Posts

New bed and other hedonism

/0 Comments/in /by


Since we moved in together nearly 8 years ago, Trevor and I have not had the most awesome of beds. Our first bed was a futon (which we still have), but it was fairly low, and not super comfortable.

Then, we bought ourselves a proper bed, which we’ve had ever since. It’s quite comfortable, medium firmness and euro-topped and all, but it’s double size. Our apartment at the time was a decent sized one-bedroom, but we didn’t have quite enough space to go for a bigger size.

So we’ve been sleeping in that double bed for quite a while. Staying in hotels while traveling though, we’d gotten some tastes of the king size, and quite enjoyed it. Tons of space to move around. We could hang out with Wesley in the mornings for a morning bed cuddle! With us and the cats in the double, it was starting to look a bit like a clown car compared to the hotel beds.

So we went for it and bought a king size. It’s memory foamy and non-motion transfery and such. We also got some hardcore gel pillows that feel like down pillows without the annoyingness of down.

For the full hotel-like experience, I bought all white linens, too. It was all delivered yesterday. We slept in it last night and it was pretty comfortable! It’ll take a little getting used to though. The pillows are pretty blissful. And the linens. I had a cup of Calming tea in bed last night and it was pure hedonism. After a long bath in my sweet soaker tub. Yeaaaaah. Highly recommended.

bed in bedroom
BAM.

It’s SO huge compared to our old bed. Like, we can barely reach each other. But it’s awesome. Our double bed has been relegated to guest room use:

guest room
Come on over!

And the futon now lives in the office:

office with futon
Seating!

I feel like a dork going on and on about it, but sleeping is a third of our lives and all. Anyone else done a huge bed upgrade like that? How long does it take to really get used to it?

Basement Finishing

/0 Comments/in , /by

So when we moved into our house, it was with the assumption that at some point we would finish the basement- it was studded in around the edges and insulated and basically unspoiled, so it looked like it would be easy enough. Now, over 5 years later, we’ve started that project, and are even getting close to finishing it. It’s taking about 5 weeks to get it all done, but I’m excited for the extra living space that we’ll gain- we’ll have a rec room and a full bathroom down there.

We’ve been using a contracting company called Catalyst General Contracting. They’ve been pretty great- always in touch, keeping us up to date (and via email, thank god. I love companies that deal with me via email, it’s 100 times easier for me than dealing with phone calls and voicemails). We’ve had a couple of little problems, but everything has been resolved as soon as it is brought up. It’s the biggest contracting project I’ve ever been on the client side of, so it’s a new experience for me.

The project is wrapping up in the next couple of days. It’ll be awesome to have it all done, it has been a big part of my life for several weeks now! We’ve been taking photos along the way:

You can view more progress photos in the photo gallery.

Leap Day, and March comes in like a whatever.

/0 Comments/in /by

So yesterday was leap day, and I didn’t post, but I figure leap day doesn’t count. I watched 30 Rock last week and they had this whole crazy episode basically building up traditions around leap day, including having a bizarre Santa Claus-like character called “Leap Day William” who gives candy and cigarettes to crying children, haha. A clip!

Anyway, the whole concept behind the show was that leap day was a day that didn’t count in your real life, so you should do something crazy! I did not.

However, the day itself was a little crazy, because around 2:15 or so in the afternoon, the power went out. The power almost never goes out here, we have underground power so bad weather doesn’t drop lines, and in general, service is pretty great. But nonetheless, yesterday, no power from about 2:15 til about 5. Our house started to get a bit chilly (especially the family room where I spend most of my time- it’s above the garage and has a huge window, so it’s not the best insulated of rooms). Wesley and I moved up to Trevor’s and my bedroom where it was warmer and hung out up there, I read my book a little.

I was glad the power came on before it got full dark, but it made me think maybe we should have a proper emergency kit with bottled water and batteries and extra flashlights and all that. I will think about getting one of those put together. We have plenty of food stored up, thanks to our deep freeze and our pantry, but having a kit would be good, especially having a baby in the house. You know. Just in case the world ends. Does anyone have one of these? If so, what’s in yours?

The weather was a bit gross yesterday, rain and freezing rain and some snow. It’s still cool enough now that the slush is still around, and it’s heavily cloudy, but it doesn’t quite seem bad enough to say March is coming in like a lion. 🙂

Value of time…

/0 Comments/in /by

Today, a boy of maybe 12 or 13 came to our door and asked if we’d like our driveway shoveled. I, of course, definitely did- shoveling is pretty much the last thing I want to do lately, and even though Trevor is home on the weekends, he was feeling pretty lazy too. So we jumped at the chance.

Here’s the interesting part though- he only wanted to charge us $3.

Now, our driveway is not huge, it’s maybe 20 feet by 40 feet or so tops. However, I think $3 is way too low for something like shoveling, even if it is a quick job- I totally would have paid $15 or $20. He wound up taking $10. I don’t like to see kids/teenagers undervaluing their time or their work- I think it just sets them up to let themselves be taken advantage of in the future.

Then I wondered- maybe I over-value these type of manual-labour services because I totally don’t want to do them myself? So I thought I would look at babysitting rates (a non-manual-labour type of odd job)- I figured, people probably pay babysitters about $10 an hour, right? Well, it seems not, because lots of places online seem to mention rates around $5-$7 an hour for this area.

Am I crazy? Are kids/teenagers doing these odd jobs not worth as much as I think?

February is the longest shortest month.

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

I think I’d like to write more often, and with a little more structure. So I think starting next week, I’m going to start writing a post each weekday. I’d like to avoid turning this completely into a mommy-blog, so I’m going to do my best to keep my baby/parenthood/omgpoops etc. related posts to one day a week. For now though, I’m going to do one last big roundup of what’s going on in my life, and then I’ll start fresh on Monday. 🙂

Work

I know what you’re thinking… Work? She’s not working right now! And I’m not. But I did just get properly in touch with people from my work team in the past week. I wanted to see how things were going, and get a few things that I left behind at the office, and also look toward planning a visit! It’s crazy, it’s not even been 2 months yet, and things are already seemingly quite different. There are several new people on my team, and a bunch of new projects, and I am already missing it. I am glad that I enjoy my work enough that I want to go back to it so badly.

Home, Life

Wesley and I (and to a lesser degree, Trevor) are all getting over what seems to be a second (and far worse) cold. Wesley and I were pretty miserable. I lost my voice completely on Sunday (not the best timing for that, since I was supposed to sing a service that morning) and have been pretty stuffed up. I think we’re finally properly on the mend now though. I had a couple days where I pretty much just set up on the couch or at the computer and didn’t do a whole lot other than do the basics to take care of Wesley, and he mostly slept.

Being sick has meant that I haven’t gotten back into the gym routine yet. I did find out how much child minding costs at my local gym, so I know now that that’s not at all cost-prohibitive. I’ll probably start taking advantage of that in the next few weeks.

Things are starting to get into a loose routine around the house, which is nice for me, since I like routine. I’m still not quite finding time for everything I want to get done yet, but (when I’m well) the days are a lot more enjoyable when they’re less unpredictable. I am sure once the basement project starts, there’ll be some upheaval, but we’ll get there when we get there.

Trevor got me flowers for Valentine’s Day, which was super nice. 🙂

Wesley

Wesley is 8 weeks this week, and he’s going for his 2 month doctor visit next Tuesday. He’s getting bigger! We took him in because of his cough last week (due to the cold) and he came in at 11 pounds (with clothes/diaper/cover on) so he’s gaining weight nicely, which is good.

With him being sick, I’ve become a snot sucking connoisseur. We had a bulb aspirator, which has been nice for cleaning out his mouth, but not really all that effective at getting snot out of his nose. So I got a Hydrasense nasal aspirator (where you suck on the one end to provide the suction, and the other end goes in his nose. It’s a ton easier to use (especially since you can keep the sucking end in his nose inbetween sucking) and really works well. There’s little filters that keep the snot where it should be. These type of aspirators are way better than bulbs for noses.

Okay, done talking about snot now. One thing that we need to do soon is get Wesley a passport- we’re planning on going down to see my family in Texas in a couple months, and he’ll need a passport by then. So that means getting baby passport photos. We haven’t done that yet, but hopefully will soon- should be an adventure.

Theatre

I haven’t actually done any theatre in ages, it has been 10 months now. I was set to work on a show this spring before I found out I’d be working on a newborn this spring instead, so I’ve been missing out on that. I just agreed to do costumes for a show in the fall though, so that should be nice. Costuming is my favourite, and it’s a little less structured schedule-wise than stage managing, which is good for someone who doesn’t always get to decide her own schedule anymore. I’m looking forward to it.

Catching up

/0 Comments/in , , /by

It has been a while since I wrote a post. I have obviously been busy with taking care of Wesley, but lots of other things have gone on as well. So I think I’ll use this post as a bit of a catching-up point, and hopefully start to write more regularly from here.

Wesley

Me and Wesley
Obviously one of the main occupiers of my time lately is our new son. After some initial troubles with him eating, and him being jaundiced and losing weight, we’ve started to settle into a bit more of a routine, and his last checkup showed he’s doing quite well. He’s certainly not sleeping through the night yet or anything, but we’re definitely getting more sleep than we were at the beginning, which is awesome. He’s had a bit of a cold this week, which is unfortunate, but he’s doing well otherwise.

Once he is over his cold, I think we’ll start having more adventures during the day. As it is, we pretty much hang out at home unless there are doctor’s appointments, or we’re taking a quick trip down to the mailbox with him in his carrier. But starting next week I think we’ll go out to the library and the Early Years Centre and other places around town more.

I took a little video of him the other day- it’s just him flailing around, and then at the end he sneezes. He’s not really interactive yet, but he can still be fun. 🙂

I’ve been putting together an online baby book for Wesley that I’m sharing with my family (from scratch- I couldn’t find a service that did what I wanted) – I might, at some point, make a public version of it as well. It has been fun to put together!

Maternity Leave

I have to say, being on maternity leave is strange, but not quite what I expected. For those not aware, maternity and parental leave in Canada adds up to a year, and a parent on leave is eligible for employment insurance payments (like unemployment) for 55% of their normal salary, up to a certain amount. I’m about a month and a half in now, and have gotten my first few EI payments.

I think this system is how it should be everywhere. Parents are able to do all the caregiving for that first year if they want, I think it makes women more likely to return to work as well. I feel like I’m able to do what I need to do and still stay connected to my workplace, and I don’t have to worry that my job won’t be there when I get back. It really takes a major stressor off new parents who want to maintain the two-income household. I feel like a shorter unpaid leave would be a lot more stressful.

Singing

I’ve been singing, which has been good. I still have to convince my brain that I have my normal breath capacity back- my mind thinks I’m running out of breath a lot sooner than I really am, which makes me breathe more. But things are getting back on track in that area which is good.

I managed to record a track for Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir this time around, which was cool! I always wanted to do that, and I’m glad I got the opportunity this time. I’m looking forward to when the final video is released!

Back to the gym!

I’ve just passed 6 weeks postpartum, which is the time that people generally start exercising again. I probably could have increased my activity before now, admittedly, since I had a pretty decent recovery. However, the demands of a newborn and all that made it easy to hold off.

But today, I’m going to head out to the gym for the first time in a long time. I don’t have any expectation that I’ll be anywhere near where I was last year at this time (when I was training for a half-marathon) but I think a brisk walk and some weights will do me good! I might look into taking up yoga again as well. I still have some pregnancy weight to lose, so increasing my activity will definitely help with that, as well as being a great mood-booster. Definitely excited.

House

Nursery
In the past couple weeks, we’ve put the finishing touches on the nursery (and it’s becoming quite nice in there actually, I don’t mind hanging out there for late night feedings). There’s a rocking POANG from IKEA, some printed out pictures on the wall in inexpensive frames, and I hung up a nice quilt we got from a relative. There’s a small hanging drying rack for diaper covers, a bookshelf with a little stereo to play music, a few books and toys. Right now his bassinet is still in there, since he’s not sleeping in the crib yet (we’ll be transitioning him this week once his congestion clears up- the bassinet mattress is slightly angled so he can sleep easier with his cold).

We’ve been planning to finish the basement for a while, and we’ve finally gotten started on that project, in that we’ve picked a contracting company and put a deposit down. Work will start in March, and it will take about 5-6 weeks. I’m hoping the weather is decent during that time so that if it’s loud or what have you in the house, I can head out for a walk with Wesley.

We’re putting in a bathroom and a rec room type area down there, plus some storage space. It should increase the living space in our house quite a bit, as well as make it easier for us to have a proper guest room and a decent play area for Wesley. I imagine once it’s finished, we’ll be spending a lot of our time down there.

The current family room will become a double office for Trevor and I, and Trevor’s office will be the new guest room.

So my office is already moved to the current family room- once the basement is done, the family room furniture will go down there, and Trevor’s office furniture will move in here. I’m actually considering seeing if a moving company would lend us a couple of guys for an hour to move the furniture around our house- I’m not looking forward to negotiating all the stairs with a couch.

I think that’s enough for now! Hopefully I’ll write more often so that this doesn’t become a monthly thing. 🙂

Summertime

/0 Comments/in /by

It has been a while since I wrote a post here, there is a lot to catch up on! It’s full on summer now. The weather has been hot, dry and sunny for a bit, which is nice, but we could use a good few storms to catch up on our rain.

My last post here was a few months ago, so the biggest new development isn’t reflected here yet- I’m pregnant! I’m about 14 and a half weeks along now. The first trimester was okay to me- a little rough at times, lots of nausea but I never threw up. I feel pretty good nowadays, but I’m still pretty tired here and there. Things seem to be going well- I’ve had a few ultrasounds, and have gotten to hear the baby’s heartbeat and things. I have a hard time sleeping at night, but overall, things aren’t too bad.

I’ve been enjoying an increase in free time- I’ve been paring down my volunteer activities, and it’s been great to get more time to myself again. I’ve cut back on theatre, and I’m not sitting on the board of KWLT anymore, which frees up some time, and I’m not singing with the Phil next year, so that frees up some time as well. Work is busy, but I hardly notice because I get to go home in the evenings, heh.

Having more free time also means I can devote some time to those around-the-house projects that have been backburnered for a long time. We got the walkway weeded over the weekend, did some cleanup, and next weekend, I’m planning to paint the front door and garage door (if it’s not too hot).

I saw the final Harry Potter movie over the weekend, and it was good! I definitely bawled my eyes out over Snape’s story. It might be the hormones, but that was a tear-jerker! It was pretty awesome overall. We also hit up the ribfest in Kitchener on Friday evening and had some nice bbq. It was pretty great.

Updates from the home front

/0 Comments/in /by

I’m behind in posting about things, so I’m going to do a few posts to catch up! First, a catchup on homelife!

The Fuzz: Fuzz seems to be settling in. The cats aren’t wrestling and fighting as much as they were (though they still get into it now and again). They’re still not quite friendly, but I don’t worry as much about them killing each other, so that’s good.

Bedroom: We bought a bunch of new furniture for the bedroom, from IKEA. We needed to replace our dressers, and wound up getting new nightstands and a new shelf as well, and a new tv to replace the huge monstrosity that was in there. It’s really nice! Eventually we’ll probably get a bigger bed as well, but that is still a while off.

Trevor took a couple photos! They’re phone pictures, so a little fuzzy, but you get the idea.

There’s already a lot more room to move around in the bedroom despite there being more furniture, which is nice! And the new dresser is a lot nicer than the old one.

Kijiji experiences: We were able to sell our old TV on Kijiji, which was actually really awesome. I hadn’t sold anything on there before, but it’s really great for when you just want to get rid of something- people will come and pick it up, which saves a lot of hassle! Our old TV was really heavy and large, and now, we won’t have to lift it anymore and instead we have a much lighter tv. Hooray!

Next, I’ll write some more about other things that have been going on. Stay tuned!