Author Archives: Kara

Listy Friday

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– The other day I was putting dinner in the crock pot and it reminded me of a funny conversation via Facebook chat with my Grandma from about a year ago:

Me: How long does it take for chili to cook in the crock pot? I have no idea if it’s going to be ready in time!!
Her: Well, what time did you put it in there? Put it on high then switch it to low when it boils. It should take 6-8 hours total.
Me: How long does it take to boil? I’m stirring it every 1/2 or so. It’s not boiling yet!!!
Her: Stop opening the lid silly!! It will take longer if you keep doing that!!
Me: Oh …

I really miss her some days and it’s still really hard to believe she’s been gone for almost six months now. She made the best home cooked meals ever and I’m trying SO hard to follow in her footsteps. She’d be proud of how domestic I’ve become, lol. She always called me a “kitchen witch” when I told her of my culinary adventures :)

– My mom and I went to the hometown to visit my Grandpa last weekend. It was finally cool enough (i.e., NOT 40°C) to walk down to the produce stand, so I picked up some locally grown carrots, a cucumber, and a WATERMELON! The best place every to buy a watermelon from is Desert Hills Ranch. If you’re ever in that neck of the woods, stop there! They also have AMAZING tomatoes. There is no better tomato than an Ashcroft-grown tomato. It’s a fact! Back in the day there used to be a cannery.

– Last week Kyle went to Vancouver for some work stuff and it was his first flight EVER! I’m pretty proud of him :) Anyway, he had a huge wait between the end of his work stuff and his flight home, and so he went trekking down to the Robson Street lululemon store and bought me a new Scuba hoodie and a pair of Relaxed Fit pants. He even got the sizes right, which only added to the awesomeness of the surprise! I totally didn’t expect that at all, especially him going to lululemon. (Totally not his scene, lol) He definitely won husband of the year for that one!

– With the cooler weather rolling in, all I want to do is cover myself in warm and cozy layers. Unfortunately, that’s not easy to do when you’re breastfeeding. :( I have the urge to go out and buy a sweater dress, but I’d pretty much have to remove it to feed my little lovey. Oh well. One day I’ll be fashionable again, unless wearing spit-up and baby drool suddenly becomes fashionable.

– My brother is coming home tomorrow for a week!! I haven’t seen him since I went into labour and since I had Isla the day after he went back down to Vancouver, he hasn’t met his niece in person yet. I’m pretty excited to see him, not going to lie. I never thought I’d miss my little brother.

– Kyle and I have a pretty busy weekend ahead of ourselves. Tomorrow we’re having some friends over to watch the UFC fights, which should be fun! They’re actually expecting a baby in February, which is sooo exciting! Then on Sunday we’re suppose to go to a BBQ at Kyle’s carpoolmate’s house. THEEEEN on Monday we’re having dinner at my mom’s since my brother is in town. Whew!

What are your weekend plans?

Friends in {No} Places

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You know that Garth Brooks song, Friends in Low Places? Yeah you do, don’t deny it. Anyway, I have friends in no places, or really, faraway places. And it sucks.

While I would generally categorize myself as a homebody, I did enjoy going out with my girl friends when we all lived in the same city. Now everyone is all moved away and I have a baby and well, it’s harrrrd. Life’s little changes have made me quite the loner. I sit at home with my kidlet and we watch the garbage on TV. (If she  becomes an overweight couch potato it’s totally my fault) My non-mom friends (who make up the majority of my friends) can’t really relate to my life now. It really is true that you don’t know what it’s like to be a mom until you become one yourself.  Its hard to be around my non-mom friends without whining about kid things, because most of the time they’ll just react all, “Oh, I’m sure that’s normal …”, not really having any input at all.

Why don’t I join mom groups, you ask? Well, because nothing is more boring than babies who just sit there. Isla isn’t quite at the age where she’ll interact with other babies, I don’t think. She can’t sit up on her own, and I’m not about to sit there with her in my lap and talk to other women about diapers, poop and baby burping methods. In fact, I was the only mom in my prenatal class that checked the “No” box for the “Please share my email address and phone number with others in today’s class.” Introvert, FTW. Building on that, I’m definitely not into forced socialization either. Nothing is more awkward to me than going around in a circle and saying, “Hi, my name is Kara, this is Isla. She’s x months old and we love to go for walks on the beach and watch garbage television at night.”

Of course, when the occasional time comes up when I can go out and socialize, I have to consider Isla’s life as well. Will I have to feed her? Is she going to have to have a million things in her diaper bag? Do I have to lug her around in her car seat or should I pack up the stroller? Gone are the days of random trips to Walmart, the movies or nights out dancing. I even have to think about the last time Isla ate before I take up an offer on an icy cold drinky-poo. In fact, I’ve only had two alcoholic beverages since giving birth.

I’m sure I’ll be broken of my hermitness eventually once Isla is old enough to actually interact with others more. I am looking forward to taking her to the water park, the wildlife park, swimming and all the other fun things to do in town. Eventually I’ll join playgroups and be social, but for now, I’m content just hanging out with my little girl on my own.

Listy Friday

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– I’ve been on a baking frenzy lately. A couple days ago I baked chocolate chip cookies, today I’m baking a cake, in a couple days I’ll probably bake some raisin cookies for Kyle. Who am I??? Isla needs to hurry up and be old enough to eat all of this stuff, because it’s just going to go to my ass.

– Isla slept in her crib for the first time last night. In fact, she slept there pretty much all night, from about 10:30 to 5 am! Yay Isla! And yay me for being able to sleep as well and not staring at the baby monitor in a worried mess.

– I think salmon makes me ill, which makes me so sad because it’s one of my favourites. I’m hoping it’s just the source of the salmon I ate, because I had a salmon burger and I felt fine, but two fillets I had on two separate occasions made me feel horrible. I only ever eat salmon at my mom’s since Kyle’s not a huge fan of seafood.

– If there’s a lockout for the NHL this year, I’ll be a sad panda. What are we going to do all winter? Who are we going to yell at for bad refing, poor calls, and shitty goaltending? It’s probably a Canadian thing, but I hope the players and the NHL can come to an agreement. Don’t know what the hell I’m talking about? Read this.

– It’s my boss’s last day of work today, and then he’s retiring after 40 years of being in the newspaper business. I’m pretty sad that’s he’s leaving while I’m away on maternity leave, but he deserves every second of his retirement. He’s an amazingly dedicated person, and I just wish I could have learned a little bit more from him. What I did learn from him though will stick with me forever!

– I’ll leave you with a video of Isla trying to roll over. She’s gone from tummy to back a few times, but sometimes she doesn’t get her momentum going and gets mad. This is one of those times:

Happy Friday everyone!