Life Lately

Since we have put our house up for sale, blogging has kind of taken the back burner. Obviously, I'm not currently doing any house projects (beyond constantly cleaning and wiping bathrooms, kitchens and floors!) and life has just been busy with showings.

Selling our house is exciting, don't get me wrong. But it is already getting old needing to have a squeaky clean home at all times. We have had showings, usually more than one, every day since we put our house up except one. Yes, this is a good thing. Not so good? The fact that we still don't have an offer in our hands. While I originally wasn't going to talk about the selling process at all, I think I need to be real here: selling a house kind of sucks! That being said, there has been some interest in the home as of late... So I will keep you posted. And send your good vibes our way.... Because cleaning and leaving home with a 3 1/2 month old on a daily basis is less than fun and definitely throws off any kind of routine. (Parents... You know the importance of a routine!)

Anyway, I thought I would share a few other things about life as of late. Just because.

1. This past weekend was the Victoria Day long weekend. Despite being busy with the house, Joe and I got out for a couple good hikes. We also bought (and used!) a new carrier for Henry called the Onya Baby. It is from MEC. So far, so good. It is much better for our backs than the Baby Bjorn... Which was great until Henry weighed, oh, 10 pounds, and then it was just lacking support. Our new carrier has a waist belt that takes most of his weight. It also makes sure that the baby's hips and legs are aligned  properly. Plus, it is good up to 45 pounds. (although I wouldnt be caught dead carrying a 45 pound child in there... Just sayin'!) Here are a few photos from our hike in Dundas this weekend.

Tired Henry

2. And on the topic of Henry...dare I say it out loud? He has started sleeping through the night! Amazing! Joe and I have also been sleeping much better, obviously. That was sooooo needed. I am very aware that this could change at any time. We are enjoying it while we can, and so far it has been a whole week. Before you get too jealous, let me tell you that along with it has come a bit of colic. Yep, with every battle won appears a new one. But it's easier to take on when you've had enough sleep :)

3. I have started doing Yoga! Joe and I bought a WagJag as a way for the two of us to get out without Henry. The great news is that there is also a postnatal yoga class at the studio, where I can actually bring Henry! Pretty awesome. Also... Yoga is hard. But I think I like it!

4. I've just started following this blog. It. Is. Hilarious.

5. We have been attempting to use the BBQ as vegans lately. Of course, grilled veggies and kebab's are a given. We even found this recipe, which makes the best veggie burgers (lentil bulgur burgers) that we've ever made. The best part is that they stick together reeeeally well, so they don't fall apart on the barbie. I didn't take a picture of them... but let me seduce you with some other vegan BBQ visual treats!

Joe's chickpea burgers

Tofu kebabs

Yum!

6. We are still on the fence about whether we want our next house to be completely or mostly finished (aka needing little work and move-in ready), or whether we want to tackle another fixer-upper. The new fixer-upper at Young House Love and all of their upcoming projects have me inspired. Perhaps we do have another one in us! I guess it really depends on what comes up in our desired location.

7. Lastly, let me leave you with a few photos of our backyard. Isn't it glorious this time of year? We have been loving the nice weather and eating outside. I will definitely miss this... if only we could take our house and yard and plunk it downtown.

Where my mind is today.

I have a lot on my mind today.
I need to get it out on paper my blog!

1. First off, I want to put something to rest. My photo of the day project. I know I made it almost 1/6th of the year through. I could keep going. But I have found the past few weeks it has just felt like another thing on my "to-do" list. It's not something I've been looking forward to, or enjoying like I thought I would. Some days it was a scramble to find something to take a photo of. So, without further ado, I think it's time I stop. So, if you've been wondering where my new photos are...well, they don't exist. And they won't. I have decided I would prefer to record this year's happenings through writing. I have found since starting to write my blog it has become such a stress reliever for me. Writing things down puts things in perspective for me, which can be a good thing as I sometime have trouble looking at the bigger picture in life.

2. I mentioned in an earlier post that I was considering going car-free at the end of this month when the lease of my lovely Yaris ends. Joe and I went into the Toyota dealer yesterday to discuss our options, and now we are leaning toward something very different. It seems crazy, and a little backwards, but we are considering upgrading to a larger vehicle. (What?!) Our reasoning is that in a year or two, we will most likely be welcoming a new little one into our family. The Yaris doesn't seem very baby friendly, so we thought of what might make more sense. On top of that, we thought about all of the things we DO use our car for, like camping and skiing and bike trips...and they all seemed like they would be easier with a bigger car. All of that being said, we will still try our best to not use the car. It would be great incentive for me to find alternative ways (biking, busing) to get to work when we move in May to a home that is more than double the distance to my workplace than our current place.

3. The travel itch has re-entered our home. This summer, Joe and I have decided we are going to go to France and Belgium, and maybe Germany. Again, this may be the last summer there is only 2 of us, so we want to get our traveling in :) I'm really looking forward to visiting with my French host family again. I haven't seen them since 4 summers ago when they came to visit me in Canada. They haven't even met Joe! I can't wait to introduce them.

4. We move in 80 days.

5. How are we going to afford all of this?

6. I love my life.

Living Simply

Living Simply is one of my life goals.

I was thinking about this while taking out the trash tonight. Why? Because each week Joe and I only tend put out one small (half-filled) white garbage bag of garbage between the two of us. It probably weights less than a pound this week. This got me thinking about our garbage in general. We fill up one and a half recycle bins each week*, mostly filled with junk mail that gets dropped off in our mailbox. The heaviest of our garbage is made up of our compost bin. It is pretty heavy.

This got me thinking about the idea of living simply, and how in some ways living simply has become our normal.
I'm going to give you some examples of what I consider living simply:

1. Being happy with your "needs", not your "wants"

 An example: I don't know the last time I bought any new clothes. While I am getting pretty sick of the same work clothes every week (and all clothes), I can't justify buying more and more just to have more variety. I have all that I need. Regardless of this, the LARGE majority of Joe and my clothing comes from thrift stores.

Of course, I am very aware that we just bought a 3-bedroom home. This was simply thinking ahead to our future needs :) I'm also not saying we only have the things we need. Our biggest fault is probably thrift stores. I mean, how can you turn down a beautiful pottery mug that is only $1.00, even though you already have a cupboard full at home? We are only human :)

2. Eat Local

Joe and I buy most of our groceries each week at the local Kitchener market. It is such a great resource for our community. We buy local eggs, fruits and veggies, cheeses and flowers. It feels good to know where your food comes from. It is also comforting knowing your food is fresh. It is also better for the environment, and gets us thinking about eating the fruits and veggies that are in season and available. This weeks seasonal meals were Butternut Squash and Orzo with Sage and Parmesan (Yum!) and local turkey sausage with fried market cabbage. (Luckily for me, I have Joe, who loves to cook. This makes it a lot easier to eat local, non-processed foods as it takes a lot more prep.) We always make large batches to last us through the week.

At the grocery store, we usually only buy a few staples like milk, juice, yogourt, canned beans and meats.

3. Having a good work-home balance

I think it is really easy nowadays to let work and obligations take over the majority of your time. I definitely have weeks where there is less time for family, friends, and myself. But I think it is really important to find a balance. This is one I definitely need to improve on.

4. Being frugal, or as I like to call it, thrifty! 

This is pretty similar to #1. But it's still important on its own. I have always been very frugal; I very rarely feel the urge to own extravagant things. Nor do I need things to be new. I choose more for function. I already mentioned our love of thrift stores, right? Joe and I also tend to not buy each other gifts. We express our love in other ways.
*I'm still working on finding a balance here, as I can sometimes be frugal to a fault...or seen as cheap. I think I've really improved over the past few years as I am much more aware of this. I'm sure my family and closest friends can agree!

5. Reducing your environmental footprint

Of course, this one is ongoing for me.
I have made many efforts the past few years to be environmentally aware and to actively live a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle. I've made a LOT of small (and not-so-small) changes, including:
- Using canning jars to transport my lunch instead of plastic or throwaway packages. (Joe gets the credit for this idea!)
- Changing my job location so that I am able to walk to work now (this cut out about 1hr of driving per day! Wow! Plus I get 40 minutes of exercise instead. Bonus.)
- Going down to 1 car (and soon, maybe 0? Something I've been contemplating)
- Eating less meat (I was a vegetarian for just over a year... but now I'm choosing to simply limit my meat. There are many weeks Joe and I do eat vegetarian still.)
- Buying local foods whenever possible
- Biking and walking whenever it is an option
- Programming our thermostat to go down at night and during workdays, keeping it low at all times.
- Not buying pre-packaged foods; avoiding plastic packaging whenever possible
- Teaching my students environmental awareness whenever possible
- Living near all of the amenities that I need. Yay downtown!
- I could go on.


I am aware that sometimes living simply will be a challenge. Especially with buying a new house. We are going to need a lot more furniture to fill this house. And I have many paint project ideas for it. I am aware that these things are complete opposites of some of the ideas I've just presented. I think it's most important to find balance in everything and remember that home and family are the most important for me. I want this home to be great for that reason.

I'm sure I'm missing some of the point that I wanted to make, but in a nutshell, living in a more simple way makes my heart happy!

*Please note: I don't consider recycling to be the be-all and the end-all of environmental living. In fact, it could probably be more environmental itself. But it is a step in the right direction I suppose. I try to teach my students the idea of reducing first. To me this is the most important of the 3R's.

Exciting times!

Today is my first nephew's 1st birthday!

Just one year ago today, this was me meeting him for the first time :)

I am just getting home from his party where I was a photo-stalking auntie. What a fun day! Here are a few of my favourite photos of him from today.

Brady and his Mom - My beautiful sis, Kate.

Dancing dude

Mesmerized

Yum!

Family photo. Braden was pretty tired by the end of it all.

Today got me thinking... this Spring/Summer will be full of exciting times!

In May, as you already may know, Joe and I will be moving into our new home.
Early this summer, Joe and I are probably going to go to Europe.
In the summer, my sister-in-law, one of my best friends, and two of my favourite cousins are getting married!
My sister, Kate (pictured above), and my friend, Kate, are both having babies this summer. Can't wait! I love babies.

It is an exciting year for us! I'm looking forward to it all! I feel so lucky to be surrounded by so much good news and a great family and friends.

Back to the grind.

It was inevitable.
Tomorrow at 9:00am, instead of being here:

I will be here:

My 20 kiddos are back and I need to be back on my toes! I'm feeling bittersweet about returning to work after my relaxing (and hectic, if it's possible to mix the two!) two-week winter break. I'm excited to see my students again, and to get back into routine, but can it really compare to being able to sleep in and go the the gym at my leisure? Or being able to hang out with my cute nephew way more than normal? Or spending so much quality time with my wonderful hubby? Or meeting up with so many family and friends?

As much as I'm not looking forward to work right now, being a teacher is an amazing job and one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. I love getting to know so many great kids and their families. I love when my students won't leave without giving me a big hug or when they give me something they made themselves. I love when parents come in and express their gratitude for something I've done for their child. The relationships you build, and the opportunities to inspire children are amazing. The kids' "aha" moments are equally amazing. I'm going to need to focus on the great things about my career over the next few weeks with the looming report cards I need to write. It will be busy.

I do feel ready and well rested. Bring it on!

Happy New Year 2012!!!

I've been MIA for the last week or so. Christmas and New Years and everything in between has been amazing and busy and relaxing. I would blame my lack of posts on the endless parties and gatherings and food and games over the past week, but probably the biggest reason has been me catching up on sleep...I have been loving sleeping in, but it makes for rather short days.

Anyway, in the spirit of the New Year, I'm going to write down my top 10 highlights of 2011, and also some goals for 2012 (goals are always more serious when they're in writing!). When brainstorming the highlights, I realize what an exciting year it was!

Top Ten of 2011 (In order of preference)

10. Getting back into Cross-Country Skiing: Joe and I were out quite a bit last winter, and discovered Schneider's Bush...inquire if you are interested and don't know about it!

9. Spending time with the family at Rick's Cottage: At the end of the summer, Michael and Micaela made a stop in Ontario between living in Vancouver and heading to Taiwan for the year. This gave our family an opportunity to head to my mom's partner, Rick's amazing cottage up on Lake Shewinagog. Good times!

8. Staying at an Argentinian Estancia: Joe and I spent about 4 days horseback riding and enjoying life on an Argentinian cattle ranch. It was beautiful and relaxing after weeks of roughing it through Peru and Bolivia!

7. Becoming a French Immersion teacher: This year is my first year with my very own class. While some days are challenging and it has been a huge learning curve, I adore my students! It is extremely rewarding working with them. Sorry, no photo!

6. Huacachina, Peru: This is a desert area where we went dune-buggying and sand-boarding. We then spend the night under the stars in the desert. One of the coolest things I have ever done!

5. Getting Beau: The newest addition to our family, our sweet cat, Beau!

4. March Break in Vancouver! Joe and I spent a whirlwind week in the Vancouver area visiting our brothers, Mike and Bob. We spent a lot of time enjoying the beautiful outdoors, and climbed the Stawamus Chief!

3: Climbing Machu Picchu: This has been a long-time dream of mine. This was definitely the most challenging hike I have ever (and possibly WILL ever) done! The scenery was beautiful and the altitude added to the challenge, the the grand finale of Machu Picchu itself made it all worth it.

2. I became on auntie! On February 12th, my sister, Kate, and her husband, Phil, gave birth to Braden Alexander Bauman. My family will never be the same in the best way possible :) He is the cutest little man ever!

1. Getting Married! On June 23rd, I married Joe. This will probably take the cake for the best day of my life! I love him so much and can't wait for many more years with him.

And there are MORE exciting things that happened in my family this year: Dad retired and sold the Lanc (Wow!), Mum bought a new house with Rick, Erin got a contract job, Mike and Mic went to Taiwan, Catherine and Ryan got engaged, Bob met a lucky lady, Jim started training a service dog pup...exciting year!

Goals for 2012:

• Stay fit: I would love to get to the gym at least 3 times per week. 
• Find a new home with Joe...hopefully this year!
• Post a photo a day! This is a new project I'll be taking on, which will be posted here on my blog. I give full credit for this idea to Annica Napier.
• Become an even better teacher.
• Travel: The plan right now is to go to Europe with Joe...this one may depend on the housing situation :) Alternatively we may do a few smaller trips. 

Christmas Tunes :)

There is something about this time of year.

No matter how much I try to be scrooge and reject the commercialism of Christmas, I just can't get enough Christmas music! I become obsessed every year. There is a local radio station that plays Christmas music all December, and I have even been playing it in my classroom for my students! Even though I have heard all of these songs countless times, they never get old. (With the exception of "Santa Baby" and a few select others!) I find Christmas music to be the only type of music that doesn't get old.

Anyway, Joe played me his Sufjan Stevens Christmas album on the way to a family gathering today. I really enjoyed it. Joe's favourite, which I also happen to enjoy, is this one:

I'm really excited that Christmas is only a week away! I still work all of this week. I'm definitely feeling ready for a break. I love my class, the kids are great, but we all need some time away from school. I'll just have to bring some Christmas energy to my class this week to make it more bearable for all! I plan on having a Hanukkah party, and a Christmas party. Should be fun!

23 and 1/2 hours

This fall I've been going to the gym. I've even more recently started waking up at 5:30 to fit in a work-out before I go to work. (Otherwise, I was WAY too exhausted after work to go and it just wasn't happening!) When I was sick a couple of weeks ago, I stopped going to the gym. I was sick for about a week and a half and skipped the gym for 2 weeks. I found I got to the point where I was dreading it, and feeling how much fitness I'd lost in that short time. This morning I went back for the first time. I'm definitely feeling a little rusty, but I find my whole day feels better if I've done it! I have more energy, have a better outlook, and am able to achieve so much more in my day. Plus, I get to relax at the end of the day guilt-free :)

Here is a great video clip that a friend of mine shared on Facebook. I think everyone should follow it's advice :) It's so simple! So many people feel they are too busy to fit in any kind of fitness...but it's so important! This is worth the watch.