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.

Buying and Selling - Here we go!

It is official. Our house is for sale!

Now, we nervously enter into showing our house. We had two showings yesterday and at least two tonight. No news yet. The biggest challenge will be maintaining the cleanliness of our house. Especially with a newborn whose schedule is erratic, but we knew that going into this. My strategy so far has been to simply clean as I go. If I have a tea, I clean up everything involved immediately. If I take out a toy for Henry, I put it away when he is done. And of course, I buzz around during his naps to tidy anything else I've missed, and to straighten and re-straighten beds, picture frames and the like.

I've had a few people ask why we didn't try to sell privately this time. The truth is, it is too much hassle with a baby. And to add to that, we just wanted to keep the sale impersonal. It will also hopefully make the house sell quicker, too!

With our house for sale, we are also officially looking for a home!

Luckily for us, we have lots of connections in the downtown area where we want to move. That means a lot of people who are keeping their eyes and ears open for any upcoming homes for sale. We are also scouring MLS, although not much has been up this past week.

We have decided that we are going to be veeeery picky when it comes to which home we choose, since we are hoping that whatever home we buy will be a permanent one. Joe and I are still in the process of deciding what exactly we NEED in a home (vs. what we want!) Amazingly, this has changed since we bought this house a year and a half ago (that list can be found here).

Some of the "must-haves" on our list are:
- The perfect location (We have specifically decided where we want to live already. No exceptions!)
- A garage and/or large shed (at least room for our bikes!)
- At least 3 bedrooms
- At least 2 bathrooms (and preferably -almost certainly - a main floor bathroom)
- Adequate storage (more can be added in time!)
- A decently-sized backyard
- Good layout

Some of the things that are the "good-to-haves" would be:
- Finished attic and/or basement
- Fireplace
- Nice flooring (wood/tile preferred!)

Our list is actually much smaller this time around. However, most of the homes in the area we are looking at are older, and often don't have things like a main floor bathroom, or storage (period!). So, we may need to be flexible in some ways in order to get a good house in the location we want. For example, we might let something slide if it is something can be added fairly easily and within a reasonable budget.

Some days we feel like we are up for the challenge of re-doing another house... maybe even a complete overhaul! Other days we dream about buying a house that is perfectly finished. I guess it depends on what comes up.

Send good vibes our way and wish us luck!

Why we plan on moving. Again.

Wait... What?!
Yep, you read it right. We are planning on moving again.
We have been spending the past few weeks doing a few little things that needed doing in order to list our home. And Monday, we are having a realtor in to take a look. Considering we just moved in a year ago, and probably paid a high price... we are hoping the news is good. Especially after giving the entire house a facelift.

What caused this, you might ask?

Well, let's go back to the beginning.
Back when we decided to move last time, what we really wanted was a home that we could raise a family in. As in, not a home with killer steep stairs and a scary basement like our first house (which we loved for so many reasons...but those two were a bit less child-friendly). Since we knew we were eventually going to try for a baby, I feel like we rushed into purchasing our current home. This, of course, is all in hindsight, since we fell in LOVE with this house. We just had to have it!

To be honest, this house has everything a family would want. It is solidly built, has large bedrooms, lots of storage, a finished basement, is great for entertaining, is on a quiet crescent, has a garage and two sheds, has a huge, private, beautiful backyard (with a pool! And a hot tub!) and feeds into a great French Immersion school. And of course, it is in a good location. Well, according to MOST people.

Yes, location. What we didn't realize when we bought the house (but which we really did realize deep down) is that to us, location is everything. (If only I had listened to my own wise words, here.) Probably our favourite thing about our first house was it's location. Downtown. Walking distance to EVERYthing. Yes, I say everything. Except for some family members. However, our entire existence basically takes place downtown. It is where we work. It is where we go to the market. It is where we go out for food, it is where we like to walk, some of our family lives there. And to top it all off, Joe's parents are going to be Henry's care providers when I go back to work. We used to walk everywhere and loved it.


A few months ago, Joe and I had to have that honest conversation. We both admitted that we missed being downtown. It is like something was missing. (I felt a HUGE sigh of relief when I learned that Joe felt the same way!) Fingers crossed that everything works out in our favour!

Henry at 3 months

Happy May 1st! Today marks 3 months of Henry! You know what that means... time for my monthly photo-bomb! I must say, he is adorable!

It has been the longest and quickest 3 months of my life...is that possible? I mean to say that it's strange to think about life before Henry. It seems like he has been around forever! At the same time, I feel like it was just the other day he was born. I think I say that every month...

We think Henry weighs in at around 14 1/2 pounds these days (according to our scale), although he hasn't been officially weighed for a month, and we likely won't have him weighed again until his 4 month appointment. He's a big guy!

Henry loves going for walks in the carrier these days. We have been enjoying the nicer weather. He loves getting fresh air and checking out the neigbourhood. Although, he does get tired sometimes! We are very excited about the forecast for the next few days! It looks like it is going to be summery!

He also LOVES his Daddy. He is so happy every day when Joe gets home from work. They're a pretty cute pair!

We have been adjusting to life with a baby. I'm definitely feeling the lack of sleep and lack of "me-time". I did go out with my sister, Erin, the other day for a girls night and it felt so great. I am realizing I need to do that more often! (Thanks, Erin! I'm still feeling refreshed!) That being said, Joe and I bought a Yoga Wag-Jag and we are excited to book in some time away from Henry together.

All-in-all, he's a pretty great dude, and we love him, even when he's cranky!

There you have it!

pssssst... don't forget to check out his month-by-month photo here!