Our house is sold, our new house is bought and we are officially living amongst towers of boxes, but it's awesome. The new house is incredible, so much more space, it's only about 300 extra square feet (from 810 to 1100) but it makes all the differance and it's more usable space. It's a three level split, split from the living room, so from the big bright livingroom you ascend 5 or so step to the upstairs, where there are 3 bedrooms and a bath; or you can decend 5 stairs into the basement which is currently a workshop, laundry room and family room. We have a huge yard for Evangeline and Oliver to run around in. We are very happy. Sure the kitchen is a 1970's original that is hard to make work, but we are saving our pennies and that is our first big renovation project. The best part is, this house is 30k less then we sold our Dartmouth house for. Woot. So things are comming along swimingly in that reguard.

Work is excellent, I love what I do, however, it's not for profit and funding is tight, really tight, so there is a chance my hours could be cut back starting in September. They swear they will do everything they can to prevent that and will try and make those hours up by having me work freelance as a tutor, guide and note taker for our clients, so that could work. Trying not to worry about it until I have too..Perhaps my hubby can be successful enough that I won't have to worry at all :).

Evangeline is all kinds of awesome. Her language has shot through the roof, most people can understand her now and because of Daycare she is also learning French. Her imagination is developing so fast, it's awesome. Love hearing her in her bedroom talking to her animals. She is also showing an interest in the potty. This morning she told me her doll needed to go potty so we put her baby on the toilet, then she wiped and flushed lol. I am very much enjoying 2...so far it hasen't been terrible at all (Knock on wood). I will see if I can find some photos on my work pc to share. Anyone else can always see them on Facebook or Twitter, where I am posting new photos almost daily.

Excited for what is store for our family. Today however I am dealing with excruciating pain in my back and neck from what I can only guess was improper lifting of a box.

My Grandmother sent me this and it made an impact, so I wanted to pass it on.

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days."

The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."

She was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags, that we reused for numerous things, most memorable besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our school books. This was to ensure that public property, (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribbling. Then we were able to personalize our books. But too bad we didn't do the green thing back then.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them)?, not a screen the size of the state of Montana . In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we older folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

THIS

Totally, totally made me think of your Poop On A Hot Tin Slide blog Jojo thiscantbesoy see your your blogging skills are needed, they make us re-think hygiene.

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13 days until we have handed off our home to it's new owner. 13 days until we own our new family home. 13 days until we are reunited as a family and life can begin to have some semblance of normality again. I can't wait. Well I cant; and I will...but so excited.

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Hope everyone is having as wonderful an Easter Weekend as I am. I have my Dave in Moncton with me and we are reunited as a family for4 nights and 5 days. Happy happy. Can't wait to watch Evangeline hunt for eggs tomorrow. April 30th is our house closing and we will be reunited for good :), so close now I can taste it.

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Step, step, step, KICK :) Oh the child is soooo cute.

New job is excellent. New city is excellent. New daycare for Evangeline is excellent. Life without my husband sucks..but it's temporary. I am getting lots of help from family in his absence, but I miss him a ton; so does Evangeline who asks for him all the time :(.

Exhausted, working, playing with E., cleaning apartment, cooking, eating, cleaning again, sleeping and so forth.
I am living in my uncles basement LOL..No Star Trek Uniform, I swear.

Evangeline is amazing. Her language is advancing so fast. Perfect time to learn French, which she is at her daycare. Today she gave me a tea cup, called it a tea cup, banged hers against mine and said "Cheers", no clue were she learned that, but it's adorable. She also walks around saying, Step, step,step, Kick!! Lol

Life is good..in massive transition, but good. Can't wait for our family to be reunited so we can start our new adventure together as a family, in our new family home.

G'night. Hope all are well.

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Soooo big news. I am TOTALLY moving to Moncton, NB..Well, we are, eventually, but for now..it's me, and Evangeline the minute I find a good daycare spot for her. I got the last job I interviewed for, and they more or less met all demands in a new job, so I accepted, and I start February 13th.

I am so excited that we will be near family again, that Evangeline will get to spend so much more time with family now and that Dave and I will have some respite to go out on dates regularly...all of which has not been possible in Halifax.

God willing our house in Halifax will sell quickly and Dave and I will close on a new family home in Moncton by May. Dave will be staying behind with the house until it sell, we will meet up on weekends, we are hoping it will only be 2.5 months...Oh please let it only be a max of 2.5 months, I miss him just thinking about it.

Anyhow, we are very happy things have worked out so well so far, it's looking like we have enough equity in this home to pay off all my debt plus still have enough left for a nice downpayment on another home there, and since we are saving so much on housing there, we will have more disposable income each month (after were done spending it all turning the new house into a new home.

I pray 2012 brings an upswing with it...things are looking good.

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My little beautiful girl will be 2...Wtf..? 2 in 3 weeks. I remember clearly what I was feeling at this stage while still pregnant with her. I can't believe two years have passed since then.

She is the healthiest person/ kid I know. Immune system of steel it would seem, knock on wood. The whole family has had a cold the past couple of weeks but her...She around 20-30 people at my Grandmothers on Boxing Day and a bunch ended up with a cold/flu a couple days later, including Dave..but she never caught it. I think, if I recall correctly, she hasn't had a cold or anything since last Spring. I am soo happy she is such a strong and healthy girl. I hoped that nursing for as long as I did would contribute to a strong immune system and it would seem it did. She is up to date on her vaccines for now..we delayed them all by a few months, so she will still need her 24 months shots in the near future, then we are done until primary. So grateful she didn't have any severe reactions to the vaccines that I was terrified to get in the first place. At her age as a child I had severe tonsil and ear infections every winter. I know a ton of my friends did too...which makes me wonder if it's related to huge number of babies raised on formula alone from my generation. Anyhow, I am glad that to date, Evangeline has been the image of health.

She is growing so fast, wearing 2t clothes in length but nowhere near in width, I have to take everything in by like 1.5 inches. The child has the tiniest little waist and bum lol, the shirts are ok, big but ok, the pants swim on her. At last check I believe she was 21lbs. At this rate she will be rear facing until she starts primary school haha.

2 is all kinds of awesome mixed with some very volatile emotions. I admit I have no clue what to do with a 2 year old..So I am feeling my way through as best I can. When we have to something and she refuses, throws herself on the floor shrieking. I just pick her up (with difficulty since she has gone limp) and continue along my way, not acknowledging her til the tantrum has ceased. Trying to show her 1) A tantrum will not prevent you having to do what it is you don't want to do (I.e getting into the car to go somewhere) and 2) You do not get special attention for misbehaving, you get it when you calm down. We have tried 'helping her' come to terms with her anger but have found she recovers quicker and easier when we just stay close and do our thing while she calms down and gathers her emotions. This could change as the months pass. I guess we will deal with that when wee face it.

The vocabulary increases each day, I love that she can express herself. She says the sweetest thank you to me all the time, often with a hug or cheek pat. How cute is it when a little one pats your cheek softly and says thank you mommy, thank you. It's also adorable when she tells Oliver the dog sit! and he does, then she says Good Boy!

I am loving it! She completes me.

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No matter what you are celebrating this Holiday season. Be it Christmas, Yule, Hanukah, Kwanza or nothing at all. We wish you blessing of health, wealth and happiness.

Evangeline had an amazing holiday. She is the perfect age to really enjoy herself and opening her Yule gifts. She was spoiled by her Grandparents, receiving a little table and chair set, as well as an awesome play kitchen. They are both a huge hit. Her reaction upon seeing her little kitchen was "Whoah, Cool!". Lol. She also received awesome clothes and two wooden puzzles that took her 5 minutes to complete. Out sitter says he will have to get her a model ship next year LOL.

Mom got a new 50mm f1.8 lens :) Yeay! Dad got a new wedding band, since his was cut off when his fingers were. He also got two new cookbooks, The Titanic cookbook which includes the menus recipes from the cruise ship. Secondly Odd Bits, what to do with the rest of the animal.

All the best to you and yours.

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