus being that they got to play with our friends' dog and cat all week! They were definitely happy to see us when we got home on Thursday evening and we were even happier to see them, I think!

More reality hit on Friday night, when Connor couldn't sleep because of sinus congestion, and then Logan woke up with a bad earache. Taya woke up in the morning with a sore throat and headache. To make this long story short, Taya and Logan are now on antibiotics (Taya for strep throat), and they have now missed more school. I have hardly left the house since we've been home and we're experiencing a little cabin fever. They are on the mend, however, and I am very thankful that we are home to look after them. We are so grateful for the wonderful friends who looked after the kids - this gave us a lot of peace of mind.

So, yes, the trip was amazing!! Aside from worrying about a sick boy back home, everything went incredibly smoothly. From having an extra seat on the airplane both ways (which was almost full - this is a very huge bonus for my long-legged husband), to our luggage arriving (never take that for granted!), to the fantastic weather and great food, to Stefan not needing a hospital visit - we have no complaints!! The resort was beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed walks on the beach with the waves crashing, lying for hours by the pool reading our books, with the occasional dip in the pool to cool off, eating whenever we felt like it, nice refreshing drinks, and one of my highlights, playing tennis every afternoon! Another highlight was having a very invigorating spa treatment - so lovely! I have posted an album from our trip on my facebook page, but for those of you not on facebook (you know who you are), I will attempt to add some photos to the blog. You probably won't get to see as many, though, as I added about 25. All in all, the trip was wonderful - relaxing and reconnecting and much too short! I am so thankful we had a chance to do this.

Now I'm looking out the office window at snow and I can feel the slight ache in my back from shoveling it this morning and I remember that this is reality. St. Lucia feels like a dream or a fantasy, maybe even something I imagined. I will savor those memories so fondly, but truly, I am grateful to be back home with the kids - I think perhaps we all appreciate each other just a little bit more after having some time away from each other. I guess the saying "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" really does have some truth!!

Journey through January (how's that for a cheesy title?!)

Hellllooooo! Hope y'all had a nice Christmas! We had a very relaxing and fun Christmas and of course, it was over much too fast. I thoroughly enjoyed having my hubby home for a whole extra week and I think he was pretty happy to have a break, too. My favorite gift this year was some pieces for my Willow Tree nativity set. I had the basics (Mary, Joseph, Jesus, shepherd and sheep), but Stefan surprised me (and boy was I surprised, actually to the point of happy tears) with the creche (if that's what it's called) and another shepherd, a few animals and the camel. It's beautiful. In fact, I was lamenting the fact that it would be packed up for the next 11 months - that's such a waste. So I found a nice home on the mantel in our bedroom (yes, we have a fireplace in our bedroom, and it doesn't get much use, but it looks really nice) where it will spend most of the year, until I move it downstairs at Christmas time. I love how simple and classy it looks. What was your favorite Christmas present?

I have been reading like crazy lately. Somehow I manage to get all my other stuff done, but I could easily read for a whole day. Not even kidding a bit. I have always read more fiction than non, but lately I've read a lot of both. I just finished reading the latest by Vince Flynn (he writes political thriller-type novels, in the basic style of the TV show 24 - very exciting, especially if you're an American and a Republican, but I digress). I've also got a few on the go by Jodi Picoult. She is an amazing writer and I love the diversity of topics she writes about. Her most well-known book is My Sister's Keeper, which was recently made into a movie. I've got one by Dan Brown waiting for me, plus a biography by Tony Dungy (former Colts headcoach, whose son commit suicide a few years ago). I also finished some corny British chic-lit recently - good for a laugh if nothing else.

In addition to those, I am being constantly inspired in the health department by a number of different authors. To name a few: Victoria Boutenko, Matt Amsden, Robyn Openshaw, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Carol Alt, Ani Phyo and Kristen Suzanne. They all have the same basic message: you are what you eat (my interpretation). Plant-based, whole foods are the way to go if we want to avoid disease and general unwellness. I am determined to make some major changes to the way we eat - we've already made baby steps, but we have a long way to go. I've often in the past felt guilty that I would throw raw veggies on the kids' plates, because I was too lazy to cook them. Turns out this was not such a bad thing after all! I've read about the importance of eating raw food before eating cooked food, to allow all those amazing enzymes to do their work. Oh, there's so much information! I have been making some major changes personally lately, and the results are coming in! I've been doing green smoothies faithfully for over 6 months already, but now I'm adding in a lot more raw and cutting back on a lot of animal protein. I am feeling fantastic. I am almost always healthy - it has been years since I've been really sick. I almost never get colds (and this was even before this all began). I have more energy, my skin looks better, my nails are better, my digestion is in fine form and a few pounds are even starting to melt away. There is so much more to learn, but if you're interested, I can post some of the names of the books I've been reading.

In 18 days I will be relaxing on the beach (or by the pool, or somewhere else equally warm and wonderful and sunny). I CANNOT WAIT!!! I think the kids will have a great time with their friends, and even though there are some days when they make me REALLY CRAZY, I know I'll miss them a bit. If I remember... Maybe at dinnertime when I'm not cutting anyone's food into smaller pieces, other than my own, or saying just one more bite, then I might remember!

That's it for the moment. Thanks for visiting!