What do you think makes the difference between a house and a home?  The difference between a neighbourhood and a community?  I've come across a few items that seem at first trivial but make all the difference for me and my family.  The first item that tops my list is a double sink in the kitchen.  I never even realised how much that mattered until  had to make so with a single sink for a couple of months.  I have always known I hated doing dishes, but the one sink almost made me switch to disposable plates, and for someone as committed to environmental stewardship as I am, that's saying a lot!
At one time, I would have sworn that counter space was the one thing I couldn't live without in the kitchen, but thankfully the small appliance manufacturers have stepped up their game and you can get teeny, tiny blenders and food processors designed with today's kitchen sizes in mind.  Santa was good enough to bring us a fantastic little one with a 500 watt motor.  Thank you Santa!
We used it last night to make an amazing batch of home made, all natural almond and walnut butter.  The whole process took about 10 minutes, even with the help of a 4 year old pushing the buttons.  It was so easy and I wish I'd known how to do this years ago, considering how many "peanut free" classes and playgroups we've had over the last 9 years.  The top secret recipe that warrants what the nut butter companies charge is as follows:  First, dump a bunch of room temperature nuts in the processor, whatever combination you desire.  Turn it on.  Keep processing, stopping every once in a while to scrape down the sides.  First you'll get nut sand, then you'll get nut clumps, then you get nut putty, (nutty putty, ha ha) then after about 10 min, you get nut butter!  The longer you go, the creamier and butterier it will get.  You can add spices before you finish as well, cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, nutmeg, heck, garlic if you want.  Just think of the never ending possibilities.  Cashews, macadamia, sunflower.  Or seasonal flavours like pumpkin pie flavoured seed butter.  And it's so simple and fun it makes a great activity for the whole family to get involved in.
I also have to say I do prefer an open concept.  This too, was a late discovery as I have spent most of my life genuinely attracted to the architecture and designs from the 1920's through the early 1960's.  I've recently come to understand that my style has evolved beyond the love of Danish Modern to the realisation that any rooms that aren't part of the main flow of my home go largely unused.  I think it's been a by-product of the evolution of family and the more involved I become with my kids on a day to day, minute by minute basis, the more I truly enjoy them and the less I want walls and doors between us.  Though, it might also just be that as my kids get older and the messes get bigger and harder to contain, my standards just get lower and lower and I no longer feel the need to have a door to hide the mess behind when guests stop by.  Actually, the more I think about it, it's probably the latter.  Though being able to see them at all times even after I've taught them how to use the food processor probably has a little something to do with it as well.
If you're looking for some tips on what to look for before choosing a neighbourhood for your family to settle into, please check out my real estate website:  www.angeliquetroyer.ca 
For anyone new to either Victoria or parenting, or just thinking about either, there's plenty of the kind of activities that make a neighbourhood into a community available in the May/June issue of  Family Chatter May/June issue