Chicken soup

We've had more than our fair share of sickness since we got here and it's taking it's toll.  Fanta Pants and I are shattered.  Baby A's night sleeping is terrible - luckily he's so cute!  Unfortunately his super cute face and sweet nature don't make up for the hours of lost sleep.

So I decided to make some home made penicillin - chicken soup from scratch including the stock.  It took all day but the end result was totally worth it.  Everyone gobbled up its tasty goodness (Action Boy had to be cajouled and there were tears but he ate it in the end!)

Flowers are also good for the soul!

I tried a new supermarket last night and found they had a lovely flower section.  I would never have tried it because it has a silly name "Loblaws" but a few people recommended it and I glad I gave it a go.

Anthropologie also makes me happy!

There is going to be a mini invasion of expats into Fanta Pants' office and we had one of the soon to be new arrivals over for dinner the other night.  It was lovely to meet him and also very lovely to use my new Anthro cutlery!

I said new but it's actually old - it's all recycled, mixed silver cutlery and I love it!  The knives are a bit useless for cutting but they're so pretty.  I can't wait for the Montreal store to open - apparently it's any day now.  In the meantime there's always New York!!!  (more on that later...)

xx

Une grande mascarade

They students are at it again.  As I write they're on the streets shutting down the city.  They are persistent, creative and very organised.

For maximum impact they have divided into four groups and each group will take a different route across the city.  "The routes are colour-coded to mimic the Société de Transport de Montréal’s transit lines. So in addition to the over-arching cause of opposing tuition hikes of $1,625 over five years, the orange line is to oppose police brutality, the green line to demand free tuition, the yellow to denounce “scab” students “who have the right to be against the strike” but not to cross picket lines, and the blue to contest the provincial government’s plans for making up lost class time." (montrealgazette.com)

There is a lot of talk in the media about the strike but I haven't heard what the provincial government thinks.  Who knows how long the students can sustain the strikes but how steadfast is the government.  I just hope they can keep their cool....

Striking Université de Montréal architecture students have been placing these red doorstoppers on doors around the city to symbolize doors open to accessible education. (montrealgazette.com)

xx

Doctors

We have had a rotten run of sickness since we've been here and we were back at the doctor this morning with Baby A.  Poor thing has infections in both ears.

It's taken a few goes but I think I've got this whole walk in GP clinic thing sorted.  I found a really nice clinic close by and the key is getting there as close to opening as possible.  That's pretty easy as you generally know the night before or when you wake up that you're going to need to see the Dr.  I debated going to the general walk in clinic or the "tiny tots" clinic run by paediatricians which is further away.  I went with the general clinic because I was pretty sure it was an ear infection and I had been told that kids are fast tracked.  If it was something more complicated I'd probably go to the kids only clinic but I would have to wait longer because they're all kids so no fast tracking!

We went straight in, saw a really nice doctor and got the prescription we needed.  So pleased and so relieved!  I was also relieved to see the prescription was for amoxil - there is comfort in the familiar.  However I was a bit surprised when I opened it when we got home.

The medicine is bright yellow and smells like banana lollies!  Why is it necessary to put colours and additives in children's medicine?  Surely that's just sending all sorts of mixed messages...  I've never had a problem getting the kids to take their plain, unflavoured, uncoloured medicine.

xx

I know I sometimes moan and groan about some of the crazy stuff that goes down here.  There are days when I feel like I live in a communist country in the 1980s.  I've gone on about the state of the roads, the terrible access to health care and bridges that fall down but there is some other crazy stuff.

The only place you can buy alcohol is in an SAQ (Societe d'alcools du Quebec).  A state run liquor shop.  They do also supply booze to supermarkets.  Despite their French ancestry, the Quebecois can't buy exotic wines from a quaint corner shop.  This craziness isn't confined to Quebec - a school friend of mine is married to a Canadian and lives on the other side of the country.  She's having a baby soon and can't find out the sex because the government is concerned that some sections of the community will practice gender selection!?!

University students still on strike.  This morning they're causing "economic unrest" out the front of the SAQ headquarters.

Enough of the craziness!  There are actually some really great things here too!  Despite ditching the Kyoto agreement, there are some great recycling initiatives here.  We can recycle nearly everything that isn't compostible.  You can also get cash back for certain plastic and glass bottles.  Paper serviettes and disposable drinking cups are all made from recycled materials as well.  You also have to pay for plastic bags so we take our own reusable bags.

The public toilets are fantastic - always important with small children!  They're super clean, well set up for babies and nearly all have automatic flushing, hand sensing soap dispensers and taps.  The less surfaces to touch the better in my opinion!  In buildings and shopping centres you'll also find hand sanitizer dispensers.  These things may be small but you need to appreciate the positives where you can find them!

xx

Gross

I'm not a super neat clean freak but I do have a weekly schedule of cleaning, dusting and vacuuming to keep on top of things. Why am I boring you with this?  Well I have become increasingly frustrated with the dust on the furniture and the dust bunnies in our bedroom.  I would clean and two days later there would be dust everywhere.

There aren't any air vents so I decided to take a peek into the radiator.  OMG!  So gross!  The dust on top of the radiators was centimetres thick!

All the rooms upstairs were freshly painted before we moved in so Fanta Pants removed the covers as carefully as possible so he could vacuum them clean.  What a job!  Surely this should be a yearly job not every 50 years!

Luckily no one has allergies or asthma but I am sure that breathing in all this dust (there are three radiators in our room) contributed to my bronchitis.  I'm also sure that all this dust has contributed to our massive oil bill.  There is so much more heat coming out now!  I guess next weekend's job is doing the radiators down stairs.

On a much brighter note, we've almost finished putting up all our photos and pictures.  Thank goodness for 3M sticky hooks and strips!  We need to get some more to finish off put I'm really pleased to see all our things around us.  I'm particularly fond of the little area at the top of the stairs.

See the closed door?... it heads up a steep flight of stairs to the attic.  Fanta Pants and I went up there last night to investigate and yes attics are as creepy in real life as they are in all the books you've read and movies you've seen!  Luckily the kids haven't asked what's behind that door and I'm not planning on telling them any time soon!

xx

Warm and fuzzy

I can't begin to tell you how warm and fuzzy I feel when I look at this photo!  They really are such sweet boys.

Of course they push each other's buttons (and mine!) but in the end they are all so close and are really great friends.

I had total outfit envy today - so cute!  Little Miss D will clown around in photos with her brothers but on her own it's a different story.  This photo session including the clip in her hair was a rare and special treat for her mama!  Again lots of warm fuzzies!

xx

Strikes...

Note the bilingual signs?

The university students are on strike!  (As well as on going action from daycare workers and baggage handlers).  Montreal has several large universities and the students are very unhappy about increases in fees which are currently some of the cheapest in Canada.  It's been going on a while now and yesterday they held a massive demonstration which brought the downtown to a stand still.  It's estimated that any where from 100,000 to 200,000 took place!  Fortunately it was very peaceful.

In addition to boycotting classes, their movement seems to be gaining momentum and they're planning more action.  Earlier in the week they shut down the Champlain Bridge (which is the busiest bridge in Canada) for an hour during morning rush hour and caused total traffic chaos.

I'm not sure what to think of it all.  On one hand their fees are less than the rest of Canada and I do think that as a graduate's earning potential is increased with a degree they should contribute more.  But I also understand not wanting to start your working life with a massive debt.

On the other hand I'm pleased to see some action!  Opinion is pretty divided here but what is pretty universal is the people of Montreal are pleased to see someone taking the Government to task.  It appears people have been pretty apathetic about poor services, lack of infrastructure maintenance and recent tax increases.  One letter to the editor reads "The citizenry is awake now.  Apathy is a word of the past!".  For Quebec's sake I hope so!

xx

Heat wave

The heat wave continues!  It got to a beautiful 26 degrees today and now it's 7pm, still 21 degrees and I'm sitting here with the window open!  I'm loving day light saving too!

Note the soccer ball?  It appeared when the snow melted!

Usually it's around 4 or 5 degrees during the day so we've been trying to make the most of it before the weather returns to "normal" by the weekend.  Baby A, Little Miss D and I headed down to one of our local parks this morning to enjoy the warmth. 

I know my legs are pasty white but it is so nice to not wear boots, even socks!

We've been to this park a few weeks ago with Action Boy's class for some ice skating.  Things look a bit different now!  Little Miss D is standing in front of what was the public ice rink!  

This is the last of the ice.  Despite the warm weather, if it's in the shade it takes a while to melt.

These are tennis courts that have been converted into an ice rink as well.  This is a members only rink but there are similar free temporary rinks set up all over the place.  I'm by no means an expert but from what I understand when it's cold enough they flood the area and then wait for it to freeze over.  Simple, eh?

To really make the most of the weather, after school we walked into the village to try out another ice cream shop.  Apparently this ice cream was the best ever.  Until the next one...

 xx

Spring & shopping

Happy Spring!  It's the first day of spring here and mother nature came to the party with a forecast high of 23 degrees!  It's 17 degrees right now but so sunny and so warm.  Baby A and I were out this morning and I didn't wear a coat or socks or stockings!  Baby A didn't have to wear his suit either!  Amazing - it's so liberating and quick!  We can save 2 to 5 minutes getting everyone dressed to get Action Boy to the bus on time.  2 minutes might not sound like a lot of time but with three kids at 7.30am it's the difference between catching the bus or not!

I have always loved online shopping - with three kids it's so easy.  I was so excited about the thought of having all sorts of things shipped from the US without having to get my dear friend in NYC to ship them to me or pay big time international shipping fees (I was thinking Anthropologie, Pottery Barn Kids, fabrics etc).  However I got a nasty shock when the postman asked for $97 in duty for an Anthro delivery!  Wha..?  When I enquired about it at the post office I was told anything over $40 can be randomly inspected for duty.  Bummer...  I have found a couple of good Canadian sites that deliver free which helps but I still can't get everything we need/want.

So Baby A and I had some fun this morning at our local mall.  I've wanted coloured jeans for ages so I thought while I still have to buy size enormous I'd go cheap and cheerful from Old Navy.

I know it's all sunny at the moment but I've been told there is plenty of rain coming so Little Miss D gets a super cute rain coat.

Then we went upstairs to Zara... parfait!  Everything in there was truly perfect, especially this blazer.  My favourite colour.  Ever.  Only problem is Zara Enfants is only down town...  I don't see me having the time in the next few weeks to get there so I might have to send Fanta Pants to pick some things up for Little Miss D...

xx

Gardening

We have a very big yard here, in fact it's massive and I love it!  However the house was vacant for sometime before we moved in and from what I can figure out it was around a year since the old owners moved out.  That all means this massive yard is looking a bit ratty.  I hadn't really noticed before now because everything was covered by a blanket of snow but now we can see several trees worth of fallen leaves that weren't raked up in the Fall and all sorts of over grown vines, plants and trees that need attention.

Fanta Pants and I started talking about what we would like to see happen outside and thought we'd get cleaned up and then maybe plant a few things.  Luckily the conversation at my knitting class yesterday turned to gardening (yes I really am a grandma).  We had thought that now the snow is gone you start going for it in the garden but no.  Apparently the ground will still be frozen!  This climate is still so foreign to me that it never occurred to me that the ground would still be rock solid.  Also there could be frosts until until the end of May so we have to hold off planting anything until the long weekend in May which is like the unofficial start of gardening!

Via pintrest I found this great book for kids about growing a rainbow with bulbs and summer planting.  It's an American book so perfect for this climate.  Unfortunately we're too late to plant any bulbs this year but we can definitely set up our veggie patch again.

I would love to plant a bulb garden in the Fall but I have been warned about our furry little friends the squirrels and their taste for bulbs, especially tulips!  Apparently they will dig the bulbs up and completely ruin your spring garden.  If your bulbs do manage to survive they will often come along and bite the flowers off!  I was also told they're fond of nibbling through the veggie patch as well.  We have at least ten squirrels on our property but I'm prepared to battle with them for a bit of colour in the garden and some fresh summer veg.  I'll let you know how we go...

xx

No coats!

I've mentioned before that this winter has been very mild, even a non-winter for Montreal and today it reached 22 degrees Celsius!  This is record breaking weather!  The previous record breaking high was 14 so today was truly amazing.

The sun was beautiful and people were everywhere soaking up the vitamin D.  Our family enjoyed not having to put on all that outerwear!  Action Boy even got down to a t-shirt! 

The main street of our little village was packed with people and most of them had the same idea as us - ice cream!  We had go put plan B into action when the line to our first choice ice cream shop was around the corner!  We still had to line up at the next shop, but the ice cream was très bon!

Yes, Baby A is still in his pjs at 4pm...  but he's happy to be out of baby prison!

Most of the snow has melted and a whole lot of leaves have been uncovered across our yard!  I know what we'll be up to next weekend...

We don't get as much sun in the backyard so we have more snow and a lot of puddles... I think this will take a while to drain.  I was walking across the grass and have never felt such "squishy" soil under my feet.  So different to the dry sandy soil at home.

Occasionally I forget my previous bad experiences and attempt to get a decent family photo...

Wasn't happening today....

 xx

Food

Food in Montreal is generally pretty good.  There's a pretty good variety at the supermarket and while you can't get some of the things you'd like, there are other really good alternatives.  In our village there are several really good restaurants that we'd like to try and we have been to our bakery a few times already!  Amazing maison pastries and great bread.

Today we ventured down town for some Dim Sum.  (We love Dim Sum in our house!).  Chinatown was kind of dumpy but the Dim Sum was good - very busy and trolleys full of food whizzing past.  Montreal has a large population for a small surface area so there is always a dynamic feeling.

Luckily Baby A was pretty tired and slept right through it...

While we were in the city we thought we'd check out a real Montreal tradition - bagels!  My Australian friend bought me some when we first arrived and I've been keen to check them out ever since.  This shop is located in Mille End which is very gritty in a über cool urbain way. 

That's a lot of flour...

This shop is legendary and the bagels amazing!  They even ship the bagels to the US...

The bagels come plain or with toppings and are incredible.  I've always been a fan of bagels but those bought at the supermarket have nothing on these.  Conveniently you can also buy smoked salmon and cream cheese in the shop.  I'm sure we'll be back!

xx

Report cards...

Yesterday must have been the official Canadian report card day because Action Boy and Little Miss D both got their school report cards plus they got their swimming report cards too.

I'm super proud of them both!  It seems they have both settled in well to their respective school environments and are participating and learning well.  Little Miss D needs to work on her scissor skills (I think this has something to do with the fact she is left handed but they don't have left handed scissors...).  Action Boy got an "A" grade for "relating to others" which is no surprise to us because he's just like loveable Labrador puppy - happy to chat to anyone and makes friends anywhere.  I was relieved to see that his French teacher is happy with his progress and that despite being a bit behind the others, he's doing ok.

Swimming is by far their favourite activity and that was evident on the report cards too.  Apparently Action Boy is an awesome swimmer and Little Miss D needs to remember to use her arms (I think that's code for not hang on to the teacher's swim suit!).

Baby A is progressing well though I can definitely notice his prematurity compared to the other two.  At nine months he's just starting to sit by himself and is not too bad at the commando crawl but is a fair way off proper crawling.  I'm just not used to a stay put baby - Action Boy was on the cusp of walking at this age!  I'm not complaining though!!

My report card includes squeezing into a smaller pair of jeans!  Yippee!  A fair way to go but we're making progress!

The relocation agent dropped by this morning to check up on us so I gave her a bit of a report card too!  While we were discussing the intricacies of the health care system, Little Miss D became very quiet.  This is what I found...

Poor thing wasn't enjoying all this grown up chat so took herself off for a nap, in her big brother's bed!

xx

Everything in its place...

Moving to Montreal definitely solved our housing problem and you certainly get a lot more bang for your buck here than at home.  I love this house - it's location, the size of it and of course the vibe.  The only thing left for us to do is hang some pictures and for me to sort out my sewing area.

The house is BIG and I'm enjoying spreading out and the children enjoy having their own rooms.  In our old house toys (Lego in particular) and drawing supplies took over, everywhere.  In this house we have room for everything to have it's place but still be accessible.  And where would I find inspiration from?  Pintrest of course!

Inspiration #1

 Our house...

I have wanted to do this for a long time.  Action Boy is a great drawer and will grab a pen or crayon and draw whenever but Little Miss D needs encouragement and this set up has inspired her to get scribbling.  The drawing corner is right next to the kitchen so the kids can be close and it works a treat!

Inspiration #2

For Baby A's safety, Lego is now confined to Action Boy's room and I'm planning a version of the above as soon as those shelves come back in stock at IKEA!  (but of course in white!).

xx

You say tomato...

I say tomato.  While tomato is always written the same in English, depending on where you are, it's not always pronounced the same.  I almost fell off my chair the other night when Action Boy said tomayto with a long North American "a" sound!

Action Boy will most definitely have the most "Canadian" experience because of school.  With the help of his friends and teachers, his accent is changing.  Many of his vowel sounds are significantly changed, particularly the "o" sounds.  He is also picking up the local lingo such as tuque (beanie).

O Canada!  What's happening to my accent? Eh?

Even his French has a Quebecer accent.  It's so cute!  From what I've seen it's mainly the vowel sounds and some vocab that is different to the French I know.  I wish I could speak more French around here.  I listen to the radio and watch TV but most people around here are very English speaking.  The rules about which language you could do your schooling in changed in the 80s so the young people around here seem to be beautifully bilingual.  They swap between languages effortlessly.  From what I understand that bilingualism doesn't spread through out Quebec with some French speakers having little or no English.

xx

Spring

The nature fairies have been very hard at work and while we're about 10 days short of the spring equinox, there are lots of tell tale signs that it's almost spring time!  I've been told many times that the difference between the seasons here is quite striking and already we can see the marked change between the end of winter and the beginning of spring.  

Firstly, we put the clocks forward to summer time last night.  The extra light at dinner time was just beautiful.  I guess we'll have to get some "patio" furniture for when we have a "cook out" eh?

Driving back from Vermont we saw hundreds of geese flying north after a southern winter.

The snow has been melting and that means sloppy puddles - perfect for splashing in!

Some of the trees are starting to bud!  I'm especially looking forward to seeing green...

Coming home from a walk this afternoon, Fanta Pants spotted these flowers in one of the recently exposed garden beds.  They smell beautiful!  I can't wait to see what else emerges from the garden as the snow melts away...

xx

The hills are alive with the Sound of Music...

Not only did we get off the island, we got out of the country!  In around an hour and half from home we were on the US border headed to Stowe Vermont. 

My very dear friend in NYC told me about the Trapp Family Lodge and being a Sound of Music loving family, we had to go and visit.  

The Lodge was built by the original Von Trapp family and they still run it today.  There are lots of Austrian touches and the walls are full of Sound of Music memorabilia.  The resort is beautifully run and there are many activities including a kids club, yoga, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, indoor swimming pool and collectively we had a go at it all!

Stowe is a really lovely little town which we enjoyed exploring.

Luckily the other bears are still asleep...

The weather has been warmer so Baby A's baby prison has been down graded from maximum security to minimum security!  While he may not look it in this photo, he's actually quite happy with his new suit.  He can actually move his arms around!

Stowe is also home to the Ben and Jerry's Icecream factory!  This place was a hit with everyone!

Enjoying the free samples at the end of the tour...

Other highlights of the trip included filling up the car for .84 cents a litre instead of $1.38 and saving $30 each on spring boots for the kids!  

It was really nice to get away and do lots of fun things together.  I really appreciated a few days off cleaning, cooking, washing etc...  This was my first trip to the USA and I enjoyed having a positive, relaxed introduction to the country.  We see and hear a lot of crazy stuff about the US in media so I was pleased to see it's not all like that.

xx