It's one of my favorite times of year.  The trees turn all colours of fire and ochre, the sun is still glowing and warm, a chill settles into the night, the mornings are cloaked in a wispy blanket of fog and the non stop onslaught of over the top Christmas marketing has yet to crash it's consumerism down our throats.  I love October.  The kids have been back at school long enough that routines are established for all involved and we have yet to enter the long, seemingly endless, dreary, grey days that are our famously wet winters.  I am always the mom that shows up at school on Halloween in full costume, the ONLY mom to do so EVERY year as I was reminded by a very sullen 9 year old last year.  On the plus side of that, I now have leverage forever.  If he thinks it's embarrassing on Halloween, imagine how bad it would be if it happened on random other days, as "incentive".
This year, I've had the opportunity to share my love of this season with some truly remarkable people.  After someone let my preschooler play a zombie video game, he was plagued by nightmares for weeks.  I exhausted several more traditional methods for dealing with them with no success.  As a last ditch effort to get a full nights sleep, I decided to take him down to Victoria's annual Zombie Walk and introduce him to some "real zombies".  After a quick explanation from mom, everyone we met was super helpful in showing him that zombies were friendly and nothing to worry about.  He happily did sommersaults with a bunch of zombie kids and posed for pictures with assorted walking dead.  It worked like a charm.  I think he might have even had a bit of a crush on one cute little zombie princess!

I got to dust off some long unused skills and do both the make up for and appear in some fantastic photo shoots with local photographer, Darren Labiuk, of VL Photography.  I've made some amazing new friends from it and had an amazing time.  We did a highly demanded series of sugar skull style pin up editorials spanning an entire month of weekend to fit everyone in and I haven't run out of ideas for the make up yet.  It's a good thing there's still one shoot left.  I'm pondering a bit of a departure from my usual glam-centered, glitter and rhinestone encrusted, frosted, sugar faces and delving into a darker side of the season by trying out some of the zombie stuff myself.  But not too far.  I'm still going to wear all the glitz, just adding some of the gore to see how it goes.  Feel free check out the truly amazing work of one of this city's hidden treasures on his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VLphotography0202?ref=stream&viewer_id=100003596165309, but I do have to warn you if you're squeamish, you might want to wait until the Christmas season is in full swing and you can see how gifted a photographer he really is.  For the heartier souls out there, keep your eyes peeled for the calendar coming soon.

Fall Family Fun Fair, 2013

     We are finally settled into a new school year, past the first round of sick bugs and Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  The days are getting shorter as the clock winds us ever closer to the holiday hub bub.  This year, we got to kick off fall with a bang by hosting the first ever annual Fall Family Fun Fair at our church.  What a great time we had planning, organizing and pulling off what turned out to be a truly successful event.  In my old life, BC, (Before Children), I was promoter and event planner, so this was an opportunity to dust off my old skill set and use them on something other than an insanely elaborate, themed birthday party for my kiddies.
As an added bonus, I got to utilize Pinetrest.  I have a love/hate relationship with the site.  As anyone who knows me can attest, I have a multitude of boards covering every conceivable topic and am constantly looking for great ideas to add to them.  It used to be that I was the one that threw the best parties because I was the one with the best ideas and I guarded them jealously.  The recipes, the decorating, the projects, the themes.  They were mine and if you wanted access to them it cost you.       Thanks to Pinterest, all that is over.  Anyone can plan a great event, with a minimum amount of time.  It's not all bad though.  I have a great new career in real estate and I can use my old skills for charitable events and fun, with much less stress.  I'm a little new to working cooperatively, when you're working with friends and volunteers, it's very important to be inclusive and polite, I've learned.  No paycheck means people are less likely to tolerate even a benevolent dictatorship.
Our lovely group of volunteers from Providence Community Church put together an amazing list of super fun activities for the families in Oak Bay to participate in.  We had pumpkin bowling, ring toss, an obstacle course, mask making, beading, face painting, clay creations.  Our big crowd pleasers were the Imagination Station, I was completely stunned and amazed by what the kids built out of blocks of wood, buttons, string, feathers, marbles and glue guns, The "Make Your Own Caramel Apple Bar", where kids got to dip a granny smith apples in a home made caramel dip and cover them in their choice of toppings, raging from mini marshmallows to gummy bears and everything in between.  Outside we had a "Haystack Candy scramble for kids to dig through for prizes, under a huge tent of course because this is Victoria.  Add to all that hot dogs and tons of baked goodies all donated to help raise money to send kids to school in Uganda.
    

Local Oak Bay businesses also donated a great array of prizes to be won by attendees.  It was a great way to introduce our selves to our neighbours, and in turn introduce them to a wonderful cause worth supporting in one of the most needed areas of our world.  Next year, hopefully, we'll get a little more cooperation from the Big Guy, and not have to implement a rain plan, but even if the weather is worse next year, we'll still have the inside of the Monterey Center, just in case.
Providence Community Church meets every Sunday at 1442 Monterey ave, Oak Bay, Victoria, at 10 am.  Everyone is welcome and we have a coffee meet and greet afterwards.  There are also lots of special events all year long.  For more information check out the website:   www.providencecommunitychurch.com

Getting healthy food into everyday life.

As a working, single mom, I am always asked where all my energy comes from and how I manage to accomplish everything that I get done.  A friend of mine has recently been diagnosed with a cancer and her interest in super foods has prompted me to look at how I feed myself and my family.  Most people fixate on my weight and want to know how I have stayed basically the same weight since my teen years.  They always seem to be asking for a secret that I can pass on, a magic pill of some sort that will allow them to maintain their current life style and be a size 4.  I don't have a secret, of course.  A lot of it is just plain genetics but I also eat very little processed foods.  I make most of mine and my kids food from scratch.  Every day, every meal.  I like to cook, I like to bake and on top of that, I'm extremely frugal.  I don't understand things like pancake mix.  From scratch it's: flour, baking powder salt, sugar, egg, oil, milk.  From a mix it's: mix, egg, oil, milk.  You are paying for some one to mix 3 ingredients for you.   And add a ton of chemicals.  I just don't get it.  Making it yourself, you get to control the salt and sugar levels and I keep a cooked container of quinoa in my fridge and add a couple of table spoons to the batter, sometimes extra wheat bran and on special occasions I add cocoa powder.  It's so much healthier and tastier than the store bought mixes and can be used for waffles as well.  My 9 year old just found out I have been putting quinoa in his waffles his whole life and was deeply disturbed to find out I have been making them healthy and that he never even noticed.   When I feel especially creative I experiment with gluten free flours, just for the challenge.  My ever present quinoa, I've discovered, can be run through the food processor once it is cold until it resembles the texture of cornmeal and be substituted into pretty much any baking for up to about half of the called for flour. The results are a little heavier, meatier, but always delicious.  I remember being absolutely heartbroken when my boy came home from a friend's house and informed me he had eaten the best food ever and asked if I knew you could get macaroni and cheese in a blue box.  I've gotten a little less fanatical as the boys have gotten older as I've realized I can't control everything they consume and concentrate on keeping our home as healthy as possible while still allowing them to experience the joys of a Happy Meal occasionally.  I keep our fridge stocked with Greek yogurt and accept that they will just go ask the neighbour's mom for the highly sugared,artificially coloured, individually packaged yoghurt facsimiles once in a while.  As a general rule we don't eat candy, fast food, potato chips, fried foods and to be honest we rarely even drink juice.  We drink iced tea made from no caffeine fruit teas with little to no added sugar.  We don't buy boxed cereal except as a treat.  Most mornings, I make oatmeal for us and stir in some of the pre cooked quinoa and mix it with unsweetened apple sauce and Greek yoghurt.  Some times we add nuts and seeds.  We make our own jams and preserves and we even make our own nut and seed butters from scratch.  It's a super fun and easy project with limitless flavour possibilities and nut combinations and a much cheaper option than store bought.  As for my seemingly boundless energy, it comes from a couple of sources, one, I love coffee, and secondly, I start every single day with my favorite smoothie.  It's packed full of great foods and is like eating ice cream for breakfast.  I blend ice, one banana, half an avocado, pure cocoa powder, peanut butter, Greek yoghurt, (I prefer vanilla) and milk.  Some times I throw in quinoa, strawberries, blueberries, or, next week, local blackberries we will be picking ourselves, pretty much anything else you could think of but most days I stick with the basics and race out the door with one in my hand as I rush of to school, pre school, work, daycare, church,volunteering .....It's my favorite way to start my day, right after my coffee.  So I guess what I'm saying is, I don't need to count calories, I know exactly what's in my food, because I put it there and whenever possible, I grow it too.  I don't mean to imply that I'm perfect, I've been known to eat an entire cheesecake for dinner.  I just don't do it more than once a year and I make sure it's at least a pumpkin one so it counts as a balanced meal.  Pumpkin=veggies, cheese=dairy and protein, crust=fiber and bonus points if you can sneak some quinoa into it.  My son and I just finished a batch of granola/quinoa/rice bars made with a touch of local honey.  Such a delicious treat, gluten free and for this batch anyways, nut free.  The next time we make them I think we'll add some dried local fruit, just don't forget to cook and cool the quinoa first, before you start substituting it into your favourite recipes, especially if you're putting it into your food processor or blender!  Trust me, once it glues itself into a ball, it's pretty much useless for food purposes.  It makes a decent, albeit pricey, play-dough substitute.

Helping kids in Uganda at the Oak Bay Night Market

                                                                                                 This blog is not about real estate, or how great Victoria is.  It's about helping our kids become great adults by leading by example for them,  Finding joy in their communities and giving back.  A couple of weeks ago, I got to volunteer at the Oak Bay Night Market, doing something I love, face painting for kids, raising money for something close to my heart, education for impoverished kids in Uganda.  Our tent will be up again for the market on August 21, 2013.  It was a wonderful evening spent with friends from our church, Providence Community Church, and our kids enjoying the beautiful Victoria sunshine while reaching out to the community around us and teaching our little ones the value of giving.  We had a blast.  My son managed to eat his weight in donated, fresh baked goodies that he carefully paid for, one at a time.  Fuelled by a raging sugar high and the noise and bustle around us, he proceeded to paint his entire face and every exposed centimetre of skin at least four separate times, in completely different themes each time, including times devoted to exploring minions, crocodiles, and ending up covered head to toe with gold glitter tiger stripes  .Some how his appearance didn't seem to scare off any of the parents as the little ones lined up to have their faces made even brighter.  One of the most asked for adornments was ice cream cones, a no brainer for such a gorgeous day, the days most challenging request had to be a blueberry, for a little girl who, as it turns out, didn't even like them.  Thankfully, her standards weren't that high and mottling the blue and purple seemed to help make it more fruit like.  Among other things, I learned that nobody likes the silver face paint when there's gold available and that there is no such thing as a kid that says no to added glitter.  We also got to teach our kids and community about the realities of growing up in Uganda.  20 years of guerilla warfare combined with poverty, illness and displacement has resulted in almost 10% of the population being orphans.  That is a staggering 2.5 million children.  Almost half of the country's population is under the age of 14, a full 49%.  An additional 21% are between 15 and 24.  Only 4% of the population make it past the average life expectancy of 54 years old.  Most die of preventable and/or curable diseases.  Malaria causes 20% of all childhood deaths, an especially frightening statistic considering that the most effective weapon against it are treated mosquito nets that are unaffordable for most families at a cost of $5.  I'm no stranger to tough choices and sacrificing things but I can't fathom losing my baby over $5, the cost of a latte.  One of the most effective solutions to end the cycle of poverty is education.  For comparison, the average Ugandan adult has received 3.5 years of education to our comparable average of 11.5 years.  100%  of the donations we took in go directly to meet the needs in Uganda, managed by indigenous Ugandan Dan Muwanguzi.  Through him and Christian model ministries, 46 orphans are currently receiving an academic education.  School fees for 1 year of primary education is $210 Cnd.  We had such a great time bring happy smiles to kids here and on the other side of the world and got to put some real parenting time into raising compassionate, caring human beings.  We will be there again on August 21st, 2013.  I hope you come out and find us and enjoy some of the baked goods and get a joyfully, if less than perfectly rendered, duck, balloon, or glittered tiger stripes painted on and get some more info on how we can help kids and families in Uganda directly.  We'll see you at the next night market or join us every Sunday in the Monterey Center,  1442 Monterey ave, at 10 am.  Providence Community Church

Summer in Victoria is well under way, with all the fun this wonderful area has to offer.  It is easy and tempting to overlook those that live outside our society's norm while we play in the sun.  The summer months bring a whole new set of obstacles facing the poorer families both here and around the world.  My boys and I spent our Sunday combining the summer outdoors with family, friends, food and altruism.  Sunday was a fundraiser for the Victoria Street Soccer Association, held at the main field behind Victoria High School.  It's not a very glamorous charity, mostly supported privately.  Weekly games are held year round for the marginalized of our society to participate in organized sports, get a meal, (provided by Fat Daddy's Bbq), build community ties and self esteem and in general, participate in the society around them in a meaningful way.  It is loosely affiliated with Street Soccer Canada and the Homeless World Cup and follows the same goals for reaching out to the community.  For more information their achievements and personal stories, as well as upcoming events, click this link:  http://www.streetsoccercanada.org/   The fundraiser on Sunday raised money to pay for the rental of the gym in the Fernwood Community Center over the winter so the players and supporters can get out of the cold wet weather while they participate.  It was a great day to enjoy a barbequed burger with my good friend Alicia and all our kids.  She made the time to come out and support the guys after just completing her own fundraiser for VIDEA, The Victoria International Development Education Association.  She, and her family, kids included, completed a Global Solidarity Challenge that had them trying to live without many of our first world perks.  My personal favorite highlight of her week was the wonderful pictures she posted of her kids enduring cold water bucket baths.  Click here for info on her pledge or to donate:  Alicia's paricipant page  It was a great day, with the only injury being sustained by my 4 year old, a bloody nose, caused by the 9 year old, soccer ball to the face.  We enjoyed our burgers in the sun and Fat Daddy's contribution to her cause put her over the $600 mark for the week.  It was a great way to support our community and pass on some of our good fortune to others as well as being a reminder to keep finding ways to reach out to others in our busy, busy lives.  The next time you are running around our amazing city, enjoying all our wonder amenities, it might be a nice idea to put your Costco card to good use and buy a flat of water to hand out to some of our less fortunate to help beat the summer heat.  Drinking water should be a basic human right, but for all too many in the world, it is a luxury.  I hope to see you out at the next fundraiser.  Info on VIDEA:  Victoria International Development Education Association

I just love living in Victoria.  This is truly one of the most naturally beautiful places on Earth.  The sky is bluer here, the clouds whiter, the foliage lusher, the grass, literally and figuratively, greener.  There is no other time of year that this oasis is more enjoyable than the long, bright, joyful days of summer.  Our normally outgoing and friendly citizens become beaming neighbours to all who visit our home.  I look around our fair city and I swear that even our asphalt and concrete are more appealing shades of grey and black.  I don't think there has been a moment since I moved here that I've wanted to live some where else.  Don't get me wrong, there are things I miss about living in more cosmopolitan and urban metropolises.  I miss rapid transit and subways.  I most assuredly miss the culture and arts available in bigger cities.  I miss restaurants that don't need to rely on tourists to make it through the year.  I miss an independent music scene that extends beyond garage bands.  And boy, do I ever miss vintage shopping as a full fledged hobby.  Trust me, what we have here is vintage lite, at best.  But whenever the nostalgia threatens to become more than a nagging sensation, it only takes a short trip over to Vancouver to visit friends to remind me of why I came here in the first place.  I love the city I grew up in but everything here is just cleaner, fresher and shinier.  I love the fact that when they were designing our newest mall, instead of fighting human nature, they just made the centre of the court yard essentially a water park.  There are no security guards to chase kids out of the fountain in the heat of summer.  Just a welcoming green space surrounded by benches filled with families happily playing together, sharing summer treats with strangers while their kids become fast friends jumping and running in the water splashing against the Van Gogh inspired mosaic tiled fountain.  Don't get me wrong, I still whole-heartedly oppose pretty much everything Wal Mart stands for, but I'm also convinced that we probably have the nicest looking one in existence.   I love living in Victoria.  It truly is a bit of heaven on Earth.  As I once heard some one say, "God has done an absolutely amazing job on all the little squiggly bits  around here!"

    These days I am always having to take a deep breath and remind myself that worry rarely changes the outcome of any situation.  That, when faced with what at first seem like insurmountable obstacles in life, we, as moms, can generally pull off near miracles from just the contents of our cupboards.  When I embarked on this journey of parenting, I, like most people, was much more at it before I had put in any actual woman hours.  Always ready to offer unsolicited advice and quick to judge.

     Having been blessed with a relatively quiet and subdued first boy child, I was able to merrily sail along balancing parenting with working nights and congratulating myself on my vastly superior parenting skills because we were able to go to fancy restaurants with toddler in tow and he would sit quietly at the table and read his books or play with his cars while we basked in the envy of every other parent in the place.  The arrival of boy number 2 quickly dispelled any illusions I had regarding the level of control one actually has over one's children.  I understand now who is actually in charge.

I am now the mom that gets shot dirty looks and not so quiet remarks of derision from the childless and from those parents that had the good sense to stop at one, as I attempt to maintain an ounce of dignity and professionalism while I drag an irate toddler through the mall by one leg (face up, of course) as I race from one appointment to another, so I can pick up the older boy from school on time and get him to one of a million extra curricular activities.  I now know you get the easy baby first, it ensures the propagation of the species.  If the order had been reversed in my two, there would not have been a second one, I'd have been too afraid.  Continuing to work nights while juggling a newborn with the early mornings of a school aged child proved that human beings, even moms, need SOME sleep.  So with that realisation, combined with the knowledge that I'm just driving the crazy train and am not really in control of anything, I decided a drastic career change was now a necessity, not just a dream.

     I decided on a new career that would allow me the freedom to be with my kids, that combined many of my skills and interests and settled upon real estate.  It was shortly after becoming licensed that, once again, reality began to intrude into my plans.  I find myself about a year in and faced with the never easy task of trying to explain current market conditions and, now a single mom, juggling kids, sick days, work and home.  My new career is fun, challenging, interesting and in many ways, not at all what I had envisioned when I started this journey.  I truly love helping people find their perfect home, nothing makes me happier than helping to make a reality, that which seems impossible.  It has forced me to re-examine what I believe it takes to make a house into a home.  I've learned that people are rarely looking for walls and a roof.  People are looking for the right frame to put around their family.

The challenges and successes of the past year have made me realise that I really am capable of almost anything, even if the end result doesn't look anything like what I had pictured in the beginning.  I am probably never going to be the slick and polished real estate agent, with the fancy car and immaculate suit.  I am always going to have smears of home made peanut butter (we ran out, and as most moms can attest, I am willing to try just about anything to avoid a trip to the grocery store with the kids, and we had nuts left over from Christmas and, thank you Google) and goodness knows what else on my clothes.  There will always be Cheerios and granola bar wrappers in between the seats of my car, and I can absolutely guarantee I will not be taking any exotic vacations any time soon, nor will I be making any appearances on television either.  Unless it's a news report about the fire department having to breakdown the door of the bathroom at church because there's a 3 year old who locked himself in and there's no key and he's got all the water turned on.  I also know that I understand all the challenges that face today's families better than any other Realtor around as I've had to live through pretty much every single one of them in the space of a single year.  It has made me a better mom, a better person and definitely a better, more compassionate Realtor.  I've realised just how capable I really am, and that I will get everything that needs to get done accomplished, even if it means using Duct Tape instead of a very necessary but misplaced belt when getting the kids ready for little league practise.  Thankfully he didn't need to use the bathroom during practise!

     I think I might try juggling chainsaws in the coming year, just to keep things exciting.