Category Archives: home.life

Family is important to me. From wife to mom to widow, through remarriage and step-parenting, here is a little about family life as seen from my perspective.

Metabolism Overhaul

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So you probably know that two months ago I had a little boy – my second – and I have definitely blogged before about the issues I’ve had with my weight. Well after pregnancy #2 I’m left with 10 lbs on top of the 35 lbs I had stuck to me after pregnancy #1.

Without kids it’s easy to just work your butt off in thr gym to shed the extra weight but with a preschooler and a newborn I’m lucky to get a shower every day let alone time at the gym. So you have to make adjustments.

The Book: Master Your Metabolism

I’ve just read Master Your Metabolism By Mariska Van Aalst & Jillian Michaels (on my iPhone using the Kobo app). Jillian Michaels, as you probably know, is the hardcore ripped trainer from The Biggest Loser. I have to be honest with you… I have a bit of a chick crush here. She is definitely an authority on diet and exercise if her own physique (and those of countless Biggest Loser contestants) is any indication.

The premise of the book is that many of us who have dieted have royally screwed up our endocrine systems by severely restricting calories, eating non-foods, being over-stressed and not getting enough sleep. Here’s an excerpt from Master Your Metabolism; I won’t copy the content as it would be copyright infringement, but definitely give it a read. I think everyone who has ever struggled with their weight should read this book.

Not only are these extra pounds bugging me, but I can feel the unhealthy cycles in my body yet I feel pretty powerless most of the time. See, I know I don’t drink enough water and I know I eat when I’m tired. Two truths.

When I get dehydrated I crave sugar. Usually I’ll reach for a coffee (because I take sugar in it, right?) which will dehydrate me which will make me crave sugar… so then I move on to more sugar which makes me crash so I go for more… you can see how this could be problematic, right?

What I should do is drink more water and get more sleep.

But, with a 2 month old baby, sleep is elusive and it’s hard to drink the 3L of water I should be each day given my baby is exclusively breastfed. So that contributes even more to the dehydration. Which sends me reaching for yet more sugar…

The Diet: 1) From the Ground or 2) Has a Mother

So for the last few days I have pretty diligently followed Jillian’s advice to eat only things that grew from the ground or had a mother. Seriously. Reading this book has really turned me off processed foods in a big way. The hormone disruption going on in our bodies from eating these non-foods is unreal! And I’m beginning to feel the rewards from my body from having avoided them for just a few days: I’ve already noticed less mood swings, better hydration, a better awareness of my appetite/satiety and better regularity. Having had Gestational Diabetes twice now it’s pretty safe to say I’m at risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes at some point and this actually isn’t too far off the diet I followed during my pregnancies. Having said that, I definitely used packaged foods, something I’m now trying to avoid.

So here’s a sample day’s menu (today’s menu, actually):

Breakfast:
Coffee with cream & sugar (I said I’m working towards a total shift… this will likely be the last vice)
3 Ryvita fiber crackers with natural peanut butter & a glass of milk

Lunch:
Grilled chicken breast, baby carrots, grape tomatoes, mixed berries, plain non-fat yogurt with mango purée (from fresh), edamame beans (photo above)

Snack:
Apple, coffee #2 with cream & sugar

Dinner:
Basa filet with citrus salsa, steamed kale and brown/wild rice blend

There are a few non-natural foods that I haven’t given up: the ryvita crackers, sprouted grain bread, Grape Nuts cereal, sugar in my coffee, wine, chocolate, cheese… but then this is a process. I have to get much better in the kitchen if I’m ever going to figure out what to do with quinoa and bulgur. Plus, there are just some things I probably won’t give up in the end. But the way I see it, any shift away from processed foods, pesticides, plastics etc. that are messing with my hormones the better. I may never get to where I buy all organic and I may never stop using plastic (something Jillian advises against) but I will take baby steps.

I’m enjoying the challenge… and the rewards.

Happy Birthday Dad

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Photo: Metro Theatre

Today I dedicate this post to my dad.

Growing up, my dad was the kind of dad who would do anything for his kids. I know he did many, MANY things he didn’t want to do and I know he worried more about me and my brother than he perhaps had to… because he loved us with a heart of gold.

My dad coached my brother’s soccer team for as long as I can remember and always made it to my games too. My dad encouraged me to sing when I was just tiny… long before my shyness or stage fright ever kicked in. My dad waited up night after night during my teen years even when he was the kind of person who would rather get up and start his day at 3am than end his day at 2am. My dad encouraged me to join the military; my dad taught me I can do anything I want to do with enough effort and dedication.

My dad took me skiing even though he wasn’t very good at it. My dad tried to convince me once there was a pancake day, but shhhh… don’t tell mom. My dad always had the stuff I decided I needed to do whatever build-it/fix-it/craft project I tried… he had a million tools. Not sure he even ever used any of them, but whatever… My dad took me on a moped when we were on our summer vacation and spent $1000 on an early VHS machine. My dad always seemed to know what to do when the car would break down at the side of the road… he probably just called AAA.

My dad used to teach school children. On my professional days sometimes he’d bring me to work with him… I loved it! I felt like a celebrity because I got to go in the staff room with the other teachers. My dad joined a band and decided he wanted to learn to play the tenor sax while I was learning to play the trumpet. Sometimes he would take me to sit in at his adult beginner band. At my own band concerts, my dad was the guy you could hear wolf-whistle at the end of every song… he still does.

My dad taught me some very valuable lessons including encouraging me to establish a career before settling down, getting married and having kids (in that order). My dad used to work really hard… I remember report card time. Any kid of a teacher knows about report card time… days and days of late nights and early mornings. I know he put his heart into knowing every one of his students. That’s just the kind of teacher he was. I remember waking up to his records… classical or jazz… my dad adores music.

My dad is 75 years old today.

He and my mom travel pretty extensively now – a few months every year. He also is an active member of his community and has become very involved in community theatre. In fact, he’s in a play called A Nice Family Gathering opening today at Metro Theatre Vancouver – he’s such a good actor I keep telling him he should get an agent and try for movie roles, but that’s probably more my dream for him than his… I’m so proud of him for filling his golden years with rich friendships, arts and the world. I’m so proud of him and my mom for being married to each other for nearly 50 years. I’m so proud of him for always thinking of me and my brother… and for choosing us.

Happy Birthday Dad. I love you.

I hope one day you’ll find the time or the inclination to write down all your wisdom to share with me… you know I missed most of it.

The Heart of Postpartum Depression

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Can we talk about life with a new baby for a moment? I’m about to overshare in a really big way here…

I have so many thoughts swirling around in my head. So many things I think about and so many things I want to share with other moms… new moms. Things people never shared with me when I first became a mom… probably because they were too afraid to be labeled. I’m wearing my heart on my sleeve here because I think if this information makes just one new mom feel less alone, it’s worth it.

This post isn’t going to make a lot of sense… I know it’s not written well and I won’t share all the gory details – that would take a whole book, but I will just say I suffered with awful postpartum depression after my first son was born. I haven’t mentioned it much publicly because I have been waiting on the edge of my seat to see if I was going to suffer the same affliction this time around.

Pregnancy & Labour

The first weeks with mini-man were rough. My pregnancy had not been without challenges: I had gestational diabetes, terrible swelling and carpal tunnel syndrome, gained 70 lbs and had high blood pressure at the end. Then I had a difficult birth experience – an induction at 41 weeks that resulted in 30 hours of labour followed by 3 hours of pushing with no results and then a c-section. I’d been awake for 2 days, hadn’t eaten in a day and a half and then had to spend about 3 hours without my baby after he was born. Not only that but mini-man had terrible unexplained bruising that had me very worried and several doctors stumped. We chalked it up to my having pushed on him for 3 hours and left it at that… the truth would be discovered 5 weeks later.

Once home I felt like I was in a daze. I think being handed a newborn to care for after such a difficult labour with no sleep had me at a disadvantage to begin with. Not only that but I’d had hopes of a perfect pregnancy, natural delivery and a beautiful breastfeeding relationship – none of which came to pass. But now I was recovering from a c-section and my husband was working; I had been convinced to give supplemental formula in the hospital by a nurse who was bound and determined to shatter my confidence in being able to nurture my son; and I was bagged. Completely exhausted.

Mini-man was born on a Thursday night; we left the hospital on a Sunday mid-day, and my husband was back to work the next day. I was alone to take care of this helpless little baby all day every day until about 5 or 6pm. I felt so alone. And tired. So tired. The health nurse came to check on us; mini-man was gaining weight fine; breastfeeding was going okay though he’d nurse for 45 minutes to an hour every 2 hours, so I’d have about an hour between nursing sessions to sleep, eat and pee.

I would cry… and scream sometimes. My husband couldn’t really understand why he’d come home to a messy house, no food prepared and I’d hand him a freshly fed baby and go to bed for an hour or two saying, “Wake me when he needs to be fed.” Our relationship suffered badly.

The day time stood still

When he was 5 weeks old I suffered through the most traumatic experience of my life: Because my husband and I are both adopted, we didn’t know any of our medical history. It turns out I am a Hemophilia carrier and our son has Hemophilia. Tragically, we found out by circumcising him. After what was supposed to be a simple, routine procedure, I was holding him in the ER at Royal Columbian Hospital as he turned grey and listless while slowly bleeding to death.

While that moment was a huge turning point in my faith life (which maybe I’ll write more about at some point), it was that moment that every parent who actually does lose their child experiences… the one where you know whatever happens is going to happen and there’s NOTHING you can do about it. I experienced every emotion you could imagine – fear, rage, overwhelming sadness, frustration, and even some weird feeling of shame. Obviously the ending was a good one for us – the ER staff managed to get him stabilized and sent to Children’s Hospital where he underwent surgery to stitch him up and received a blood transfusion… he had lost over half his blood volume. They then were able to confirm the diagnosis and get us connected with the BC Children’s Hospital Hemophilia Clinic.

My state of mind got worse from there… I struggled with breastfeeding after that… too much stress. I struggled with thoughts of “maybe I am just not meant to be a mother.” After all, if it weren’t for modern medicine neither I nor my baby would have made it through the birth at all let alone through the circumcision. While mini-man slept well at night, he still nursed every 2 hours all day long, wouldn’t nap and wouldn’t let me put him down without crying. By the time he was 3 months old I started smoking again – I had quit cold turkey when I found out I was pregnant – which made me feel like an even worse mother. Then I couldn’t quit…

I don’t remember much of my son’s life from when he was 3 months old until he was 9 months old. In fact, it took until he was almost 2 years old before I finally started feeling like I could relax and enjoy him. My husband and I grew pretty distant for a long time. He didn’t understand. I never shared it with him.

A horrible secret

No one knew how I felt. They knew I was overly neurotic and high strung, but no one knew the things I thought about. No one knew about the tantrums I had alone at home with him. I loved him so much and wanted him and his life to be perfect. I couldn’t make it perfect. I couldn’t give him the perfect mother. I went to mom & baby groups, I worked out, I still did all the things that made my life look normal on the outside, but inside I was being slowly tortured by my own thoughts.

I didn’t get help. I felt like maybe what I was experiencing was just me having a hard time adjusting. I felt like I’d be judged. I worried if I was put on medication would it make things worse. I feel like I missed out on a lot.

A whole different world

Now #2 is here… mini-boy is now 7 weeks old and mini-man will be 4 years old in a month. It is so different this time around. I finally know what motherhood is supposed to feel like. While I did still have gestational diabetes, the pregnancy was otherwise easy. I had a scheduled c-section though I did get the opportunity to go in to labour on my own first, which oddly felt like a win. Mini-boy does not have Hemophilia… another win.

I have been feeling well with the 3 and 4 hour sleep increments which have now extended to up to 7 on some nights. I’ve been given the okay to workout again and get back to normal life.

The difference is that with mini-boy I have beautiful moments each and every day when I get to snuggle and kiss and talk to my smiling, cooing, beautiful baby. I never felt that with mini-man. I feel like we were both robbed of that experience though it’s more of a sadness than a guilt feeling. I know it’s over and my relationship with my oldest son is amazing. He’s a fantastic kid… so loving. I sometimes wonder how he got that way.

Words of wisdom

I have a few specific pieces of advice I’d like to give:

  • If you think you don’t feel right, you don’t. See a doctor.
  • Postpartum Depression is largely a result of hormonal shifts but can be worsened by life circumstances. It’s not your fault.
  • You must try to get as much sleep as you can.
  • Let people help you. Having to entertain them in your home is not helping.
  • You can’t be the perfect mom. There’s no such thing.
  • Your friends without kids don’t get it. Let it go.
  • Don’t make any permanent decisions regarding your relationship/marriage within the first 2 years of your baby’s life.
  • It will get better. You will look back and this time will have gone by so fast.
  • Lean on your partner. Nurture your relationship. It will grow through parenthood.

And the last piece of advice I want to give is to try and change your expectations.

So often we are expected to continue everything we did in our lives before baby after baby. I think it becomes worse the older we get. At 30 years of age I had experienced freedom – I knew what I liked and what I didn’t like, who I was and who I was not and had some financial freedom. What I found was that I was trying to fit my entire life in while my son was asleep – band rehearsals, workouts, sleep, sex, coffee with friends, TV shows… It just didn’t work and it took a long time for me to realize that and shift my expectations. I had to find a way to incorporate things I enjoyed into my new life as a mom.

I also learned I couldn’t do it without leaning on my husband.

I can honestly say that after having survived the first two years of parenthood my relationship with my husband is so much more solid than I ever thought it could be. He’s my voice of reason when I’m starting to stress and it has been amazing watching him grow into an awesome father and an even better husband.

If you’re in that place right now, where you just can’t feel good about your new life as a mom and you spend any amount of time crying or yelling or thinking thoughts of harming yourself or your baby please… please get help. Don’t miss out on the beautiful moments. It’s not worth it.

Simple Indulgence

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hand-indulgenceAre you like me? Do you have a favourite little ritual that feels indulgent?

Years ago, before I got married and started my family I used to enjoy taking bubble baths. Once a week I would pick up special soap, foot scrubs, face masks, do a Biore pore strip, grab a scented candle and indulge in a long soak followed by a manicure and pedicure. That was when I had all the time in the world.

Now that I’m a wife and a mom with a full time job, a home to keep in some semblance of order and another baby on the way, I feel like it’s even more important to find those small indulgences that make me feel good. The trick is finding those things that take no more than 5 minutes.

I wanted to share my little simple indulgence with you… if you’re a guy, you may want to pass (though I bet if you did this you’d feel great too, albeit maybe a little awkward about explaining the enjoyment), but for the ladies, try giving your hands a one minute pampering.

My favourite products are from Bath & Body Works. Last time I was across the border I picked some up at Bellis Fair. I can’t tell you how excited I am that I will soon be able to get my hands on these things here in BC! Bath & Body Works is coming this fall to Richmond Centre. Now granted it’s a bit of a trek to Richmond from North Van, but it’s a longer haul to Bellingham so it’s still a win.

Anyway, I digress. Here’s the routine:

  1. Wash your hands with Midnight Pomegranate Anti-Bacterial moisturizing hand soap with green tea extract and shea butter. It’s so nice and creamy but with a hint of grit to exfoliate; it will leave your hands clean  but feeling moisturized.
  2. Dry your hands well.
  3. Grab about 2 tbsp – a little glob – of True Blue Spa ‘there’s the rub’ Salt Glow with natural sea salt and rub it in your your hands. Really rub it… rub your fingers with it, your palms and the back of your hands… keep going for at least 30 seconds or longer. It’s got a super gritty, sort of greasy feel to it and it smells wonderfully of eucalyptus. Reminds me of being at the spa.
  4. Rinse your hands under warm water and continue rubbing until all the salt scrub has been removed.
  5. Pat your hands dry.
  6. Grab pretty much any of Bath & Body Works’ scented body lotions – I really enjoy Mango Mandarin – and apply like you would any other hand lotion.

And voila!

This one minute indulgence will leave you with the softest hands you can imagine, you’ll have had an experience that will make you feel like you might have just woken up from a dream about being at a spa, and your hands will smell so good you’ll want to lick them (don’t actually do this, though… the lotions don’t taste as good as they smell).

Then all you have to do is indulge at least 3 times a week for best results.

What little simple pleasures do you indulge in?

Listerine Smart Rinse turns teeth brown

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listerine-smart-rinseI am a little neurotic when it comes to oral hygiene.

Ever since my son got his first teeth I have been diligently following the oral care guidelines set out by my healthcare practitioners… swabbing his gums and washing his teeth with a soft cloth as an infant, then on to brushing twice daily and he’s never taken bottles to bed. He even went to the dentist for the first time when he was less than a year old because I’d been advised to take him 6 months after his first teeth come in.

Now that he’s 3 we’re working harder on getting regular flossing into his routine and were looking for ways to make oral care something kind of fun.

We recently saw some TV ads for Listerine mouth washes for kids… they have a product called Listerine Agent Cool Blue that works like those awful little red tablets we had when we were kids that would discolour the plaque so kids could see it to brush it off and measure their effectiveness at brushing. They also have a product called Listerine Smart Rinse to be used after brushing to stick to remaining bacteria so they can see when they spit it out after rinsing.

He’s been using both for a few weeks now.

I have noticed in the last week or so that his teeth are really quite brown and I was wondering if I just hadn’t noticed this before or if they were turning darker. I even had my husband make a dentist appointment for him – though he can’t get in until mid October now. So I did a little web search and came up with some other testimonials of Listerine Smart Rinse turning kids’ teeth brown. Just check out the search results for “Listerine Smart Rinse brown teeth“.

Wow… do I ever wish I had searched this info before using my son as a test subject.

Now you can choose to chastise me for using a product that is for 6+ years on a 3 year old but the outcome would no doubt be the same on an older child.

We have obviously stopped using these products and I am going to do my best to spread this message to every concerned mother out there. This product is put out by Johnson & Johnson Inc. in Canada. The product packaging advises rinsing for a full minute after brushing… we’ve only been doing it for a count of 10. I can’t imagine how bad it would be if he had been rinsing for a full minute.

It seems the culprit is an ingredient called Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), which is known to cause tooth staining that looks similar to that caused by tobacco, coffee or tea and yet it is still included in a children’s mouth without any warnings at all.

Please pass this information on to other parents, and do not buy this product.

I only hope we can get his teeth white again.

I am not a dog person

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Photo: Mark Watson on Flickr

Photo: Mark Watson on Flickr

I’ve never been a dog person, but I’m trying really hard to let my kid have a healthy appreciation for “man’s best friend”. I really am. I would like to think my son is a normal, healthy, well-adjusted person, but the truth is… he’s 3 and has yet to be really exposed to a lot of dogs.

He does get nervous around them.

Today after work I took him down to Harbourside in North Vancouver to the Spirit Trail – a great little paved seawall-type spot down past the North Shore auto-mall. I’ve only been using this space sporadically, but I really like it as a place I can take a 3 year old so he can ride a tricycle or a scooter without traffic risks – something that isn’t allowed on the West Vancouver seawall where I like to run.

So we got there today and within about 2 minutes he falls into the grass at the side of the trail… I have taught him that if he’s going to fall it’s better to do it on the grass. Well, unless there’s a pile of dog poop there, that is.

Great. He didn’t know what it was right away and decided to pick up a piece. Awesome. Anything to clean him up with?! Of course not. I’m sure you can imagine the horror of a germophobe like myself at the thought of my 3 year old picking up a piece of excrement… I just thank God it was old and dry and didn’t REALLY stick to him… much. EW.

All I could do was have him carry on promising not to touch ANYTHING other than his handlebars. Nothing. So up the path another 30 feet and there’s half a dozen small rat dogs running around with a couple of big dogs. Couldn’t tell you what kind – not a dog person. So mini-man is a little apprehensive and I’m trying to ensure him they’re just loud and won’t hurt him… they’re not going to bother him he should just choose his line and scoot on through. Well… great… big black poodle-like dog runs right up to him and sticks his face right in mini-man’s face. He let’s out a squeal while running into me for safety.

At this point I’m pretty pissed that the owner of the dog didn’t even remotely try and call her dog or control it in any way. None. But I didn’t want my son to see I was bothered so I didn’t say anything to her and just brushed it off reassuring him, “It’s okay, he just wants to meet you.” We finally get to the end of the little stretch of path we wanted to use and turned around. On our way back through the pack of dogs and women owners, one of the little rat-dogs – sort of chihuahua-ish – came running right over to mini-man. At this point I was losing it and sort of barked, “Get your rats off the road!”

Photo: nrtphotos on Flickr

Photo: nrtphotos on Flickr

So then I get all these insane dog-loving women (the ones who will compare their having a dog to my having a child… like they know my life that way – those of you who are parents know the kind I’m talking about) yelling, “It’s a DOG PARK!” Um… what?! I am quite certain my City of North Vancouver taxes would not go to pay specifically for a dog-only park, so I’m relatively certain it’s for general use. “I’m sorry, what? It was created for dogs? Is this specifically a DOG park?” I replied.

So we got into it. They seemed to believe it was created for them when all the posted CNV bylaw signs clearly say:

  • Dogs on leash only
  • Owners must pick up after their dogs
  • Bikes must stay on the path

Now here’s the thing… I really don’t have a problem with dog owners wanting somewhere to take their dogs to run around. But firstly, there’s a GIANT empty lot across the street from the lovely cement path that was CLEARLY not created for dogs (what do they need with the concrete?) Secondly, if bikes have the right to be on the path, that includes 3 year olds who have not been introduced to many dogs. And they have every right not to be violated by an aggressive pooch; nor should they run the risk of landing in a pile of filth. Thirdly, why not let the dogs run on the grass and encourage them to stay off the concrete path… then everyone can enjoy the park. Lastly, as a taxpayer I have every right to enjoy the dog park without being threatened or tripped up by a dirty rat-mutt. Besides, even in an off-leash park you’re supposed to be responsible for controlling your dog. If you can’t control it, it shouldn’t be off leash anywhere… even in an off-lease park.

I don’t care if it’s ‘generally accepted’ that people bring their dogs to Harbourside to let them run off leash. It’s against the North Van City bylaws so tie ‘em up.

Spilling the Beans

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baby_5moI know, I know, you’re never supposed to blog about not blogging… you’re never supposed to apologize for not writing. But I have been completely unable to think about anything other than what’s been going on in my life for the past two months, so I’m finally spilling the beans.

My husband and I are expecting another addition to our family.

That, actually, is the reason for the decision to sell our home and figure out how to add another bedroom to our inventory. It’s also the reason why I haven’t written a thing – because every thought I have has to do with this new baby, my career, my home, my future, and where it’s all going to end up.

First things first: I’m 15 weeks along and doing well. I love being pregnant. I tend to be pretty healthy when I am – so far I haven’t been sick and the worst of my symptoms between this and my last pregnancy has been indigestion, fatigue and carpal tunnel (which comes later; I can already feel it coming on). I’m actually way more relaxed when I’m pregnant too – the hormones seem to agree with me and I take on a way more chilled out personality.

The bigger challenges have been keeping the secret off of Facebook – I told a few friends and my family but of course didn’t want my boss and co-workers finding out from Facebook. Not only because it’s poor form (I think, anyway) not to tell them personally, but because there are some personnel shifts going on and I had been trying to hold off while securing myself exactly what I want as a return-to-work option following my maternity leave.

I’m due January 1st, so I’ll be leaving work around Christmas time and I do plan to take a full year off. I kind of feel like I owe it to this baby to do so given that I’m entitled (thanks to our awesome maternity leave program in Canada) and I did with mini-man. That, however, is not ideal given the industry I’m in and the timing of the 2010 Winter Olympics but the good news is just about everything that needs to be planned will be planned by the time I leave… what will remain will be mostly execution.

Regardless, I couldn’t wait any longer to say anything; I’m suddenly beginning to grow out of most of my pants so I was beginning to develop a complex over everyone at work thinking I was just putting on weight. Yeah, I have some issues in that department.

So now with that out f the way, I feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief that the whole world now knows.

Life is going on as usual. Work is busy; I’ll be speaking as part of a panel on Social Media use for the resort industry for the virtual ResortXpo on July 16th. Then, the following week I’m taking the week off for my camping trip with a girlfriend to go and enjoy Creationfest Northwest at The Gorge, WA. I’m still involved in a few music groups – including a songwriting group I feel is expanding my circle of experience in this lifetime – and I am doing my best to stay active by running a couple of times a week.

All in all life is good. As usual, I’m excited to see what the future holds… I guess I’ll have to just ride it out and find out. In the meantime, I can look forward to becoming as big as a house once again.

Favourite Summer Moments

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Lately we’ve been making a habit of going to John Lawson Park after work.

Either my husband or I will pick up mini-man from daycare and we’ll meet at the park. Big-man will pick up something to eat or pack a picnic at home and I’ll bring my running gear and enjoy the seawall while the guys play ball, frisbee or just wrestle around.

I think this has become my new favourite thing.

I have missed running; I haven’t done it much lately – only once a week or so for the last few months anyway. Now with this quick jaunt from either John Lawson to Dundarave and back or from Ambleside to Dundarave and back to John Lawson Park to meet up with the family, I’m getting out 2-3 times each week it seems.

Such a beautiful way to enjoy the dinner hours.

What is your favourite thing this summer?

The Winds of Change

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Photo: mollypop on Flickr

Photo: mollypop on Flickr

I’ve been on hiatus.

I haven’t been online much other than for work lately. In the last month I haven’t touched either of my blogs nor have I spent much time on Twitter or reading my feeds even. My Google Reader has over 1000 unread items and I haven’t had the energy or the inclination to read them lately.

I think I have officially experienced online burnout. There has been so much going on in my life that I haven’t had the time or the drive to document it. I wish had. It’s been an amazing month.

May started with the BCAMA Vision 2009 conference, which I documented – my last blog entry until now. I went to the Third Day concert with friends, spent a weekend at the Unite in Worship Conference, spent the long weekend rehearsing and leading the music at my church and spent every spare moment at John Lawson Park with my husband and son or running the seawall from Ambleside to Dundarave and back. I also fit in my first Grouse Grind of the summer, did two concerts at Lynn Valley Days in North Vancouver – one playing my trumpet with the Lynn Valley Black Bear Band and one singing with a cover band called Lost & Found.

If the sheer pace of May wasn’t enough, here’s what’s been keeping me really preoccupied: we’re selling our home.

We bought our little condo from a friend of my sister in law 5 years ago, just before we got married. It has been our little slice of home here in North Vancouver and has served us well. I love this area and even launched Urban Shore to share my neighborhood with others but now the time has come to move on. My son is now 3 years old and needs more space than an 800 square foot 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 2nd floor apartment can provide.

We’ve cleaned and packed stuff we don’t use, hired a realtor that we met when we went to look at a great little townhouse in Burnaby – in Greentree Village, one of the neighborhoods we’re considering, and fixed up a few things that needed it… a little patch here, a little paint there. Our realtor, Ruth Hanson (from Prudential Sussex Realty) has been great; she’s the kind of woman who inspires confidence. She’s not overly ‘sales-y’, she’s sincere and knows what she’s doing. I think we’ve made a great decision, but we’ve been busy…

Last week Tuesday we moved out extra stuff we don’t use; Wednesday we had the carpets and furniture cleaned (why did we never do this for ourselves?! They look great!) and Friday Ruth had a photographer and a floor plan guy come through and do their thing.

We then signed the contracts with Ruth on Sunday and the condo then hit the back end of MLS on Monday. Monday mid-morning Ruth had the realtors from her office through; Tuesday was a realtor’s open and I hear several realtors and a couple of private parties came through; and Wednesday our listing went live on the public MLS site.

This coming Sunday is our first public open house from 2-4pm.

This has happened quickly. When we haven’t been cleaning, fixing, packing or viewing other places, we’ve been glued to MLS to find a new home. Here are a few of our photos:

3rd-street-condo-outside

Front of the property on West 3rd Street, North Vancouver

3rd-street-north-vancouver-condo-kitchen

The kitchen we renovated with our favourite finishes

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Our dining table; you can see the Italian porcelain tiles *sigh*

You can see all our photos in a great little slide show on Ruth Hanson’s website, or have a look at our public MLS listing for all the specs and details. Here’s the floor plan: 204 – 310 West 3rd Street (.PDF)

I wish I knew where we were going to end up.

I wish I could say we’ll be staying in North Vancouver, but I don’t think it’s in the cards for us. I love it here; it’s my home… but for only a little more than our place is worth here we can get at least another bedroom, another bathroom and a yard in some other places in the Lower Mainland. The places in our price range in North Vancouver are really small or more run down than we’d like, so as much as it will break my heart to leave, I promised my son we’d find him a place with a small yard.

We’re going to look at two places on Sunday: one in East Hill on the side of Burnaby Mountain, just off the Barnet Hwy and one in Westwood Plateau in Coquitlam. East Hill is more modest but closer to my life in North Vancouver, and it does have an indoor pool and clubhouse for the complex residents. Westwood plateau is way bigger – 2,600 square feet rather than 1,600 at East Hill – but it doesn’t come with the pool and is a little more expensive… not to mention 15 minutes farther away from my job. I’m actually not sure yet whether it has a yard at all, so it may be off the short list once we see it.

My home will always be in North Vancouver. I have no intentions of changing jobs, churches or daycares. I will keep going to band rehearsals and hanging out with my family there. So I’m really torn between a more modest place closer to my life or a bigger, nicer place a little farther away.

This kind of change is so stressful… I can only hope the perfect solution lands in my lap.

In the meantime, if you are looking for or know anyone who is looking for a 2 bedroom apartment condo in North Vancouver, feel free to contact my realtor to schedule a tour:

Ruth Hanson
Mobile: 604-880-5036
ruthhanson [at] shaw [dot] ca
www.ruthhanson.com