The days grow longer as we wind our way through spring and life gets busier and brighter, with play dates and picnics and long evenings spent outside with friends and neighbours.  It gets harder and harder to get the kids inside and to bed, harder and harder to get them to sleep in through the sunlit mornings.  We are racing around the city trying to fit in all the fun, to be the super mom we all love to be, meeting the needs of my clients, trying to remember to meet a few of my own needs against the looming deadline of summer.  It must be a hold over from our childhoods, waiting for the promise filled days of summer vacation to arrive.  The first niggling of excitement starts as May blooms and Mother's day breaks.  I got to enjoy a day as close to perfect as I could expect.  Sunday morning breakfast of home made waffles topped with the first crops of local strawberries and tons of whipped cream.  Then a wonderful trip to church to meet the newest family member, an adorable bundle of energy from Siberia, now at his new home here Victoria.  We spent a lovely afternoon at the pool playing, swimming and splashing and then made food to share with our neighbours.  It turned out I forgot to put onions in my ham and mixed bean soup, but that wasn't the important part of the day anyways.  My so sweet baby boy insisted on getting me a beautiful amber and sterling silver ring because he saw a commercial on TV about showing mom how much you love how much she does for you with diamonds.  Of course it sure helped that they were referred to as "candy diamonds".  What a brilliant marketing plan.  I'm betting that dad was grateful 4 year olds don't really know what diamonds are!  It was still the sweetest gift I've ever gotten.
Since that wonderful day, I've juggled working 10 and 12 hour days trying to find the perfect home for my wonderful clients with my beautiful baby boy's crazy hectic schedule of school, gymnastics, baseball and friends.  I'm looking at tomorrow, the traditional start of summer, the May long weekend, exhausted, with a heart filled with peace, love and joy.  I can sense a real turning point in the future.  The Real estate market here in Victoria appears to have picked up almost over night and I love being a part of it.  I don't know if it really is God I am feeling as  the sun shines down on my skin or if it's just the warm blush from a glass of wine on the patio after work, but it sure feels good.  then again it could just be that I'm just too tired to care about anything anymore.  Whatever it is, I'll take it.  Especially after the last 9 months!

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

Happy April Fools Day Victoria!  I hope everyone had as wonderful a long weekend as I had with my family.  So much sunshine and so many fun activities to participate in.  Good Friday saw us attending the city wide, multi-congregational service held at the Pearkes Recreational Center with over 2000 others of all ages for a start to the Easter celebrations.  It was our first year to attend and it was a great example of the great community we live in here. 
Saturday morning meant the 7th annual Community Easter Egg Hunt at Windsor Park in Oak Bay put on by Providence Community Church.  This event gets better and better every year, with coffee and goodies for the grown ups and an indoor area for shelter that obviously wasn't needed this year.  It took less than 5 minutes for the kids to scoop up the thousands of candy filled eggs!  It truly is a sight to see.
Sunday we were at the Lighthouse Church service and community dinner.  It was a full house and we served mountains of salads, pounds of potatoes, 8 hams, 3 turkeys, and a multitude of assorted sides and desserts to friends and neighbours.  It was heartening to see so many people come out and participate.  It's an uncommon find, a young, vibrant congregation dedicated to community service and an approachable and fun Pastor who reach just about anyone with honesty and humour.
The last day of our long week end brings us to April Fool's Day, with 2 mischievous little boys sneaking cayenne pepper into breakfast, much to every one's surprise.  Another day full of sunshine, and a ton of housework as family departs and a bit of light reading to brush up on the return to GST/PST and the transitional tax.  Now that it's here, do you know how it's going to affect you and your family in their purchases in the coming year and beyond?  Click on the link below for a fairly extensive and relatively easy to understand list of changes.  There is also additional, housing specific information available on my website:  www.angeliquetroyer.ca 
What's taxable, what's not?

Easter is fast approaching with the overwhelming inundation of chocolate displays provoking temper tantrums and melt downs in every store we venture bravely into with our little ones in tow.  We live in the one corner of the world that most closely resembles Eden, which is probably why we also have the dubious distinction of having some of the lowest numbers regarding church attendance in North America.  There is just too much to do outside here!  This sometimes has the unintended effect of suddenly realising we are the parents of children on the cusp of their teen years who have no real concept of God, faith, morality among other things.  It can be a hard subject to broach with no foundation from early childhood to build upon.  Easter is the perfect time to look for activities in our communities to reach out to and participate in.  Most Easter activities are open to the general public and focus on community, fun and making the more serious aspects of the day approachable.  If you're looking for some great activities for your family to participate in this weekend, there are some great options on the Community Postings page under Links on my website:  www.angeliquetroyer.ca  

For those of you just looking for some fun activities to do at home with you family, visit my Easter board on Pinterest:  pinterest.com/angeliquetroyer/easter/ 

As we are heading into the traditionally heady spring boom of the real estate market in what can be described as an optimal buyer's market how does a home owner ensure that their home is going to have the best chance of being the belle of the ball?  If you want to ensure the most dance partners it is paramount to have the right packaging.  First and foremost, find a Realtor you like and trust.  You will have to work as a team to ensure success in this competitive market.  If you find yourself viewing your Realtor in an adversarial role, you will likely have difficulty working as a team.  After all, your Realtor has the same goal as you, maximising your chances of a sale.  Setting a realistic price will give you the best chance of that.  Automated Internet searches only pull listings that fit the exact search parameters the buyer selects.  A home priced even one, single cent above their search budget is a listing they will never see. 
Home prices in Victoria are stable, but there has been a slight dip.  A drop of one percent is nothing to be overly concerned about but does represent a dollar value of $5000 on a  $500,000 home.  If  your home is listed at $500,000 when all the similar homes are listed at $495,000 today's educated and cautious buyers  will do their research and set their searches to top out at $495,000 and they may never even see what could be the perfect home for their family.  Setting a realistic price means more eyes on your listing, increasing the chances of a sale.
Now for the fun part of getting ready for any party, making sure you have the perfect dress.  Anything too complicated makes it hard to have fun and too flashy can overwhelm natural charms.  Toned down,elegant and simple is always a safe bet.  Get rid of the clutter and subdue the quirks if you can.  Tidy surfaces, neutral colours and a well kept exterior will showcase your home's full potential.  Just like on a first date, put your best foot forward, let the buyer picture their own family enjoying life there when they think of the home.  If all they think of when they remember their time in the kitchen is the duck figurine collection, they might not be able to make the commitment to a serious relationship.  For more helpful tips on buying or selling, check out my website:  www.angeliquetroyer.ca

Valentine's Day.  A frenzy of baking, chocolate, sugar sprinkles and crashes, paper hearts, sparkles, stickers and confetti.  As we struggle to show our friends and families a token of affection in a fun and creative way, with our grand ideas being side-lined by the passion of our children's assistance in our projects, with paint on walls, glitter covered carpets, smears of brightly coloured icing across the walls and cupboards that will take weeks to remove the last of it, staying up until midnight to finish pink and purple chocolate chip cupcakes for the pre-school class, worrying about unknown food allergies amongst them, all suffered gladly for the three minutes of pure and unadulterated joy on your toddler's face as he hands out his treats with pride and unguarded love for his friends.  All the work worth it just for that.  But as things wind down and I look forward spending my Valentine's evening at home with my two boys, my thoughts turn to how many limits we place on our love as adults.  We have become a society of people willing to barter our emotions in return for a price.  Only as long as our expectations are met.  What happens though, when none of your expectations are met, when everything is stripped away and the anger fades and you realise that real love survives?  What does that mean in this world of increasingly fickle and shallow relationships?  When the diamonds are gone, the money and security is gone, the future you had always counted on has been altered beyond your wildest dreams, what is the next step?  Accepting the things that were once unacceptable, trusting that there is always a silver lining and start building a new future, a new family, something never imagined.  We are stronger than we ever believe in the beginning and capable of so much more than we can imagine.  In this high tech new world I am struck by how much more important it is becoming to live by the oldest rules we have.  Love, respect, forgive.  Happy Valentines Day, so much more than chocolate, flowers, diamonds and wine.

As the days get longer and brighter and our kids start to venture outdoors again as the non stop deluge of the Victoria winter gets broken up with warm and sunny afternoons, we get ready to celebrate BC's first "Family Day".  My thoughts and heart begin to ponder the ever-changing nature of what family means to each of us.  To some, it is the ones related by blood and DNA, to others, the friends that choose to stand by our sides through the worst of storms, to others, it is their family of faith or community.  And for some, it is an opportunity to come to terms and accept that the ones who should have stood by us, who promised to be family, are all too often the very ones that cause us the most pain and feelings of loss and betrayal.  What makes a family a family?  Step-children and blended children and multiple entanglements and ever-changing partners mean that the stability children counted upon to be their anchor and foundation as they learn to navigate life is in short supply. As the average family, however it looks, finds it harder and harder to see themselves as home owners.  The stability that came with knowing unfailingly where one belongs and where the epicentre of your own universe is, of running with the same band of kids through the same neighbourhood for the length of childhood, becomes a dizzying spiral, ever changing, with a revolving door of role models, none ever really trusted or around for more than a few years.  An upbringing full of followers, profiles, on-line friends and chimera lurking in cyber space.  Renting makes it so much easier to pick up and move to the next location, with so much less fuss.  How much harm are we really doing to our kids?  Parents don't even think that there is anything wrong with changing partners every few years, that it is normal to start dating at 9, that it is silly to expect chastity from teenagers so not to even bother setting limits.  I find myself reeling in a bit of shock, thinking of how fickle these kids will be as adults, and more than a little afraid when I look at the sleeping innocence of my beautiful ones.  I want so much more for my babies.  I want them to know the joy of being able to wake up with their children every single Christmas morning, not every second.  I want them to celebrate 20, 30, even 40 year anniversaries.  I want them to know that their partner meant every single one of their vows, including forgiveness.  Are we doing them a favour by not fighting harder for permanence.  So many people seem to have completely given up on the dream of home ownership, at a time when the combination of low and stable interest rates, with a slight dip in overall prices in our fair city, alongside a fantastic level of inventory are making the jump to home ownership so much more feasible.  It's a perfect storm that's sure not to last as the economies worldwide find their way forward in the modern marketplace.  Click here for great spring , family activities:  www.chatterblock.com   Click here for information on home buying:  www.angeliquetroyer.ca