Life in Lunenburg

Good morning, world! This will be my first official post from Lunenburg, NS. Before I get into the nutrition portion of this post, I want to give you a little background on my new home.

Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The downtown centre is full of character and old wooden buildings that have remained virtually unchanged since the 18th century. What is of  even more interest, in the world of health and wellness, is that Lunenburg is almost considered a "Blue Zone", due to the high number of centenarians (a person who lives to be over 100 years) in the area. The exact scientific explanation for this is unknown, but I'm sure it is a combination of things, such as the inclines on the streets walked, the year round access to fresh fish, less stressful environment, strong sense of community and most importantly the fresh air. It also doesn't hurt, with the exception of Subway, that there aren't any fast food restaurants in a 20 km radius.

Despite having full-time employment, the towns people come out in great number to attend the Thursday morning market,where you become acutely aware of  the high number of health conscious people in the area. Fresh sprouts, farm-fresh vegetables, homemade granola, fresh-pressed apple cider, beeswax candles, organic teas and hearty baked breads are among the many tempting items available. Knit items are a plenty, both on the shoppers and for purchase. Babies, as new as one week old, are worn in slings by the market vendors. The importance of family is clear at the market.

Since moving here, almost three weeks ago, the desire to get back into shape, both mentally and physically, has been strong. I start my day by walking our family dog along the beautiful waterfront. I return home and make a healthy breakfast (this morning I had an omelette of two eggs, spinach, mushrooms, sprouts and a sprinkle of goat cheese). I then unpack, or yesterday I shoveled snow for an hour, and make lunch (arugula salad with apple, almonds, sprouts, a sprinkle of goat cheese, a few dried cranberries and homemade dressing of olive oil, balsamic and garlic). I sometimes have another walk, either with our dog, or with my kids to the one of many great little shops. For supper, we might have lentil soup or salmon, veggies and a delicious treat of baked potato. It's a much more simple life here, but it's a great one.

Someday, I will return to the workforce, but for now, I am lucky enough to spend the mornings with my baby girl and the afternoon and evenings with my two older children and my husband. For those of you who have read my posts in the past, you will know that my husband moved here four months before us, while we waited for our home to sell in New Brunswick. I stayed behind with our three kids and really let go of my eating and physical activity, partly by unconscious choice and partly because I was raising my kids alone and simply had limited time to myself.

So here's to new beginnings! May 2014 bring your peace, health and happiness!

Thursday's Rant

Have you ever had a moment, or many moments, when you thought, "This isn't my life" or "How did I end up here?" I've been stuck on that moment for three straight months now.

My husband moved out of province for work, since there wasn't anything here in his field. This is a very common occurrence nowadays in the Maritime provinces. I stayed behind, with our three young children, to try and sell our house, during a borderline market crash. We can no longer tough out the expense of our mortgage and his rent, so now our house is advertised "for rent". I would like to think this is a decent option, although no one who has applied thus far was truly a candidate.

I have looked into working, but for the jobs that I am qualified for, I wouldn't make enough to even pay the daycare expense for my kids. On top of that, there are limited spaces in the area for one year olds...so really, I would have had to have her on a waiting list months ago. What a mess.

It feels like society sets us up to fail financially, forcing us into more and more debt. My generation is plagued with student loan payments that are, in many cases, as big as a mortgage payment. We all have lines of credit, overdraft and credit cards...and many of us don't use them for "fun" things, we use them to pay the bills and buy our family's groceries.

I'm a decent person, raising three incredible kids and organizing charitable events in my "spare" time, but none of this matters to the bank. None of this matters to the power company, phone company, etc. Being a good person doesn't pay the bills.

So this year, there won't be any Christmas gifts, except for my kids. There won't be an annual family picture. There won't be anything "extra"...but how can I even complain about the "extras" in life when there are horrific natural disasters that seem to be happening all to frequently now? How can I complain when there is war and famine? How can I complain when at the end of the day, I have three great and healthy kids and a roof over our heads? Life is too short and too fragile to complain so much.

I'm on a mission to turn things around!! One step at a time...

2nd Annual Santa's Gift Shop

I am so amazed by the generosity of the individuals and businesses in the Greater Moncton Area. The love and support shown for Santa’s Gift Shop is absolutely incredible. I could have never dreamed that so many people would want to be a part of this wonderful event.

Santa’s Gift Shop is a shopping event where children can come to purchase, from new and used items, gifts for their family members. All gifts are under $2 each and gift wrapped for free. In addition to the sale, we will also be holding one amazing silent auction, with hotel stays, theatre tickets, date nights, rounds of golf, massage certificates, gym memberships, oil changes and so much more! This truly is an event for the whole family.  

We will also run a canteen (still looking for a refreshment donation), have entertainment and a few special guests will be making appearances. Rumor has it the big guy in red will be dropping by and one “Wild” hockey loving cat. You never know who else you might see!

To make the actual event a success, we still need the people of the Greater Moncton area to donate new and used household items (please no clothing or food items), as well as gift wrapping materials, on November 22^nd, at the Kinsmen Community Centre in Riverview, from 12pm-2pm and 6pm-8pm. I have faith that donations will come pouring in for this great event, in support of Riverview PRO Kids. Suggested items are coffee mugs, travel mugs, money clips, ornaments, costume jewelry, golf balls, children’s toys and more!

Thank you to everyone who has already contributed. Because of you, there will be smiles on hundreds of kids faces on November 23^rd (10am-2pm at the Kinsmen Community Centre) as well as Christmas morning when the children give their gifts to their loved ones. The look of pride on a child’s face when they pass you the gift they chose themselves is something you won’t soon forget.

To check out the facebook event page, click here.  

Tuesday's Rant

I would never say that I am perfect, but I can honestly tell you that I actively try to be a good person. I am honest, caring, thoughtful, smart on occasion, considerate...I am what I think everyone SHOULD be...and often aren't. But my questions for you is, am I expecting too much of people? Am I TOO nice?

Don't get me wrong, I have another side too...but don't we all? My extreme honesty is either what you love or what you hate about me. Some people can't handle the truth. I am a people pleaser, to a fault, but it's only because I like to see people happy. Is there something so wrong with that?

I organize a Christmas shopping event for children. All items are donated and set up like a shop where kids can buy gifts for their families at very minimal cost. All proceeds go to a local charity that helps children, whose families couldn't otherwise afford it, participate in sports and various other activities. Out of a few hundred families, there are a very few number of people who present problems for this event. The problems tend to be issues of greediness and feelings of entitlement. I really struggle with this. I organize this wonderful event entirely by myself, so when issues arise, I find them that much harder to swallow. I am doing this out of the kindness of my heart, but people will always find something to complain about. There will always be those few people who ruin it for everyone else.

Someone reminded me tonight that out of 300 smiling faces, only maybe 4 or 5 had anything remotely negative to say...but why are the negative comments the ones that stay with you? By letting these people get to me the way they do I've let them win. I've let them ruin my evening and my time is far too precious. Life is too short for negative people.

Thanks, Mom, for venting with me for an hour tonight. Amazing how at 32 years of age there is no better remedy than a good chat with my Mom or Dad. xo

Night, all!

I love my kids more than everything else!

I love my kids more than absolutely anything. Last night I was reminded just exactly how deeply that impacts on my everything.

A month and a half ago, my husband took a teaching job out of province. I stayed behind with my three kids to sell our house. It has taken much longer than we expected to get things in order. It is a buyer's market to the extreme right now and things just aren't moving. So, my husband comes home when he can, but not nearly as much as we'd like. He doesn't have a car there, so he can only come when he can catch a ride with someone. My kids have been really great about it...until yesterday.

After an incredible family weekend, we drove my husband to meet up with his ride back to where he's currently working. We all said our good-byes and as I started to pull away, I could hear my son sniffling. He's 7 years old and thinks he's tough as nails, so I knew this was serious. I immediately pulled over and asked him what was wrong. "I miss Daddy already, Mommy." This one small sentence broke my heart in two. It was quickly followed with a, "I wish we could keep Daddy here forever" from my 5 year old daughter. Cue the tears. So, I did what any good mother would do. I backed up, got Daddy's attention and let them each give him one more huge hug before he left. It helped...a little.

The first week he was gone, I was a complete emotional wreck. I can honestly say that I let myself sink into the darkest hole I have ever entered...but overtime, things have gotten easy. I have a routine and it works like a charm. I dare say that I have mastered being a "single" Mom to my three wild children. But just when I think I have it all together, my kids yank on my heart strings and I turn into a blubbering mess.

I believe that everything happens for a reason, but in this particular case, that "reason" is yet to present itself. I want my kids to see their Daddy every single day. I want them to have breakfast with him, walk our dog with him, eat supper and talk about their day with him. I'm tired of being a "single" Mom just because our house won't sell. 

I will not give up. Loving my kids is enough to keep me going...even on the days when the oldest two are fighting, the baby is teething and someone has mysteriously peed all over the bathroom floor. I love them when they get chocolate ice cream all over their new clothes, lose their homework and "accidentally" gouge me in the eye with their little fingers. I would do anything for them. I just need to find a new family to love our house as much as we have so that we can have our family back together permanently. Seems simple enough, right?

Bring it on, buyers! My kids need their Daddy and so do I! 

Clarity Needed

I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason, that every person you meet enters your life when they are supposed to...but why can't the reasons for everything be more clear?? I have never been more unclear about where I'm supposed to be or what I'm supposed to be doing ever before. I need some clarity!

To rent or not to rent? That is the question.

Have you ever rented out your house??

It is currently a buyer's market, to the extreme, where I live. With an aging population, more and more people are selling their homes and moving into apartments and condos, leaving many more houses on the market than there are buyers.

So what do you do? Do you sell your house at a loss or do you rent it out?

I have so many concerns about renting. The thing that plagues me most is- what if the tenants all of a sudden move out and we're stuck with a mortgage payment we can't afford?

Out of the few people I know currently renting their homes, only one is having a positive experience. Ugh.

I need advice from someone who doesn't know me personally.

Bring it on! Thank you in advance. :)