A FEW OF BEAN'S FAVOURITE THINGS

Toys, they come in all shapes and forms but they are unavoidable once you have kids. I remember every Christmas my sister and I would gather all the flyers from our favourite big box shops and circle all the things we wanted to put on our wishlist for Santa. Toys are a big parts of a child's life I think, and can be a huge battle for parents. Advertising targeting children is probably one of the more disturbing facets of our modern media but I think (read: hope) that with the right foundation laid you can teach your kid to value things as more than something shiny, plastic and new. I'm all about fostering creativity, and even though he is only one I can already see his little mind working when it comes to his play things, here are a few of his favourites:

one. Empty lotion bottles

Don't ask me why but for some reason whenever Bean is on his change table he needs to have a lotion bottle in his hands, it has been like this for a long time but if he starts getting fidget-y or whiney when we change his bum or dress him all we have to hand him one of the empty lotion bottles and hes all smiles again.

two. Empty water bottles

Are you sensing a theme here? Bean has a thing for recyclables (not included here are empty cardboard boxes if he manages to find one lying around). My inner environmentalist is kicking me but Germans don't drink tap water, pretty much all water come pre-bottled but in their defense they have a pretty rigorous recycling system to compensate. So pretty much we have a lot of empty bottles lying around at any given time and Bean LOVES to knock them around and chase them around the apartment

three. Anything cup-like

If you can see above there is a blue sheep face in the lower right-hand corner and then near the top left is the bottom piece, its legs, Those are part of what is essentially a matryoshka doll made up of farm animals, and Bean loves to either chase them or find things to put into each half.

four. Anything round/with wheels

This is pretty predictable, the idea of motion still seems so novel to Bean so he is delighted when he can make something move or watch the wheels turn. The wooden police truck and the blue round block are two of his favourites but he really isn't too particular when it comes to things that are circular.

YEAR IN REVIEW PART II

Onwards,here are the next twenty questions.

twenty-one. My most common mental state was probably nervous, I don't care much for change and this whole year has been change.

twenty-two. I went on a roller-coaster for the first time, which was the first thing listed on my bucket-list.

twenty-three. I don't think I have a favourite moment, nothing really stands out as the best. At the risk of sounding like a broken record all the "firsts" of Bean's first year of life have been incredible so probably one of those moments.

twenty-four. Taking better care of myself has been a major achievement this year, it is definitely still a work in progress but I think I laid a fairly solid foundation for it this year.

twenty-five. My worries regarding getting into Germany, getting a visa and all that jazz but all of that went over without a hitch.

twenty-six. I don't think I have any experience I would like to do over, I mean I would love to sit and watch Bean roll over, crawl, stand and such all over again but I have another eighteen-ish years of "firsts" to see so I don't think I will be missing out.

twenty-seven. The best gift that I received was the Canon S120 I got for my birthday this year, it has been great for capturing all of Bean's little moments even though I don't know how to use it all yet.

twenty-eight. I don't think my overall outlook on life has had an evolution, my outlook varies with each day from hopeful, to hopeless and everything in between.

twenty-nine. The biggest problem that I solved was how to get through to myself. I have always had changes I wanted to make but have never really figured out how to get the motivation needed for that first step but I think I have figured it out, mostly at least.

thirty. Again I will have to refer back to my standard baby answer, Bean would make this face, he would wrinkle his nose up and squint his eyes and then breath really loudly through his nose. He would do that at me when he was in his playpen and I wasn't paying attention to him and my goodness it was the funniest and cutest thing I had ever seen.

thirty-one. The best purchase of this year has probably been my black high-waisted jeans I just recently bought but haven't taken them off since. I don't know why it has taken me so long to own a pair but I am certain that the new year will bring in at least one more new pair.

thirty-two. I hate to think about changing the past, because if I did then I wouldn't be where I am now but I think maybe I would have done my work out on those days that I chose to stuff my face with nutella instead.

thirty-three. I deserve a pat on the back for putting my best face forward every day, even the days when I want nothing more than to lock myself in the bathroom and cry.

thirty-four. Playing with Bean, when we are lost in a game or when I am just watching him play by himself...I can do those for hours.

thirty-five. I think about my future more than anything, which I am trying to change, I need to be better at enjoying the present and not over stressing what hasn't happened yet.

thirty-six. I have really been enjoying learning German, my tutor studied linguistics so she is able to give me background information that I have found very helpful and interesting during our lessons.

thirty-seven. New habits I have cultivated: being more restrictive with my spending, making my bed, working out almost every day, writing in a journal (most days), better sleeping habits, washing my face every day, self-care habits (beauty and mental habits), and better eating habits (though I still crave chocolate like no other).

thirty-eight. I would tell myself to read more, and to not get so caught up in what everyone else was doing around me and to just do things at my own pace.

thirty-nine. I did a complete 180 in regards to my beliefs. Not that what I believed in has changed but rather I now feel like I can and should do something about my beliefs. I guess I went from being passive and apathetic to passionate and maybe a teensy bit more radical.

forty. Again, Bean is the answer. He has changed my life in so many ways, and he has made me into a person who feels worthy to live. He saved my life, there is zero doubt about that but he has also made me want to be a better person.

WOW

So just a little recap, because clearly twenty-fourteen hasn't been my year for consistent blogging

one. survived our first household stomach bug

two. decorated for our first Christmas together in Germany (and our first tree together)

three. this little Bean is walking, sometimes

four. and he had his first birthday

five. and finally I am still an aimless bored housewife (house-girlfriend?) who spends all her free time watching bad tv shows and picking up toys around the house

Maybe blogging isn't my thing, but I will keep trying. I have a few posts in my drafts but I keep feeling too self conscious to post because I feel like they sound more intense then I intend it to be... I'm hoping the new year will bring some new changes, I have some very specific goals I wish to achieve so fingers crossed, and hopefully I will keep y'all (my non-existent readers) posted!

D

A NEW WEEK

Last week was a big week for Bean, on Monday he walked all the way around his playpen holding the rails. Wednesday he clapped for first time (and loved the praises he got when he did it) and the Friday, Saturday and Sunday he slept in his room and slept through the night.

It is crazy to think about the rate at which he is learning these new skills, to go from barely being able to open his eyes to lifting himself up onto his knees getting ready to crawl in less than eight months. He is in awe of everything around  him, just our little walks to the grocery stores have him launching himself out of his stroller trying to see everything that is happening. H and I will sit on the couch and watching him play, wishing we could know what is going through his mind and he picks up each toy and contemplates what to do with it. It really is incredible watching him learn and grow as a little human being and I cannot wait to see what he discovers next.

LITTLE GERMAN BABY

I am the proud mama of newly registered German citizen. Yesterday H and I spent the morning down at city hall with an interpreter (for me) signing papers acknowledging his (half) German parentage. Initially I was under the impression that Germany did not allow dual citizenship, and that Bean would have to give up his Canadian passport if he ever wanted his German one but clearly this is not the case.


D.

LANDED

The last twenty-four hours in numbers

Fourteen hours door to door
Ten hours carrying Bean
Eight hours flying
Seven old ladies telling me how sweet my baby is
Five countries
Four hours driving
Three other babies flying too
Two hours in Iceland
One mid-flight poopy diaper

Happy to be here, sad to leave all my friends and family behind but more than anything excited for the beginning of this adventure


D.

EN ROUTE

A trans-Atlantic move is a long journey. With a six day pit stop in eastern Canada to say goodbye to relatives we are now repacking our bags and getting ready to jet-off on the last leg of our voyage tomorrow. Bean has really been taking one for the team, despite being exposed suddenly to all these new places and new faces he has really been good, we only had one bad night due to the sudden shock of being on a plane and a new bed but he still wakes up smiling ear to ear.


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JULY GOALS + JUNE RECAP

First things first, I will go over last months goals and see how I did. June has just flown by, and this month has been hectic to say the least, between packing and saying goodbye along with the full-time job of being a parent I have barely had a moment to breath. That being said I did have some really great baby-free moments with some friends and I was able to feel a little bit normal again which was refreshing. Now onto last months goals

1. Complain less. Ehhh...

I think this goal was a little ambitious, while I definitely am working harder at being more grateful I think I just enjoy the sound of my own voice too much.

2. Be organized and packed BEFORE I leave, and avoid my usual last minute packing frenzy. Mostly

All the big stuff is done, just a few more little things to pack but I still have to clean up my place, and I leave tomorrow...ehhh

3.Say goodbye to Vancouver. Check

I got to say goodbye to almost all my favourite people, places and things here.

4. Blog post 2-3 times each week. No

I have changed my view on this, mostly I wanted to do it in order to get into the habit of blogging but I think if I am going to blog it's going to only be when I feel like I have something to say, maybe that will be several times a week or maybe not.

So overall not that great but I think I needed to reevaluate what kind of goals I want to set for myself, so without further ado here are my July goals.

1. Write a little bit every day.

2. Survive flying with Bean

3. Unpack and organize one small space for me

4. Appreciate my little family

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SLEEP

I am pretty sure the topic of sleep will be something I will discuss on here frequently, especially the topic of lack of sleep. Sleeping is something that I have struggled with my entire life, as a child I had major FOMO when I was put to bed even though I was constantly assured that nothing really happens at night time. Now it seems my son has picked up this habit from me, though his sleeping difficulties are hopefully stemming from teething but either way we are on week two of sleepless and tear-filled (mostly mine) nights. Even if he does settle down in the next couple days, we begin our traverse towards the European continent in a wees, with a week spent on the eastern side of Canada before crossing the Atlantic so sleep will irregular, disrupted and greatly missed in the coming weeks. All I can say is soon it won't just be me any more so I'll let Bean and H get some father son time and hopefully at last I'll be able to catch some z's.



D.

PERKS OF BEING A MOM

Not having to pay even if my bus ticket is expired. I just get a smile and sometimes a new ticket which  I think is really sweet. It makes up for all the times that I was eight-nine months pregnant and no one gave up their seat for me when I was busing to work.
D.

7 THINGS I DID YESTERDAY INSTEAD OF PACKING

I figured this would be a nice follow up to yesterday's post, Bean has a two and half hour nap in the afternoon and usually that is my productive time but instead I just had a meltdown and avoided all my responsibilities.

One. I told everyone else how much stuff I had to do, not really complaining more in a panicky way. I called my mother, texted my friend, spoke to my sister and essentially just listed off all the things that I was supposed to be doing.
Two. I caught up on all my unread bloglovin posts, which took all of maybe ten minutes as I had just read a bunch of them before Bean went to sleep.
Three. I went in and stared at Bean while he slept, he makes the funniest face with his tongue sticking out.
Four. Wrote a blog post about all the stuff I was supposed to be doing.
Five. Laid in bed and debated whether or not I wanted to put make up on just so that I could feel pretty in order to offset my self-pity but then eventually decided it was too much work.
Six. Cooked up a nice  big lunch of sauteed kale and bok choy on brown rice
Seven. Decided that it was okay that I didn't get anything done, and that I would try again tomorrow.

D.

TWO THINGS I'VE LEARNED SINCE BECOMING A MOM

I've been a parent for all of six months now. and it has been an incredibly eye opening experience. I have several younger siblings so a lot of the things that babies do weren't new to me, I knew about the crying, the pooping, the lack of sleep etc, those were the things that I felt somewhat prepared for. Overall I thought that I had a pretty good grasp of what it took to parent a newborn but there were two things that I've learned that I never thought that I needed to know, and that I could not imagine not knowing now. Number One: Sticking to a routine I cannot remember a single point in my life that I have stuck to routine for chunk of time longer then say a week. I wouldn't say that I'm a easy going person, but I have also never been the one to have a set bedtime (or wake up either). Meals have always been whenever I felt like it or had time, days would go by that I would forget to eat (or be too lazy to get out of bed) until four in the evening. I would go to bed at two, three, or four in the morning and get up around twenty minutes before my classes started. Probably the only two things that I've ever been able to do consistently was shower and brushing my teeth, washing my face and removing my make up however had always been optional.  Fast forward to now, having a baby has taught me a lot about the importance of a routine, when your options are to do things at a certain time of day (and keep doing it) or  having baby cry and fuss constantly you learn how to adapt to a routine pretty quickly. Now we wake up, eat (him first, then me), nap, play, eat again, nap (I eat here), play, eat, play, bath, eat and sleep (and my dinner follows). I have my designated shower times and for the first time I'm even getting in washing my face in the mornings and evenings Our routine is easy especially because it only revolves around us two but I know that if Bean is getting difficult in the evening that it is because of disruptions in our routine...which brings me to my second thing. Number Two: How to be more adaptable Routines are great, they provide consistency and comfort, but since they are so great it means most people have one, and chances are it does not line up exactly with yours. At first when I was getting Bean first settled into a routine I kept trying to force us both into routines that didn't work for us, the first was the "no routine" routine of feeding on demand, staying up until we both fell asleep, carrying him around constantly and that was exhausting for me to say the least. As the weeks went by though I started to learn more about my baby and myself which helped with establishing a routine...but then he got sick and we were back to square one. Within the last six months, Bean has had two colds, I've had one, we traveled internationally, we've had out of town guests, a few parties, he started teething as well as many other little bumps and disruptions to our daily lives and guess what, we have survived. It is frustrating when things change unexpectedly, but as my mother enjoys reminding me this is all still new, and we are only human so sometimes you have to throw your routine out the window and just work with what life has handed you in this moment.
D.

WEEKLY APPRECIATION: 0.3

I bought fresh flowers for the first time, white peonies. I have never really cared much for flower, nor have I been willing to put in the effort to keep them alive but I must say, their really do add a little something to a space.

Curating my pinterest boards. I don't have much on there yet but that's mostly because I want to choose things that I really want to use for inspiration, not just things that I think are pretty.

I donated half of my wardrobe, I let go of pointless pieces I had been carting around for years in the hopes of maybe someday I'll have a reason to wear it. I feel like I am slowly liberating myself from the materialism which has been directing my life.

This book Bébé Gourmet by Jenny Carenco has been instrument in my introduction of solids to Bean. Not having a picky eater is super high on my how-I-want-my-child-to-behave priority list plus it is serving as the inspiration for the my apparent lack of creativity in figuring out what I should be feeding bébé.

Lastly, we got a kitchen for our place in Germany, which is something I am hugely thankful for (and especially to H for driving two and half to go pick it up). Picking out a kitchen felt like such a huge hurdle both financially as well as making this whole move more tangible to me. I leave in five and half weeks and it still doesn't seem real to me but I feel like making the investment into a kitchen is one more step in the "no turning back now" direction.

WEEKLY APPRECIATION: 0.2

Bean started solids this week, which was super exciting (well for me) and so far so good. I started him off with sweet potatoes and he seems to like it, he eats up his allotted tablespoon and seems to want more.

With family visiting we went down to the Granville Island public market to grab some lunch and groceries. I love the market setting, grocery shopping is one of my favourite activities and the market makes it that much better.

This post here.

For the past few weeks I have been reading through Leo Babauta's blog Zen Habits. I have been trying to embrace a more minimal approach in all aspects of my life (expect more posts on this in the near future). This particular post really spoke to me and the direction that I am trying to push myself in.

(Not Pictured)
This week my mother's parents have been in town staying with us and since becoming a mother myself I feel like I see them in a new light. They immigrated to Canada with 3 children back in the 1970's and built their lives here. They learned the Canadian way of living but still kept their Jamaican accents, they never lost sight of where they were from. I hope that when I get to his age I will have at least half the amount of stories to tell as my grandfather. As much I resist admitting it at times, family really is everything.

WEEKLY APPRECIATION: 0.1

I want to try to do like a weekly round-up type thing of the good, happy things from my week, whether they be events, pictures, blog posts etc. I see these a lot on other blogs and they are probably one of the posts I look forward to reading the most. This is isn't necessarily the title I will keep, I'm just giving it a go.

My first Mother's Day card, from my grandparents. It's just a surreal feeling still, being a mom.

It was finally sunny enough to spend the afternoon outside, so I brought the exersaucer outside plopped Bean into it a took in the sun (in Batman shorts nonetheless).

The warm weather also meant that it was officially time for the first frozen yogurt outing of the year.

And last but not least, the cookbook for my favourite neighbourhood bakery Butter, and this one is a double whammy as I had ordered it on Amazon at the beginning of the week and it arrived on my doorstep 2 days later! Extra points for super fast delivery without me paying more.