Why it is important to live in the moment...

I've learned an important lesson in the last couple of weeks that I really wanted to share with you. I've written a blog post before about how patience is a virtue that doesn't come naturally to everyone and about the importance of positive thinking, and this is kind of a follow up. Those of you who have been following this blog for a while now, might know that we are kind of stuck at a point in our lives, where we would love to make changes (more travel, starting our own business, more time for the family..), but simply don't have the option right now because of financial reasons. So we've both been kind of frustrated and unhappy, because our life is simply not the way we've envisioned it, with me always being on my own with the kids and Adrian always working his butt off to make ends meet. In fact, we've been so focused on how to achieve our future goals, that we have completely lost sight of the here and now. We've also turned into a couple of miserable, whiney people and it has gone on for way too long.

Sometime a couple of weeks ago it finally hit me. I can't tell you what it was that showed me the light or why it hadn't struck me earlier, but I had a moment of clarity, and I finally just told myself, "ENOUGH!" Harden up, stop complaining, follow your own advice and start working on being happy. Stop trying to figure out how to make your dreams happen and focus on the present. Quit rushing through the tough times and make the best of the situation you're in. This IS your life right now and it's going to be your life for a while, so you better find a way to enjoy it. It's part of the journey after all. It's part of life and you should embrace the hard times just as much as the good. 

I'm not saying, abandon your dreams altogether and stop planning for the future you want, because it is important to keep working towards your goals if you want to make a positive change. But you can't ignore the life you're living at this moment either. You can't make the future your sole focus, while the present is passing you by. It's not like our life is terrible either. We have a home we love. We have two perfect, beautiful, smart, and healthy children. We have each other. We have family and friends that love us. We're not sick or starving and we have clothes on our backs. And yet, with all the bad stuff going on in this world, with the refugee situation, sickness and war and all this pain and suffering, we still find reasons to complain about our great life on a regular basis. It felt like somebody finally had the guts to slap me across the face and told me to 'wake up'.

So why are we doing this? Why do we constantly have to remind ourselves that our life isn't as bad as we make it out to be? Why do we constantly have to tell ourselves that we've got so many things to be grateful for? Adrian and I both tend to get stuck in a rut, and we want so much for ourselves and for our children, we simply get frustrated when we can't make things happen right away. It feels like we're stuck in limbo, when we really just want to get there like ... yesterday. But just because we want a certain life in the future that better suits us and our wants and needs, doesn't mean that the life we're leading now can't be enjoyed. And our kids certainly don't care about that mommy and daddy want to make changes. As long as they're getting fed, get the attention they need and get to have fun everyday, they're good. As long as they are loved and cared for, their little world is alright. They're loving every second of it regardless. They're laughing and learning and playing every single day, and they find joy in every situation. We need to get back to that state of mind ourselves. Because if we can't be happy in this life, I doubt we'll be happy in any other. Happiness comes from within. Being happy is a choice. 

There's always something you want, or some goal you want to reach, or some part of life you simply want to get through so you can be happier. When you've got a newborn and you're overwhelmed and sleep deprived, you tell yourself it'll get better once they're toddlers. When they're toddlers and they're having temper tantrums every half hour, you tell yourself it'll get easier once they're in school. When they're in school and you're back at work full time, and you're stressed out trying to juggle job and family, you tell yourself you only have to make it to your next vacation. After that you'll be more relaxed and things will go a lot smoother. You tell yourself you'll be happier with the next car, house, pet, or once that next goal is reached. But the truth of the matter is that each of those reached goals is bringing you one step closer to the end. So stop rushing through your life, just trying to make it to that next car, house, or vacation and start enjoying the journey rather than the destination. 

Adrian and I have decided to quit all the whining and simply make some smaller changes to lift our spirits. The ones that don't cost much. Do little things that make us happy. For example, I attended my first hot yoga class and I will definitely start doing it on a regular basis from now on. It's only going to be an hour here and there, but it's something that I can do for myself - as Nina, not mommy - and it will give my body and mind a much needed boost. We simply want to stop rushing and live consciously. Teach our children that joy and happiness can be found anywhere, in every situation, even if the going is tough. Life is an adventure with constant ups and downs. No bad time lasts forever and neither do the good. But it's all part of the big picture and it could all end at any moment. Do yourself a favour and make the best of it! 

Does any of this sound familiar to you? Are you having issues living in the moment? What are you doing to lift your spirits during tough times? Don't hesitate to comment and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. 

Sir Hendrix's retired?

In my very first blog post called 'Sir Hendrix', I introduced you to our 75 GMC Blue Bird. Here is a picture of our boy, in case you've forgotten this handsome dude ;-)

We had him pulled to the local mechanics beginning of last winter, where he spent the most part of the year having himself a nice little vacay. We asked them to have a look at him whenever they had some down time to help us figure out how much it would cost us to get him back on the road, which would in turn help us make up our minds as to whether or not it'd even be worth it. Well, we finally received the news and the fact of the matter is that it would cost us about $5,000 to get Sir Hendrix up and running again. And that doesn't include any work on the interior to turn him into livable space, nor does it include giving his exterior a little loving. We'd kind of anticipated it so we weren't too heartbroken about it, because one fact remains. Sir Hendrix was free, so we haven't really lost any of our hard earned money. We asked the guys from the garage to deliver him to our property, where Adrian had worked on getting a spot prepared where we could park him permanently. 

The day Sir Hendrix was delivered to us was pretty special, because Noah has been looking forward to his arrival for such a long time, his eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning when he finally came into view. He was waiting on the front porch just jumping up and down with a big smile on his face. We couldn't get him to leave the bus for days afterwards. 

So even though we won't get to travel with him, we're still happy he's with us, and I'm sure we're going to collect a different kind of memories. I think Sir Hendrix is secretly thrilled about his retirement. We did manage to fire him up to move him within the perimeters of our property to his new permanent spot and he was moaning and groaning and smoking a LOT by the time we finally turned him off. Poor guy isn't in his prime anymore and just wants to kick back and relax, maybe smoke a Cuban or two; However, we have decided on turning him into a bunky, so he'll have some company once in a while and won't be too lonely. 

As we are living in a house that is tiny and doesn't offer much space for guests, that just seems to be the perfect solution. So once we've done all the work we want to do on our little cottage, we are planning on working on Sir Hendrix and give him the makeover he deserves, since he is looking a little bit rough right now. Hopefully some day in the near future, he's going to be a space guests will love to spend time in. I'd love it if people would come to visit and enjoy staying here - in their own space - where they won't be woken up by our rambunctious little rascals at 6 am. For now he'll just serve as storage for all the stuff we've accumulated and stored in our sun room, which will give Adrian a much needed space to work in throughout the winter. We'll keep you updated on any changes regarding Sir Hendrix and his transformation into a guest house.

We are definitely not giving up on our long term travel dream. Sometimes you just have to cut your losses and find a more suitable and more affordable way to do it. Stay tuned!

What do you know? I'm a children's book author!

Big news, guys!!! As some of you might know, I've been in the process of self-publishing my first children's book since January. It started out with my Kickstarter campaign - which was a roller-coaster of emotions all on its own - and went on to finding a publisher, working with my amazingly talented brother-in-law Mat Dubé - who has created the wonderful Illustrations for my book - to working with a team on everything from editing to design and, at long last, printing. It has been an exciting, wonderful and emotional journey but at the same time, I have never felt so uncertain, nervous or frustrated. When I first wrote the story for 'Helen May Saves the Day', I did not realize that writing the book would be the easy part of the self-publishing process.

I have been dreaming of becoming a published author for as long as I can remember, and finally being able to take that final step was, and still is, a huge deal to me. As an author, you want to give the public the best work possible. You want to make sure that the very thing you've been dreaming about for such a long time, won't be a disappointment to the people you know or even strangers. People are now paying their hard earned money to read and share my story with their children, and I want them to love and enjoy it. Maybe I am a little bit of a perfectionist, but the whole process took a lot longer than planned, because I kept pointing out little errors and kept changing things. (Apologies to my campaign supporters who have been patiently waiting for the first edition copy, but I'm sure you'll understand that I didn't want to publish something that I wasn't one hundred percent happy with). 

I have hit a few potholes on the road to self-publishing and I guess, as with everything else in life, it has been a learning experience for the future. Up until now, I have never dealt with traditional publishers or self-publishing services and had no clue what to expect. Of course I did my research online before choosing my best option, but let's be honest, until you finally throw yourself into the deep end, you won't know whether you'll sink or swim. 

 

I had an amazing time working with Mat. Seeing the characters and the story come alive in colorful images has been the most wonderful experience. Piecing the whole book together, figuring out the layout and text placement and what each image should show, has been a lot of fun and has without a doubt been my favorite part of the process. Every time Mat sent me a new character sketch or, later on, a completed image, I felt like a child on Christmas morning. It has been surprisingly easy to work with him and have him draw exactly what I wanted, despite the fact that I didn't even know what it was that I wanted ;-) He just seemed to know what I had pictured while writing the book, and not once did he sent me something that I didn't immediately fall in love with. 

The next part of the process was a lot harder for me. I'm very impatient by nature and after the images were finished, all I wanted was to hold the finished product in my hands and share it with everyone. But there is a lot more to publishing a book than I ever thought possible: tons of paperwork, a lot of back and forth with my publishing team, little hiccups, and misunderstandings and sometimes I just wanted to pull my hair and scream. But after weeks of blood, sweat, and tears my book is finally ready to share with the rest of the world, and I really hope this lovingly created work of art is going to be loved by little and big children alike. A special thank you to my wonderful partner, Adrian, who always supports me in anything I do and always encourages me to go for it. Thanks to all the people who made a donation to my Kickstarter campaign. This book wouldn't have been possible without your help. I will send out the rewards (books, bookmarks, postcards etc.) very very soon. Promise! So here's the sentence I've been dying to say for months now. My book is ready for purchase and you can order your very own copy of Helen May Saves the Day at Lulu.com.

To ensure you're going to get the best deal possible, I highly recommend ordering your paperback, hardcover, or eBook on the American site. Since Lulu.com is a US-based company, you would be paying a premium to have it printed in another country. Your best option is to order in US dollars and only pay the exchange rate. If my link does not send you to the US store but the Canadian or any other store instead, you can change the store setting in the top right corner between Login and Support on the lulu website. 

My book will also be available on other retail sites, like Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and Kobo; However, it won't be available for another 6-8 weeks, since it entails a lot of legal blah blah that I don't want to bore you with. Just know that I will inform everyone as soon as it becomes available elsewhere.  

I still can't believe that I am an actual published author. This seems so surreal, because I always kind of thought the whole thing was a little far-fetched. Like a lot of big dreams we tend to think that it will probably never happen. But since my dream has come true for me, simply by taking a little step in the right direction, I would like to end this post by saying this: Reach for the stars everyone, pursue your dreams and never give up on something you really, really want. Who knows? It might just happen faster than you think.

PS: This is for all the hardworking moms out there. Yes, raising children is tough, especially when they're little and yes, everything you do is just a little bit harder, when you're trying your best everyday to keep up with them. BUT, don't leave your dreams on the back burner. I can speak from experience now when I say that you can still do anything you want to do, and even though you might have to work a little bit harder in order to reach your goal, it will be all the more satisfying when you get there!  

Camping with little ones - Nightmare or dream come true?

Camping with a couple of toddlers can seem quite daunting and a little bit crazy. I was not particularly excited about the idea myself, but Adrian usually talks me into these things by saying stuff like, "It'll be fun," or "Where's your sense of adventure?", which he darn well knows pushes my buttons and makes me want to prove to him and myself that I've still got it. He pushes me to get out of my comfort zone and makes me do something adventurous, which I'm grateful for, because I usually end up having a great time. When he first came up with the whole camping idea, I immediately thought about all the stress involved in a venture like that and pretty much broke out in a cold sweat just thinking about staying in a tent in the middle of bug season. You see, Adrian tends to only think about the fun parts of an adventure (like roasting marshmallows and fishing with his son), and then ends up being disappointed when things don't quite work out the way he'd imagined, or the kids don't show any appreciation for taking them on a fun trip. He simply got a little bit overwhelmed and stressed out, once he realized that anything you do with a couple of toddlers in tow is not all sprinkles and rainbows. Everything that throws off their routine is challenging and tiring, and since I'm the realist and worrier in our family, it did not come as a surprise to me that things on a trip like that can get a little bit tough. I guess that's something we both have to work on. I'd like to be a little more spontaneous and positive when it comes to doing something out of the ordinary and not immediately think about all the things that could go wrong, and Adrian needs to work on lowering his expectations and realize that toddlers have no idea what the word 'appreciation' even means.

Our weekend started off well enough. Adrian took a Friday off - which in itself is kind of a miracle-, we got up in the morning, packed up the car and headed out. About three hours later we arrived at our destination, beautiful Killarney provincial park, and set up our campsite. We were feeling good about things. The kids were excited about putting up the tent and checking out the beach, and even the bugs I was so worried about weren't too bad. YET! We explored the area around our site and took the kids to see a friend of ours - Canadian singer and songwriter Ian Reid- play a small venue in the park's amphitheater. Check him out at http://ianreid.ca if you like amazing people and great music. Our son loved Ian so much that he got a little carried away and was out of control, trying to take over the entertainment by dancing on stage. We had some trouble getting him back to the campsite, because he was absolutely wired and didn't want to listen to anything we said. Thankfully Mia passed out fairly early and I was able to put her down no problem. We made a little campfire and roasted some marshmallows with Noah, because we're suckers for punishment and thought he needed some more sugar. Luckily, he went to bed without major issues at around 10pm, which was the end of the first day for us. Overall I thought we'd handled day one well, and I was looking forward to day number two.

The next morning we felt ambitious and energetic, so we decided to do something a little nuts and strap the kids on our backs to go for a 6 km hike called 'the crack', which was rated difficult. That should've been enough warning for us, but I shrugged it off thinking they probably have to exaggerate a little bit, you know, to scare off the overenthusiastic senior citizen or people with health conditions. After all, how hard could it be to walk up a mountain in 30 degree weather, while the sun is mercilessly beating down on you? I can tell you now that difficult actually means difficult. Heed the warnings guys, because they do not lie or downplay it in Killarney. Lesson learned the hard way. When we saw the first incline and the rocky terrain about a km into the trail, we did think about turning around and going for an easier trail, but that would've meant giving up and I don't like the taste of failure in my mouth. So we soldiered on, and even though I thought I was going to die and my knee started acting up real bad on our way back down, the view we got to take in at the top of Killarney Ridge was worth every second of the struggle. It was simply spectacular and a very special moment shared with the whole family. It also felt good to push ourselves a little bit and I have to admit that I was rather proud of us for making it, despite the difficult climb and extra weight on our shoulders. Afterwards we had some well deserved and much needed lunch at a little restaurant by the water, that is known for their world famous fish and chips and was recommended to us by several people throughout our time at the park. I have to admit that it probably really was the best fish and chips I've ever had, so if you ever get to Killarney, definitely go and have lunch or dinner at Herbert Fisheries. 

And that was about the turning point of our camping weekend. Naturally we were exhausted from the long hike and too much sun, and all we wanted to do was lie down for a nap. But the kids were not having any of it. They had hung out in a backpack for 4 hours - Mia even napped for about half that time - and they were both well rested and ready to party. There was simply no way they were going to lie down and give us a break. So we did our best to tire them out, by taking them to the beach to play in the water, and we all went to bed at 7 pm that evening. Mia wasn't happy about it and screamed bloody murder for about 30 minutes and woke up screaming at least a dozen times during the night. It was rough and that was exactly the way we felt the following morning. We were tired and short of patience, the kids were fussy and cried about everything from itchy mosquito bites to not getting their morning milk fast enough. That's about the time Adrian got fed up with all the fussing and whining and got a tiny bit irritated himself. 

We tried making one last ditch effort to turn the day around and went for a paddle in the canoe, but Mia didn't feel like sitting in her chair anymore and had a major fit in the middle of the lake. It was total chaos. She got off the chair, started crawling towards me in the front -which had the canoe rocking dangerously-, her little Muskoka chair went overboard and we had to backpedal to fish it out of the water. Noah started whining, telling us he wanted to go play at the beach and Adrian lost his cool and started yelling. I started yelling at Adrian, telling him I knew this was going to happen (and lets be honest; there's simply nothing worse than an I-told-you-so in a situation like that) and we paddled back to the beach in icy silence. We let the kids play in the water a little while longer, and I actually managed to enjoy myself again and decided it was time to head home on a positive note. We stopped for some Ice cream at the French River trading post, which made for a nice ending to our weekend and were definitely relieved when we got home, knowing the kids would sleep in their own beds that night.

 

Overall, I think camping with little ones is doable and - with the right attitude - even enjoyable. You just have to be aware that any trip - especially the ones lacking conveniences like a fridge, microwave or mosquito free zones - are going to be more challenging. But if you're the type of person who's always up for a challenge and are blessed with the patience and grace of an angel, a camping trip with a couple of toddlers is probably going to be a walk in the park. It's really all about how you approach things, about how prepared you are and how organized. Pack wisely, don't forget important things that would throw off their routine even more (like their favorite sleeping buddy), do the occasional deep breathing exercise and you'll be just fine. Would I do it again, you might ask? Definitely! Not only did we get to explore this beautiful country we live in a little bit more and did see some amazing scenery, but the kids had a ton of fun. They were so excited about the whole sleeping in a tent thing, had a blast splashing around in the water and they simply enjoyed being outdoors, spending some time with the whole family. I think they were both super happy having their daddy around, because he's working hard to support us and we don't get to enjoy his company all that often. Yes, it definitely was more stressful than a camping trip without children and we did struggle, but we will probably remember this weekend for the rest of our lives. And isn't it always the stories about struggle and pain that are worth telling over and over again?

I'd love to hear about your camping experiences with your kids. Did you have a blast or a terrible time? Do you have tips and tricks on how to make a family trip easier and more enjoyable? What do you think is the perfect age to take your kids on their first camping adventure? Don't hesitate to comment or email me. I promise I'll get back to you as soon as I can. If you enjoyed this post, don't forget to subscribe, like our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram.

Parenthood - Yay or nay???

A lot of people are struggling with whether or not they should have children. Personally, I never had any doubt. I always knew I was going to be a mom. I never once entertained the idea of remaining childless. When I thought about my future, I always saw at least a couple of kids, preferably a boy and a girl (like my brother and I), and that is exactly what I have. Are there more little ones on the horizon? We're not planning on it, but we're not totally opposed to it, either. After all, you shouldn't over-think or over-plan your life, and you simply don't know what the future might bring. But even though not having children was never an option for me, I do understand why some people are struggling to make up their minds, and why some are content and even happy with their decision not to have children at all.

Kids are a BIG commitment and a LOT of work. Once you have them, you simply can't return them. You have to make a lot of sacrifices in order to be a 'good' parent. In fact, when I became a mom, I hung my 'wants and needs' on a coat hanger and stuffed them in the back of the closet. Someday, once the kids are grown and old enough to live their own lives, I might get to take them out, blow the dust off and start using them again. For now, the back of the closet is where my 'wants and needs' will remain. Everything I do from the time I open my eyes (usually because someone is screaming bloody murder, or jumping on my face at 5:30 in the morning), till the time I put them down at night, I do for them. Every decision I make, is based on what is best for them. There is no me-time anymore. I can't remember the last time I slept in. And by sleeping in, I mean a solid 12+-hour-sleep without having to get up once to comfort a crying baby, or tossing and turning in the morning, because despite the hubby getting up so mommy could 'sleep in', I can still hear them crying and screaming out there, no matter how many pillows I pile on my head.

Taking a nice long shower, while performing a full body shave, maybe even some conditioner or a body scrub and putting on some nice smelling lotion? Uh-uh. Not in my house. I hop in the shower and if I'm lucky, I might get to shave my armpits after shampooing my hair in record-time, before one of them is yanking on the shower curtain and floods the bathroom. I don't even know what it's like to go to the bathroom without an audience anymore, and I used to be that kind of girl that left school early and went home to have a number 2, because I NEEDED my privacy or else nothing was happening. I don't have that problem anymore. The only problem I have now, is keeping Mia's hands out of the toilet bowl while I'm trying to do my business.

Being a parent is harder than I ever thought possible. I'm always tired, and some days I'm simply going through the motions because I'm just that exhausted. I've had more emotional meltdowns in the last three years than I've had my entire life. Sometimes, I just want to leave the house, sit in my car and scream until I get it all out. I catch myself dreaming about the times, before I had kids and about how easy and stress-free my life was. If I wanted to sleep till two in the afternoon on a Saturday, I could. If I wanted to stay in bed all day on a Sunday and just watch movies, I could. I used to be spontaneous, energetic, laid back and present at every party. Nowadays, I start to panic if it's past ten pm, no matter what day of the week, because I know I gotta be up at the crack of dawn and tackle another 14 hour shift with the kids, before I get to relax again. There is no 'oh-I-need-some-eggs-I'll-just-quickly-run-to-the-corner-store' anymore. Now, you have to dress two kids, lug them to the car, take them out again when you get to your destination, take them into the store with you, deal with a temper tantrum because they want candy and you just came for eggs, listen to them whine all the way home and carry your screaming and kicking bundles back into the house.

Everything, and I really mean everything you do, you do with an entourage, and everything you do takes up twice as much time. It's physically and emotionally challenging to never be alone and you rarely ever get to do what you want to do. I longingly stare at women sitting in hair salons, reading magazines, or people having uninterrupted conversations at Starbucks. I envy women who are able to shop for clothes on their own. They actually get to look at a bunch of items, before taking an armful into the change room, where they take as much time as they need to figure out whether or not they like what they see. I look at one item that catches my eye in passing, hold it up for inspection for about thirty seconds, before one of the kids starts getting impatient and I realize that it's much easier to just keep wearing the fifteen year-old sweater I'm wearing now.   

So why in the name of God, you might ask, would you want any children or even consider the possibility of having another one? I'll tell you why. Because, despite the stress, the puke and poop, the screaming and the constant demand of your attention and time; having a child is the greatest, most miraculous thing in the world. There is nobody that loves and needs you quite this much and this unconditionally. When they're little, you are their whole world. You're their hero. They worship the very ground you walk on, and in a way, it's kind of like having your very own little fan club. It doesn't matter how tired, stressed or annoyed I am, or even how many times I've heard it before; when I hear one of my kids giggle or laugh with joy, it's like the sun comes up and my heart wants to burst with emotion. It sounds super cheesy, believe me, I know. But there is simply no other way to describe what you're feeling, whenever your child smiles at you and those big, trusting puppy eyes light up. Or when those little arms wrap themselves around you and hug you tight. They smell so darn good, you want to bottle that stuff and keep it forever. And that moment when they tell you they love you for the very first time. Man, I can't even begin to describe how those three little words make you feel. Everything they do for the first time (first word, first tooth, first steps), just makes you feel so proud, it's almost embarrassing how excited you get.

I remember watching movies back before I had kids, and I always wondered about the people, who'd willingly and without hesitation give up their life to save a loved one. I remember feeling bad, because I wasn't sure I'd ever be brave or willing enough to trade my life for anyone, should it ever come to that. I was terrified of dying, and surviving and living was the single most important thing in my life. I've got two children now and I know, without a single doubt, that I'd give my life to save them in a heartbeat. I've loved people unconditionally before I had kids. I love my parents, my brother, my partner, my friends. But loving a child is a whole different kind of love. It's the purest kind of love. I didn't even know you could love someone like that, until I first held my tiny baby-boy in my arms and looked into his little, perfect face. They give you so much joy, laughter, and love, it would almost be a crime to miss out on that. I do not want to change anyone's mind with this post, if they're dead-set on not having kids. The truth is, some people are simply not cut out for parenthood and shouldn't have children anyways. But if you're thinking about whether or not to have a baby and you're trying to decide, by weighing the pros and cons, then let me tell you this: YES, being a parent is hard and if you're just a regular human being, like me, it's very likely that you will struggle. BUT! There's nothing like it, and when that doctor hands over that tiny newborn for you to hold, cuddle and protect, and your child opens its eyes for the first time and you connect, you'll instantly know that it's all totally worth it.

I'm interested to hear about your experiences. Are you a parent? Does it come naturally and easy to you, or are you struggling with it? Are you childless and want to keep it that way? If so, what are the reasons behind your decision? Don't hesitate to comment or email me and don't forget to like us on our 'Homesteading Gypsies Facebook Page'.  

Let it grow... Let it grow...

We did it! We've finally managed to plant the garden last weekend. It's been driving me crazy that we haven't been able to get it done, and since Adrian is always busy working on the weekends lately, - and I've got two little ones that need constant surveillance because they vanish the second you take your eyes off them - I kind of had the feeling it wasn't going to happen at all this year. Fortunately Gramma is back from Florida, is living in town now and was happy to watch the rascals.

It felt good to work around the yard and get my hands dirty and just do something with no interruptions. The only drawback was that we are in the midst of mosquito season and they were HORRIBLE. It was a hot and humid day and I went out there in loose, thick sweatpants and an even thicker hoodie. To make the whole thing just a little bit weirder, I closed the hood off as much as I possibly could, so that really only a third of my face was visible. I looked like I was ready to rob a bank and I was sweating buckets about five minutes into my gardening experience. I basically doused myself in bug spray, was even wearing gardening gloves for the most part, and they still managed to get me. Now, I look like I hit puberty and my face is itchy as can be. After a half hour, I finally got into a comfortable rhythm of planting a seed, swat a mossy, cover the hole, swat a mossy, water the newly planted seed, kill a deer fly and so on and so on. By the end I was really proud of myself.

A year ago, I probably wouldn't have lasted two minutes before I would've started to panic and abandon ship. This time I was out there for a good 3 hours, didn't give up until it was all done and managed to kill about half the mosquito population on our property. I'm pretty sure I didn't win the fight but I sure defied them and laughed into their nasty little faces. I showed them that even though I'm German, and new to this whole bug situation, I'm slowly but surely adapting and am getting a little more Canadian by the day. Five years from now, I might plant the garden totally naked without batting an eye. By then they might not even bother me anymore, because it's not as much fun to torment someone who doesn't even acknowledge your presence, so they might move on to newer immigrants. Anywho, here's a picture of the potatoes I planted in a barrel a couple of weeks ago.

So stoked it actually worked and the plants are growing. Very curious to see how many potatoes we'll get to harvest. Sometimes it really is just as easy as it sounds and all you have to do is try. I've planted my herbs in the hanging baskets on our front deck and some strawberry plants in tires.

Our raspberry bushes are blooming and are producing more fruit each year and if we get to them before the chickens do, we actually get to enjoy them. We've planted some blueberry bushes on our property, because Mia is addicted to them and I'm tired of spending 4 bucks on a tiny little pack. Since we haven't started seedlings indoors this year, Adrian is in the process of building a 9x14 foot greenhouse, so the veggies will grow faster. It also allows us to extend our growing season and control how wet the soil is going to get, because the plants are protected from the elements. Last year's season was so wet, half of our veggies were rotting before they even had a chance to mature. Once the greenhouse is built, we can also reuse it next year and start planting a lot earlier.

I guess the most important thing is that we're learning more about growing a vegetable garden with each passing year, and we're having fun with it. For someone who managed to kill every plant ever given to her within a few weeks in her care, I'm pretty proud that I am actually managing to grow something. So much more satisfying to watch a plant come to life, than watch it suffer and die. I'm sure that not everything I've planted will do well, and some things might not even grow at all. But overall we're happy with what we've accomplished and learned in only one short and very wet season, and we're looking forward to harvesting even more delicious, healthy and organic fruit and vegetables this year.

Don't forget to subscribe, so you won't miss a post!

The homestead is improving!!!

Phew, I haven't written a post in a loooong time and I'd like to apologize for that. Things have been a little crazy around the homestead the past few weeks. We've had some major renovations going on and the house was a HUGE mess. We recently applied for a save-on-energy home assistance program, which - as the name suggests - helps people make their homes more energy efficient. About 3 weeks ago we got a call, telling us we had been approved for new attic insulation. Paying that out of our own pocket would've cost us about $1,000. Needless to say we were ecstatic, because money is tight and we take all the help we can get. Problem was, they had only one date available for our area (which didn't give us much time to prepare) and our ceilings looked like this...

It's been kind of gross and cheap ever since we moved in here a couple of years ago, and winter was pretty harsh. Also, the melting snow in the spring wasn't kind to us. The result was some major water damage and nasty stains. When we moved in, I wondered what the duct tape was about, so I pulled off one of the corners to have a peek. BIG mistake! Turns out the tape was the only thing saving us from a nasty mouse poop shower. We knew there were some disgusting things going on in our attic and we knew there wasn't much space to maneuver. We also knew we needed some more lighting in the house, since it was pretty dark and there was no lighting whatsoever in the dining area. So Adrian wanted to get the work done and replace the ceilings before they blew in the new insulation, and add some vents (there were also none) to prevent future water damage. So, down came the ceilings and, OMG, was it ever nasty!

 

There were so many mouse and squirrel nests in our attic, it looked like they'd been running a housing assistance program for critters since the early 70s. Every time we pulled down a piece of insulation it was raining mouse droppings. Needless to say, having the kids around the house while that was happening was kind of a problem, since Mia is in that stage where she likes to put everything in her little mouth. I do believe that a little dirt won't hurt them, but draw the line at snacking on mouse poop. Then there are all the other hazards a construction site provides for little people, like screws, nails, power tools, ladders and so on and so on. Mia is also not a fan of loud noises and hates the vacuum cleaner, so it was either get away or this (which she only tolerated for so long)...

So Gramma and I had to take them out for day-trips and keep them occupied for hours, which I can tell you is tiring. BUT it forced us to get out of the house (even when the weather wasn't great) and find new things to do. We took them to a public pool and realized that this was something we should do more often, and also took them to an indoor playground, where mommy had more fun than the kids and pulled a Miley Cyrus on the wrecking ball.

They had a great time and loved all the different and exciting things they got to do. Here's a picture of us after we had lunch at an amazing pub by the docks.

    

The next weekend wasn't too bad, since all the dirty work was done (thank you Grampa ;-) and we had moved on to putting the drywall up and cleaned like maniacs. Adrian also moved the attic hatch into a spot in the house that was more easily accessible, since it was located in Noah's tiny closet before, which didn't make any sense. You had to take out all of the clothes every time you needed to get up there, which was a major pain in the butt. He also put in a beam between the kitchen and dining area to level out the ceiling and give it some extra support.

 

Furthermore, he added one more light above the dining area and two pot lights in the living room and, FINALLY, installed the ceiling fan and plug in our bathroom. So glad I can see myself in the mirror now after my showers and actually get to blow dry my hair in the bathroom, instead of the living room. 

 The whole thing was hectic and stressful, but we got it all done before the insulation guys arrived. Adrian still has to do the mudding and painting, but we decided this was something that could wait a couple of more weeks. After all the stress and no downtime for weeks, we were exhausted, needed a break and, most of all, we needed a weekend of family time. We hadn't done that for so long, we didn't even remember how good it felt to simply be together. We played in the yard one day and took them to the beach the next. We had an amazing time, a ton of fun and even saw our first moose of the year on our way home. 

The homestead is slowly but surely improving and it is such a nice feeling to see some results. Next project is going to be preparing the vegetable garden and the planting of the veggies and herbs. We're running a little behind this year, but hope we'll still get to harvest a lot of goodies this season. I'll post about it and let you know how it goes. If you're interested in planting your own veggies check out my last post "The NON-professional beginners guide to starting your own organic vegetable garden" and don't forget to subscribe, so you won't miss a post. 

The NON-professional beginners guide to starting your own organic vegetable garden

I've gotten a lot of questions on how we went about the process of growing our own organic vegetables, after having mentioned our garden in a post called 'Why healthy and conscious eating is so important to us'. People seemed to be especially interested in how to start a garden, how to maintain it and whether or not it would be a lot of work to do so. First off, I'd like to say that neither Adrian nor myself have a lot of experience when it comes to gardening and growing stuff. Last year was our first attempt at growing our own food and, surprisingly, it went better than expected. Despite having had a very short and wet season, we managed to harvest quite a bit of produce and were more than happy with the overall experience. If you're looking for tips and information from seasoned and professional organic farmers, then this post is probably not for you. If you're like us - busy with day jobs and work around the homestead and exhausted, trying to raise two children under 3 - and want to grow your own organic vegetables with very little to no effort at all, I'll happily share what we - new and inexperienced homesteaders and hobby backyard farmers - did to get started and some of the mistakes we've made:

• Order or buy organic heirloom seeds: Don't just buy regular seeds at the store and think it will give you healthy veggies because you're not using pesticides. If the seeds you've purchased are not organic to begin with, the pesticides are already in them and will also be in your veggies, once they're ready to harvest.   

• Start your seeds indoors: We have started our seeds indoors last winter, but I have to admit that it was a major pain for us. We live in a tiny cottage with two little ones that love to dig in the dirt whenever you're not looking and simply don't know where to keep the plants, until they're big enough to be transplanted. We were constantly moving them from one place to the next. We also lost quite a few plants, due to little fingers and during the transplanting process and had to start from scratch outside anyways. We're just going to plant straight into the outside garden (until we find a place indoors to start the seedlings properly) and see what happens. As I said, we did manage to harvest quite a lot of veggies, despite having started straight in the outside garden; However, If you do have the space and want to harvest more and earlier in the season, I do recommend starting indoors. Here's a link that tells you exactly how to go about it: http://www.reneesgarden.com/articles/start_seeds.html

 

• Choose the right spot: Our property is very wet, since it is located right next to a creek and a big part of it is marsh land. So we really had to pick the right spot for our garden. Pick a spot that gets sun and lots of it (minimum of 6 hours a day) and make sure it is not exposed to high winds. Don't pick a spot that doesn't have proper drainage. You don't want puddles just sitting in your garden for days on end. Just watch your land after a heavy rainfall to find out which areas dry faster and which areas are always kind of muddy and wet. If your soil can't get rid of excess water, it will damage and eventually kill your plants. 

• Build a raised bed: This is really not hard to do, and your veggies will grow a lot better than in a yard-level garden, because it gives the roots more room to grow. We basically just screwed four boards together and filled it with soil.  

• Enrich your soil: Instead of buying soil and fertilizers at the store, we simply made our own. A friend of ours provided us with a lot of horse manure, which we then mixed with leaves, grass clippings and soil from our yard. Our plants did really well, so I guess they liked it. You can, of course, use your own compost as well. We don't really have that option, since we pretty well feed all our kitchen scraps to our chickens. This year we'll get another load of horse manure and mix it with our own chicken manure, plus leaves and grass clippings. Hopefully it will give us even better results.

• Start small and pick only a few easy to grow veggies for your first year: Don't start with two or three gardens and plant more veggies than you'll ever be able to eat. Start with one garden and plant only as much as you need to provide for your family. See how you'll do and how much you're harvesting and get a feel for it before expanding. You don't want to overdue it and ruin your backyard farm experience, simply because you took off more than you could chew. Here's a list of easy to grow veggies: Beets, Garlic, Carrots, Kale, Beans, Broccoli, Peas, Potatoes, Lettuce, Peppers, Radishes, Summer squash, Zucchini, Tomatoes, Winter squash and Herbs. I plant my herbs in separate planters because I like to have them close to the house. 

• Plan you're layout: Since we didn't really know what we were doing when we planted our first garden and didn't do a lot of research either (again, because we have two little ones and after they're in bed, we're usually too tired to do research and we don't really want to either. Learning by doing is what works best for us) we kind of planted everything and just stood back and watched the magic happen, and magical things did happen in some areas of our garden. In others... not so much. Since we hadn't grown veggies before, we didn't really know what some of the plants would look like and how big the plants would grow. The tomato plants, snap peas, cucumbers, beans and zucchini grew like crazy and quickly took away the space and sunlight other plants - like lettuce and beets - needed to grow and survive. We planted our veggies too close together and didn't think about the layout enough before planting. We also didn't know that these plants would grow a lot better vertically. Here's a link with some tips on how to best grow these types of vegetables: http://www.vegetable-gardening-with-lorraine.com/vertical-vegetable-gardening.html

• Fence it: When our plants first started growing and they were only tiny, fragile little things, we kept discovering uprooted plants just lying in the dirt. I was quick to blame it on the coons around here, since they're usually the ones getting into our garbage and make a huge mess. Turns out it was our own chickens getting in there and pecking at the plants. We bought a few poles and some chicken wire, fenced it in and haven't had any problems since. 

• Control those bugs and hungry insects: There is nothing more frustrating than watching your plants and vegetables grow and thrive, just to discover that bugs and insects are feasting on them and ruin your crop. But the last thing you want to do is use chemicals on your organic garden. Here's a link for some organic pesticides that won't harm your plants or produce: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/homemade-organic-pesticide-vegetables-45069.html 

• Care and maintenance: All we really did to our garden was water it every evening (unless it rained that day), weed it occasionally, harvest the produce as soon as it was ready, and planted new seeds to replace the ones we pulled out and don't regrow on their own - like carrots, beets and radishes. It was really rather easy. I'm sure we could've had a better crop and more produce with some more intense care but for now, this is what we did and it works for us. We are planning on expanding this year and build a second garden bed. I'll let you know how this years crop turns out.  

I'll finish this post with this neat link about 16 kitchen scraps you can regrow time and time again. Definitely going to try some of those this year:   

http://www.goodshomedesign.com/16-kitchen-scraps-that-you-can-re-grow/

Happy growing everyone. May this season turn out better than the last. I hope this post was helpful, answered some of your questions and maybe even inspired one or two people to start growing their own vegetables. If this year is going to be your first attempt at gardening, let me know how it went. If you've got further questions or even tips or helpful information on the subject, don't hesitate to comment or email me. If you liked this post, then don't forget to subscribe so you won't miss the next one. Good luck!

Things that annoy and frustrate me to no end and how I move past them...

Parenthood can be very hard on you and very stressful, especially if you're the one staying at home. If I don't get a break every once in a while - and sometimes taking a break is simply not possible for quite a long time, for various reasons - I do get frustrated easily and tiny little things will set me off and annoy me to no end. Here is a short ;-) list of things that drive me absolutely bonkers and make me want to scream:

• Pulling out the last wet wipe, after you've already opened the diaper, and you just know that one wipe is not going to cut it
• your finger slipping off the wet wipe  
• having just spent the last 45 minutes bundling up the kids to get out of the house in the winter, and smelling a poop, just as you're strapping them into the car seat
• opening an avocado I just bought at the store and it's already rotten
• little finger prints on my glasses, which is a daily occurrence nowadays   

• Waking up to a cold house every morning and having to start a fire, before the first sip of coffee
• Mosquitoes, black flies, horse flies and wasps. In short, anything that stings and doesn't provide me with honey
• stepping in dog poop (nowadays mostly chicken poop) or chewing gum
• This, after just having bathed her (I know it's my fault for bathing her before dinner, but coming to that conclusion just makes me even angrier, because I don't like having nobody to blame but myself)

• broken beer bottles and cigarette butts on playgrounds (there's not a lot that makes me angrier, since I had to dig more than one nasty butt out of my babies mouth last summer and, once, even a piece of glass, which could've done some serious damage to my child. Just throw your stuff into the nearest garbage can, for God's sake, and stop endangering the health and safety of other people's children)
• getting to the store and realizing you don't have change for the grocery cart
• a screaming baby or toddler tantrum when you're having a bad day
• running out of hot water in the shower, especially in the wintertime
• having to shave my legs (whoever started this and thought it to be a great idea, was obviously bored, didn't know what to do with herself and certainly did not have children, trying to climb into the tub with her, fully clothed)
• I mean, come on! Just finish it and throw out the empty container

• giving yourself a hernia, trying to open a mason jar you desperately need to open to get on with your dinner preparations
• people seeing you struggle, trying to handle your kids and say things like, "You sure got your hands full." I know most of them are just trying to be nice, but after you've heard it for the hundredth time, it does get a little irritating
• unwanted parenting advice from childless people (let's talk again once you have a couple)
• flying with kids
• people giving you annoyed looks when your children are having a fit. Really? You think you're having a tough time right now? Just look the other way and be glad you're not the one having to take them home.
• the dog jumping up on me with muddy, wet paws
• the dog barking when the baby is taking a nap 
• the door hitting you in the butt when your transporting an egg in your back pocket

• Christmas shopping because people tend to get a little cray-cray that time of year
• Barney the purple dinosaur
• having to take both kids out of the car, even though you just have to run into the store for, like, two minutes tops
• bothersome calls from people trying to upgrade your services or sell you something new
• people who ask you what exactly it is that you do all day, after you've told them you're a stay-at-home-mom and men with cavemen mentalities, who think their life is so much harder because they have to go to work every day. Pretty sure 90% of you would beg to go back to work after being home with the kids for a couple of weeks. Now, I know there are also stay-at-home dads out there - who are doing an amazing job I'm sure - but those guys would probably never say that being a stay-at-home dad is easier than going to work. All I'm saying is, until you've done both, you don't really know what you're talking about.
• when the milk carton gives me a hard time 

• pop-up ads
• moms complaining about how their baby only sleeps five hours at a time
• paying interest
• stubbing your toe (especially right in the morning, when you're not even fully awake yet)
• finding a piece of clothing you love, but it's not there in your size
• intolerance of any kind 
• racism 
• the 'tear here' lie, when you're either pulling and nothing happens - other than stretching the plastic - or it tears open but you're still not getting to the Ziploc part 

• ordering something at a restaurant, you've been looking forward to all day, just to find out that they're all out of whatever it was you were drooling over. This seems to happen to me every time we eat out, which is not very often
• trying to pay with your debit card and your transaction is declined (awkward)
• when I've had a rough day and Noah just won't fall asleep and keeps coming out of his room
• no clean coffee mugs in the morning
• running out of water halfway through making your coffee

• getting sick or your children getting sick
• canker sores
• TV or book series ending with major cliff hangers and having to wait for months, or even years to find out what's going to happen next.
• two feet of snow in April
• folding laundry and turning around to find Mia standing at the open drawer, pulling out the clothes I've already put away.
• people talking to me when I'm trying to read a book
• ordering a beverage at a coffee shop and realizing I've just paid for a small coffee in a large cup, because 3/4 of the cup was filled with foam
• owning about twenty soothers but not being able to find a single one when I need one
• wet spoon in the sugar bowl
• when I want to take a picture or video of something amazing and the phone dies, just as I'm about to push the button
• And last but not least (I don't know why, but the paper coming out the back is almost worse than an empty roll)

I could go on and on and on, but the point to this post is this. There are times (days, weeks, sometimes even months) when I'm perfectly able to brush all of those things off and take it for what it is. Life. It's not always easy, but some days things are easier to take than others. I consider myself to be a fairly balanced, mostly happy person or, at least, I try to be. I've never been the angry type and I've always tried to make the best out of any situation. But there are definitely days, when the tiniest thing bugs me, I do lose my temper, and I don't like it when it happens. I want to be a good mother to my children, and in order for me to be a good mother, I need to take care of myself and listen to the signs. When I get to the breaking point, everything is irritating, especially the things listed above, and that's when I know that I need to make some time for myself. It's important for you and everyone around you, because the people closest to you are the ones who suffer when you're stressed out and in a foul mood. So listen to the warning signs and make sure you take care of yourself. As parents we tend to always put the needs of our children ahead of our own, and that's what a good parent does. But a good parent also recognizes that even the toughest person needs breaks to recharge their battery, in order to function better again, and there is absolutely no shame in admitting to needing help or time away from the children. I also ask myself if I really want to let a small thing - like stepping in dog poop - ruin my day. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself down and try to think of something nice, like the fact that I can put my feet up soon, because there's only two more hours left before the kids go to bed ;-) Or I'll think of something nice that happened that day, and there's usually always something that will remind me that it's all worthwhile. Like these little special moments that make you all teary-eyed, because they're just so adorable, it's almost hard to take.

Try to wake up each morning and be grateful that you and your children are safe and healthy. You'd be surprised what it does to your mindset if you simply start off the day with a positive thought. Let me know what kind of little things drive you crazy and how you handle the stressful times in your life. What do you do to snap out of a bad mood or to recharge your battery? Don't hesitate to comment or send me an email. It's always nice to know you're not the only one struggling. Hope to hear from you soon and don't forget to subscribe, so you won't miss a post.