It started snowing Tuesday night and we woke up to a shitload of snow on Wednesday. It’s beautiful, for sure—the scenery changed dramatically overnight. It has that perfect “Hollywood Christmas” feel. No wind, snow artistically stuck to trees, branches and poles, a picture-perfect white landscape.
If I have to look at him throw shoes down the stairs (he is apparently at the “wow, gravity is fun!” stage) I am going to lose my mind. That’s it. Now I am definitely feeling guilty for even writing this. I should love my son’s company and I should cherish and treasure every second I spend with him… shouldn’t I?
In recent years, the condominium industry has been booming in Canada, with dozens of new towers being erected each year. And they are usually marketed with buzzwords such as “Modern living!” “Amazing layout!” “Hotel inspired!” “Luxury units!” “Granit countertops!”
Everyone has heard about French eating snails and frog legs. Fun fact: I have never ever seen frog legs and the only time I saw snails on the menu was in these tourist trap restaurants in the Latin Quarter in Paris. These foods are a bit of a stereotype, like saying “Chinese eat dog meat”—the average French person doesn’t actually crave snails or frogs. On the other hand, some beloved foods are… well, strange from an outsider’s perspective.
I am the first one to admit I don’t own a copy of the very much sought-after Life for Dummies – An Instruction Manual. Yet, even if my motto is “no gods, no masters”, I have a conscience, this wonderful aptitude that assists in distinguishing right from wrong.
Since Halloween, the retail world has switched into winter mode. The buzzwords are “soft”, “cozy”, “warm”, “layers” and “outerwear”—said Old Navy even has a “cold-weather accessories” category… that’s Canada for you!
Even nature doesn’t like November. Trees are bare now, the geese all flew South for the winter a few weeks ago and the crops have been harvested at the Experimental Farm, leaving nothing behind, just empty fields. Nothing? Well, maybe some seeds… and the birds found them.
The first few months after Mark’s birth, everyone was very understanding. Most folks know babies are tough at first and that it takes time to adjust. But Mark is one now and I should have it all figured out by now. I don’t.
Mark is turning thirteen-month-old on November 12. Not a big milestone like his one-year-old birthday but it still deserves an update, as he has been busy learning new tricks!
Feng and I love to imitate “Mark who bumps his head against the floor trying to lick it”, “Mark walking and crash landing” or the mini-tantrums he throws when he can’t reach something.
Because I didn’t grow up in Canada, I sometime don’t get what all the fuss is about. These “treats” weren’t part of my childhood and it’s harder to adopt them later in life. Or maybe I’m just a picky French girl after all. So here are some foods Canadians seem to be crazy about… and I don’t get why!
Because Mark is still young, I shadow him everywhere, including in places where I’m obviously not supposed to be—inside the tiny house at the playground or at the very top of the McDonalds’ play structure. About that… how am I going to go down with Mark? Crap. One of these days, I’m going to get stuck in the slide.
I open the curtains—yep, it’s raining—and set Mark beside his “treasure chest”, an empty box of diapers filled with toys. He empties it loudly, climbs on the box and two seconds later starts crying because… because of what, actually? “Why do toddlers scream?” I Google. Twenty results. “Why do toddlers cry?” yields 8,000 results and the first one is encouraging “Why do toddlers cry and how to deal with it.”
In Ottawa, we give out candies every year. But I couldn’t really go trick-or-treating without that essential accessory—a kid. I baked a baby for nine months and I’m trying to raise a toddler. I deserve to go trick-or-treating now!