Amazing Hockey Goal!

Check out this kid, nine years old and what a move!

One Canadian's Take on Weather and Culture Clashes

I'm out in Toronto this week visiting my sister and her family. When she was last out visiting me in Vancouver in the Spring after Gavin was born, she commented a few times on how the culture of the westcoast is just so totally different than in Toronto. People tend to be a bit more "granola" about life generally from my neck of the woods, from personal health to environmentalism to fashion style. I was just reading a post at Strocel.com by Amber, a Port Moody blogger, on climate change and crafting one's life to embrace simplicity and healthful living. It got me to thinking about why it is that we westcoasters tend to be more crunchy, and I think I've nailed down at least part of the reason.

The weather in the rest of Canada, well, I don't want to say it sucks. Oops, I guess I just did. Let's be more euphemistic and say that it's challenging.

Think about it. In Vancouver, it's easier to put on a sweater in the winter rather than turning up the heat because you won't freeze to death. And you can live without power-sucking central air conditioning in the summer because we have lovely breezes off the ocean. You can wait in the car for someone and not leave it running because, again, you're not likely to lose your toes in the process. You can wear cute yoga pants and little Lulu hoodies because all you need on most winter days to brave the elements is an umbrella, not a down parka, balaclava and snowpants. Organic gardening and eating locally is relatively easy where we are; there are many backyard and community gardens popping up, and we live close to the Fraser Valley and Okanagan. In TO, there's tons of agriculture but it all seems so industrial to me, (a visitor admittedly, but that's my impression), designed to maximize production from a shorter growing season.

Or maybe I'm just wimpy about the cold now that I've lived on the coast for the past 25 years.

Toronto DOES have beautiful fall trees. And a Bath and Bodyworks not too far from here, so there's that.

Drink Urban Lounge

Check it out...a cool night spot in New Westminster! Located at 609 Columbia St (next to the Starbucks), it's not too clubby, not for geezers, has a good mix of music at just the right volume and sports on the t.v.'s. I liked the variety of drinks, including some old-fashioned sounding ones and they have several drink specials each night of the week. Fantastic ambience, the banquette was very comfortable for our group of ten people. We were there celebrating a birthday and the owner made a homemade birthday cake for us, complete with glowstick candles!
Finally, a hip place to go out without having to travel for half an hour! I am definitely a fan.

It's Flu Season

I don't know about you, but I've seen this around my house a time or two...

Peanut Allergies

I went on an excellent field trip yesterday with Trevor and Amy's school. Both of their classes went and it was a really great day (more on that tomorrow). I had a moment, though, with another parent and it's been on my mind ever since...so of course I have to write about it.

There wasn't room for the parents on the bus so we all carpooled and met up at our destination shortly before the bus arrived. As I approached the group, the conversation was around what the parents had packed for their kids to eat, and one mom said she had packed a peanut butter sandwich for her kid. It went something like this:

Mom #1: I packed her a peanut butter sandwich.

Mom #2: Really? Are we allowed to do that, I thought there was a no-nut policy.

Mom #1: Well, they're not actually at the school. Besides, (rolling her eyes) what's the big deal?

Me: Well, you'd better keep your kid away from my kid, since peanuts might make him stop breathing and that's a pretty big deal to me.

Mom #1: Oh really. But that's just like, if he actually eats it, right?

Me: No, it's pretty much if he just touches it. I'm a little sensitive about it since someone offered him a treat at our lacrosse windup in June and he ended up in the hospital. And he even asked if there was peanuts in it.

Mom #2: Well, I'm sure that it was just a trace amount, probably the parent didn't know.

Me: Actually it was a store-bought peanut butter cookie. And since Trevor doesn't ever eat peanuts, he didn't recognize the smell. (Glaring at Mom #1)...so you can understand why I might be a little bit sensitive when it seems like some parents don't really care about my kid's safety from something totally avoidable.

Awkward pause...

Well, then.

This is quite something for me, as I hate conflict and confrontations. But that was just ignorant and careless and selfish, I couldn't let it go.

Weighing out the potential cost to little Timmy having to wait to only eat peanut butter at home vs. the potential loss of life for a child with peanut allergies/anaphylaxis....it's a no-brainer.

I think Mom #1 is now a little bit afraid of me.

Parade of Daily Adventures

I just read someone's FB update on my newsfeed that said: "When you have kids, Saturdays are just another kind of Monday." Amen to that, sistah!

Today our Parade of Daily Adventures included a 6:00 am 5K run, soccer photos, 2-1/2 hours of dance, a hockey practice, followed by a soccer game...some which was happening at the same time (thanks for helping out today, Mom)! Oh, and breastfeeding a baby wherever he can grab some "booby snacks" (as my friend, Jennifer, calls it).

Now I need a weekend to recover from my Saturday. But tomorrow brings birthday shopping, more soccer pix, soccer "games" for the U7 crowd, and a birthday party...I think we'll order in dinner tomorrow!

Babywearing

I am a relatively recent convert to babywearing. When I had my first baby, Trevor, he was a whopper! That kid's rolls had their own rolls. By the time he was four months old, I think he was already pretty close to doubling his birth weight. At the time I had an el-cheapo Snugli and I found it soooo terribly uncomfortable. When he was really new, I didn't find it supportive enough for his floppiness. When he was a bit sturdier (about 2 months) I thought it was uncomfortable because Trevor was such a chunky monkey. Of course, now I realize it probably had a lot more to do with its not-so-great design. The straps dug into my neck and shoulder muscles and Trevor was literally hanging, and not in a comfortable sitting position. Honestly, at the time I thought people who would cart their babies around all day in one of those things must be martyrs who were really into having a sore back all the time! So I really didn't bother with it too much when Amy came along. They were so close together that I just went out and got a double stroller and used that any time we were out and about. Which, by the way, wasn't that often because one or the other of them was always napping and I was a slave to the nap schedule.


I realized pretty quickly that things would have to be different this time around. I don't have the luxury of being able to stay home whenever Gavin is asleep. We have a busy family with two school aged kids that need picking up and dropping off at their school, their friends', and their activities. Poor Gavin could very easily spend 80% of his day in a car seat being carted around from place to place. He's such an even tempered kid that he would probably be ok with hanging out in his car seat that much but the idea of this really bothered me.


Shortly after Gavin was born I contacted my friend, Victoria, who I know is an experienced baby-wearer and asked for some advice. She was awesome and let me try out her Cuddlywrap and made a couple of other recommendations for other carriers that work well depending on the situation/setting you're in.


I have three carriers at the moment. I love all three of them for different reasons and in different settings.

1. My Hotsling: I love this one for it's simplicity and versatility. It's basically just a tube of fabric with one curved seam that you fold in half to make a pouch. It comes with an instructional DVD that demonstrates how to fold and the different carries you can use with it. I've used this one since he was tiny and have recently started using it to carry him on my hip now that he has some more trunk strength. The carrier distributes the weight nicely on my skeletal frame rather than sitting only on the muscles, so I can wear him for long periods of time in comfort even though he's getting bigger and heavier. It folds up to nothing and fits nicely in the pouch behind my driver's seat in the van.

2. My Cuddlywrap: I love this one because it really is cuddly, it distributes the weight nicely and he can face in or out. It's made of a stretchy cotton and is essentially a LONG strip of fabric about a foot wide and a few yards long that you wind around your body and tie up. The down side is that all that fabric can be cumbersome when you're out and about; this one is definitely best for around the house. I found it a little intimidating, but the instructional DVD makes it really simple to learn to tie. Hint: tie it pretty snugly! When Gavin was brand new, this one snuggled him up close to my heartbeat and he'd stay there happily for hours. Now that he's a bit bigger he likes to face out while I do stuff around the house.

3. My Babyhawk: This one really is my favourite because it's the most comfortable of all three for wearing long periods of time. It's a Chinese style mei tai carrier that offers excellent support and can be worn on the back or the front (Gavin's not big enough for a back carry yet, but I'm excited to try it this way when he is). You can custom design one on their website with different trim and panel fabrics, pockets or not, reversible or not, toy rings or not, and a warm winter-type liner or not. My Babyhawk was the most expensive of the three that I have at about $125.00, but I feel like I've already gotten my money's worth from it in the past two months! It's not bulky or cumbersome and can fit in my diaper bag and is so handy for places my stroller can't go like muddy soccer fields and hockey rinks with lots of stairs.


Now that I have a few soft carriers that are well-designed and fit properly, I love carrying Gavin around. I often find myself leaving the carseat in the van and plunking him into one of the carriers I have kicking around in the backseat. We get to cuddle and visit as we go about our day and I feel so much closer to him. Gavin gets to participate in conversations WAY more than he does when he's in car seat or a stroller. When I have him in the sling and he's awake, people talk to him. And about him. And he has a much greater awareness of the conversations around him because he's physically at that level. I am no expert, but I think this can only benefit his social and language development.

(There's Gavin in the Cuddlywrap.)
Plus I get way more comments about how cute he is, and who doesn't like that?!