A Family Trip to China

We were blessed this April to take a trip as a family to China.  Why China?  I have a sister who lives there with her family.  For the last 13 years or so, they have taught overseas at various international schools.  For the last 3 years they have been working in Shanghai.

I was extremely excited when my husband gave us the plane tickets at Christmas time, but as time grew closer I started to get nervous.  The 13 hour plane ride, the 12 hour time difference, the packing, the planning, how was this all going to play out, especially with a one year old?  How was I going to feel knowing I stuck on an airplane for so long?

As usual, the worry was for nothing. God took great care of us.  My mother in law said when she thought of us while on our trip, she pictured a cross over our heads and that is how I felt.

Our trip was filled with sight seeing, shopping, a lot of walking and great food.  Although there are so many great historic and touristic places to visit in China, we kept this trip simple as to not overwhelm us or the kids.
Read on if you want to get a quick glimpse of our trip.

 Getting ready for a "rough" sleep in the hotel before we fly out the next morning :)
We spent the night in Montreal before taking our 13 hour direct flight to Shangai

 Yeah for good food in the Air Canada Lounge

Almost time to take off.

Our welcome sign :)

 A trip to a traditional "wet market" in Xui Jing.  It was quite the experience for us.
Not at all like a typical Canadian grocery store.   

"Hey is that a black chicken?"

My middle daughter LOVED the wet market and asked to return many times.  

She enjoyed looking at the fish, frogs, turtles and pig's heads!

The busy streets of Shanghai.  It was a holiday that day and the streets were packed.

 Tai Kang Lu, one of the few places with old traditional buildings.

Very busy!  

My handsome husband and if you can't tell, my gorgeous sister.

 These two loved the shopping
in the old streets.

A view from the Bund, a popular tourist area and  second tallest 

building in the world; the Shanghai Tower.

A few cool kids waiting for the subway.  These children had a lot of pictures taken

perhaps due to the blond hair and blue eyes.  Many people were also surprised 

that we have three children!

My favourite picture.  Isn't he so adorable?

In Shanghai, you can find many restaurants and stores that will have some English.  This restaurant however was strictly in Chinese.  We had a great time just pointing to the menu and "blindly" picking out our lunch.  I was so proud of the kids, they would eat whatever was given.  I honestly had no idea what I ate that day but it was tasty.

Even our little guy was using his chopsticks.  

When on vacation, we often look for smoothie bars.  They are a great way to get some 

additional nutrients and easy for all members of the family.

On a less healthy note, my husband felt I should post this.  Yes, we ate breakfast at McDonalds...once!

Read More →

Happy 1st Birthday To Our Little Boy

This weekend we celebrated our little one's first birthday!  Where did the year go?  I desperately tried to slow time down this past year, however it still seemed to just speed on.  We have thoroughly enjoyed watching him grow and seeing the positive impact his presence has made on the girls.  We have all been so blessed by him.

Blowing out his candle

Is this for me?

We made the day into a train theme, as it is also the theme of his bedroom.  My father in law has passed down an old electric train which has become a focal point in the nursery.  

1950's toy train

The girls were thrilled to help decorate the dining room and worked hard at creating trains for the decorations.

Not wanting to create too much work for myself, I made two kinds of cupcakes instead of a cake.  A carrot cupcake (sorry no recipe posted) and my chocolate cupcakes with chocolate date icing. Okay, maybe that doesn't sound that simple ;)

Greek yogurt made a great topping for his cupcake,

he devoured it!

On Sunday we also took the opportunity to thank God for our little boy and to acknowledge this blessing through a child dedication at our church. A Child dedication is a public commitment you make before God. The dedication service provides an opportunity to express your desire to lead and spiritually nurture your child in cooperation with the Holy Spirit.  We are so thankful to have been able to share these celebrations with family and friends.

Our little family with our Pastor

A Few More Photos of the Day

I must be explaining something really exciting ;)

Enjoying a New Book

Read More →

Baby's First Foods, Food Intolerance and Introduction

So after 5 plus years I am back into the world of baby food. Wow, things have changed.  Once our little guy was about 5 months we noticed he started having a keen interested in our food.  He would watch us eat and try to grab at our plates.

I decided to take him to our pediatric naturopath to talk about food introduction.  I am glad I did, as I had done things quite differently with my girls.  Theories seemed to have changed.  Do talk with your own health care provider about what foods to introduce to your baby but this is what I learned.

To start off I will mention that I have an intolerance to egg whites and dairy.  I had been still eating these in moderation in his early months of breast feeding and it resulted in eczema over pretty much his whole body :(  Thankfully he didn't seem bothered by it, but I definitely was.  I cut out all eggs and dairy and his skin healed in about 3-4 weeks.

The naturopath explained that our bodies are working as one so what bothers me can be transferred to him.  It didn't necessarily mean that he was intolerant to those foods.  So this is where the food introduction becomes so important.

I was told to start him with some fruits and vegetables, one at a time for the typical three days each to monitor any allergies/intolerance.  I will be honest I didn't do these each separate for three days as I really wasn't concerned about them being an issue.  She said after about a week or two pick, to pick one of the common food allergen groups and introduce one for three days and monitor his body's reaction.  If there is a reaction to just hold off for about 3-4 weeks and then introduce again. Here is a list of the top food allergen groups:

• dairy
• eggs
• gluten
• Fish/shellfish
• soy
• citrus
• tree nuts/peanuts

I was told since I am intolerant to eggs and dairy that I should make sure he gets them sooner and more frequent as long as no reactions are observed.  From what I understand, babies bodies should be introduced to these foods soon so that their systems will accept them as food.  The idea is that they are taken in internally before environmentally/through the skin and as a result the body will then fight them off, thinking they are foreign or "not" food.  I hope I am making sense here.

Since he is only just passed 6 months we have not yet gotten to all of the allergen foods but are almost there.  We have definitely given him eggs (scrambled) and organic Greek yogurt on several occasions and so far, he has not shown any reaction to them.  He has also enjoyed nuts, peanuts, and citrus.

I have been enjoying cooking for him.  I am definitely giving him way more spices then I have with the girls. I seem to use a little more creativity but am also known to just forage through the garden, add some bone broth and puree.   Here are some of the food combinations he has eaten:

• sweet potatoes
• avocado
• fruits (banana, pears, berries, melons, pineapple, lemon)
• zucchini, green beans, kale and potato
• cabbage, mushrooms, carrots
• beef and chicken bone broths
• almond butter
• peanut butter
• fish, chicken, beef
• Greek yogurt
• scrambled eggs
• pea soup
• roasted vegetable soup
• homemade apple sauce
• pureed prunes
• pureed coconut, curry soup
• cream of rice cereal with fruit
• pureed shepherd's pie
• pieces of gluten free homemade pancake

Read More →

Post #3 Baby Update

Here I am with just over three weeks left!  I have been doing well, although starting to feel the effects of the pregnancy.  This past week, I had a few rough days with very little energy and breath left.  It is amazing how much a baby can suck out of you.  I am usually full of energy and have found myself just needing to sit down.  I definitely am struggling with what I would like to get done and with what I can actually get done.

37.5 weeks

I am just waiting on some blood work to see my iron levels.  If they are too low we will not be given the option of a home birth which will be disappointing.  Our two girls were hospital births with the midwives but we were hoping to try to stay home this time.  I guess we leave it on God's hands and pray only for a safe delivery.  Thankfully our baby is doing well.  He continually reminds me of his presence and I am anxious to meet him.  He is measuring on track and giving me lots of Braxton Hicks ;)

So what is left to be done around here,...well a nursery for one!  Here it is right now!

Yup it is still Dan's office.  Although here is Dan busy working on his new office in the basement.

What a handsome man!

He assures me that we can set up the nursery next week even if he has to temporarily use the spare room for work.  I really can't complain, he works hard and well a baby doesn't really use a nursery for awhile.  I just need to remind my nesting/organized self to just relax a little.    

In the meantime I have created some diaper cream, sewed a wet diaper bag and organized some clothes.  I am enjoying the change from all the pink and welcoming these blues, reds, greys and browns.

In the meantime, here is our current "baby" who doesn't look much like a puppy anymore but definitely still acts as one.  We read the Bible story the other day of Samson and laughed as it stated, "his wisdom did not match his muscle."  Well that pretty much sums up our dog.  He is mighty and stupid but I love him!  

Read More →

Post #2 -Baby Update

It has been a long time since I have written and especially about the baby.  Life has been busy with homeschool, family, church and just life.

7 months

Our baby seems to be doing very well.  We have given him the nickname of "Walter."  My father in law had a terrible feeling that we were going to name him Howard, after our dog who recently passed.  My husband told him not to worry that the baby's name was Walter and since that time, that is what we have been calling him.  I am a little worried that my second child will be calling him Walter even after birth.

The girls are getting very excited as they see new clothes, furniture and baby paraphernalia come into the home.  Next week begins the process of building my husband's office downstairs so we can create a nursery.  I am starting to get into the nesting phase and my organized personality is beginning to get the better of me.  For the rest, I have been feeling very good.  The only struggle for me is painful hips when sleeping. It is getting harder and harder to get comfortable in bed but this too will pass.

Among the regular chiropractor appointments, I am also seeing my naturopath to get prepared for the birth and the GBS test.  Among the regular list I posted here I have now added or increased:

• 1-2 garlic capsules a day
• Fish Oil 2000mg/day
• Vitamin D 3000 IU/day
• Vitamin C- 1800-2000mg a day

In a few weeks I will be starting a liquid tincture of Cimicifuga and Caulophyllum/Blue Cohosh to help prepare my uterus and pelvic tissue.  

30 weeks

In the meantime, we have added another member  to our family  Samson joined us over a month ago. It was a surprise for me from my husband and yes I did want another dog.  I knew Dan wasn't ready yet after our other boxer had passed so I had kind of dropped the subject.  To my surprise he decided he was ready and found our Samson.  

Life with a puppy is busy!.  A few weeks ago he was driving me crazy.  He was chewing furniture, plants, dirt, the kids feet, not listening, having accidents etc.  Last week however, he definitely showed signs of learning.  He hasn't had an accident in about 5 days, he usually stays out of the bedrooms, and isn't biting at the kids as much.  He usually comes when called, can sit and shake a paw and is chewing on less things.  Although, as I type he is licking pants...we still have a lot to learn.  

Samson our Boxer Puppy

Isn't he cute in a goofy, kind of way?

Read More →

Update: Homeschool, Baby and Travel

It has been a long time since I wrote.  I have wanted to be on here a little more but alas, the start of homeschooling, baby and travel have taken up some time.

We have been homeschooling officially for just over a month.  I thought I would write out the things I love and the challenges.  I know there are many of you who are contemplating homeschooling and want to hear about our experiences...so here it goes.

I love:

• spending so much more time with my children
• knowing what they are learning
• picking what resources I think are best for their learning abilities
• teaching what they are interested in learning
• have most afternoons free
• going on field trips
• getting together with like minded families
• volunteering together as a family
• having weekly lessons with other families
• home school group with friends
• flexibility
• weekly presentations to friends
• during the day gymnastics/extra curricular
• not driving to and from school
• not paying tuition
• I get to learn as well

Challenges:

• spending a bit of time most evenings planning the next day
• teaching French (although it is coming back to me)
• making sure my eager kinder-gardener is playing more than doing table work

First official day of school

A typical day

Learning about the Compass Rose

Bible craft

Joseph's coat

French class with friends

Fall Poetry by my 5 year old

Baby

A third pregnancy is definitely different.  I am not always sure how many weeks I actually am and I have to remind myself to slow down and take a break.  I am however feeling great and am thankful for this healthy little honey.

Stripes make you look bigger right?

22 weeks- I had to take the time to figure that out ;)

We were able to find out as a family about a month ago that we are going to be blessed with a little boy.  We are all excited about this little man and has been fun starting to plan for him already. Yesterday I gifted an awesome start to cloth diapering.  The girls and I were practicing today.  My oldest is now well rehearsed in pre-folds, all in ones, liners and covers :)

Travel

This month, Dan and I were able to take a trip together.  My husband does a fair amount of travel for his work.  On average, he is gone twice month for a few days.   I can't complain for when he is not travelling, he works down the hall ;)  The other bonus I suppose of his travel is that he collects a lot of points which we get to redeem.

Thanks to both of our parents, we were able to use these points and take a trip to Texas.  San Antonio was our home for three days.  We were able to bike the Mission trail, tour some missions, learn about the Alamo, shop and enjoy the River Walk.  

It was so nice to be in the hot weather and to be tourists together.  I love the time to just be together without the outside distractions.  I really felt like my brain was able to take a break and just focus on us, the sites and people around.  It was a blessing.

 Rented bikes for two days

Mission Concepcion  est.1716

 Love this man!

 The Alamo-important part of Texan History

Alamo Gardens-so peaceful

The River Walk

Read More →