Warning Signs

Proof that I need to change the password on my phone. This was one of a series of bathroom selfies.  Juniper also managed to turn my GPS off, leading to hi-jinx galore as I tried to find someplace downtown one day

The post this week comes to you live from not-so-sunny Fredericton, NB.  This year's annual CMOS (the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society) meeting is happening here, and Clark was, of course, committed to go.  The rest of us made a relatively last-minute decision to all tag along.  This decision wasn't made lightly: it is a VERY long car ride there and back, and the kids are missing a whole week of school (meaning I am therefore hanging out with them, rather than carting them off every day), but in the end we decided it was worth it.  I'll tell you all about it next week, complete (hopefully) with a nice round of photos.  In the meantime, however, I bring you a little exposé entitled: warning signs.

I often write here about the beautiful green space around our home in Kanata, posting pictures from my daily walks, like this:

It is as wonderful as it sounds.  But it is not perfect.  There are reminders along many of my favourite trails that these paths and woods are only temporary -- that some day soon, they will be levelled in the name of expansion. Or, as in the case of this trail, that the expansion has already begun:

"Trail closed due to construction"

The community, however, is not silent -- along one path, in particular, they have reclaimed the danger signs to convey their own messages about the importance of green space:

It is a pretty interesting form of community dialogue and protest, and I am following it, of course, intently. 

Back on the home front, Juniper has been making some signs of her own.  This one is posted on her door:

Anyone have a guess as to what this is warning against?  Exactly what it seems, as it turns out:  "no smoking cigarettes by fruit trees".  Juniper is concerned the smoke will "get in" the fruit, and make people sick.  A very good reminder.

Then, there was this gem, which I found on her desk one morning:

Translation: "Do not listen to dad.  Do not eat what dad gives you.  Warning!  Do not get in trouble!"

This was after a bit of an argument, wherein Clark insisted that Juniper have some protein for breakfast.  She was requesting bread with butter and jam; Clark told her that if she wanted bread, it had to have peanut butter.  She stomped off to her room, and apparently took out her frustrations in the form of (relatively hilarious) warning sign to herself.  

There are, however, some positive signs around as well, if you know where to look:

"a big hug" (thataway)

And with that, I'm off to figure out what Fredericton has in store for us today. I'll report back next week!

Happy May 2-4!

I pause only briefly today, to say hello.  We are, you see, using this beautiful long weekend Monday to.... wait for it.... CLEAN.  I kid you not.  It was Juniper's suggestion.  Oh, we'll likely go for a nice long bike ride or nature walk once it is not so hot later on in the afternoon, but for now - we clean.  In particular, there has been some major car detailing.  Again, I'm not kidding.  It is full on - vacuuming, spot cleaning with actual product, mat scrubbing - things that have not happened since we bought the car.  Exhibits a) and b):

Linden is in charge of scrubbing the mats...

... and Juniper is just... in charge. Cleaning apparently involves a clipboard and lists.

And now, I must get back to it.  Things won't just clean themselves!  I'll have to see what Juniper has decided is next on the list.

Tulips, Woods, and Juniper Wisdom

Happy and self-satisfied mountain biker

This week, I mostly have pictures of the beautiful spring forest.  Between my daily walks, and our family weekend mountain biking adventure, the woods are where we have been spending most of our collective time as of late.  Since I offered up some Linden wisdom last week, however, this week I'll offer some gems from the head of young Ms. Juniper.  I will also offer up this one, not super awesome photo from our experience with Ottawa's annual tulip festival:

Hanging with Claire!

My cousin Claire just happens to be in Ottawa right now, and spent a very fun day with us on Saturday.  She wisely suggested that we head to the pavilion to see what festivities were going on for the tulip festival, and we did just that: taking in concerts, displays, many large, painted tulips (such as the one in the background), and some of the glorious real variety (though the pavilion was not the hub of the real tulip display).  And amidst all that, this was the only picture I managed to snap.  An uninteresting background, Linden looking somewhere completely different, and Juniper covering up some of the tulip with her ball cap.  But - at least we have proof that it happened!  And at least we were able to see Claire and take advantage of the festivities - we missed out completely last year (as we had only JUST moved here).

Robin eggs always startle me when I happen across them.  So very, very blue!

So, Juniper. Juniper is, I believe, beginning to transition from a "little kid" to a "big kid".  I didn't really realize that such a transition even existed, but now that I'm in it, the signs seem unmistakable. As a case in point, she currently has an imaginary boyfriend, who she has named "Chris".  I know that this was not initially prompted by her own imaginings - she came home one day awhile ago, sourly declaring that the other girls at school "made" her pretend she had a boyfriend in one of their recess games.  But since then, she has embraced it, and Chris seems to be sticking around - at least for now.

A slithery friend, who posed just long enough for me to snap a shot.

 As I was tucking her in last night, she began telling me about the scenarios she imagined with her and Chris.  Topmost was the one where they were both on the school bus, and someone put his hands around Chris's neck, trying to choke him.  Juniper then turns on her "superpowers", swoops in, and comes to the rescue!  (and sometimes, in these instances, she also turns on her super hearing powers, and catches Chris sighing and muttering "I wish my girlfriend was here")

The kind of massive tree that, with just a few more leaves, you could almost imagine living in

Anyway, I wasn't entirely sure how I'd react to Juniper's imagined boyfriend scenarios, but at this, I laughed out loud, and gave her a heartfelt high-five for being the superhero and valiantly saving the day.  I know that when I imagined such things at her age (or, surely, when I was older than her!), I was always the one being saved.  I much prefer her version.

I found a tree with a winding fairy staircase!

I also very cautiously and vaguely discussed the concept of "having a boyfriend", and what you needed to be careful of.  High on my list were "being smart", making sure you didn't lose your sense of self or your other friends and interests in the process, and not doing anything dangerous or risky.  Juniper nodded sagely at this, and said, "Yeah.  Like taking a hot air balloon ride with not enough air.  You'd get up high, and then crash to the ground!  That would probably happen if you let your boyfriend take care of bringing the air.  I would make sure I was in charge of that".  Phew. One very pressing concern off my mind.

We tried out a new mountain biking trail, which was - as you can see - a little beyond our skill level.

Beyond imaginary boyfriends, Juniper is navigating the world of "friendships" at school.  This seems to be an incredibly frustrating ebb and flow of being "allowed in", and "kicked off" of teams, headed by the bossier or more domineering girls in her class. There is absolutely bullying and mind games that are played, and it kills me that there is very little I can do, other than offer advice.  My advice, however, is typically of the "just don't play with those girls!  Play with the kind people! Make your own "teams", which are loving and all inclusive!", and is only ever given cursory heed.  Playground politics are beyond any true grasp or understanding at this point, and Juniper will, I suppose, ultimately have to navigate them herself.

But other parts were met with gusto!

Other than that, Juniper is mostly a very sweet, enthusiastic, creative soul.  She loves reading -- enough that we sometimes have to lay down the law, and take books away, which seems ridiculous.  But once she's been on the toilet for the better part of an hour (when she's supposed to have already had a shower and gotten her pjs on), then things get real, folks.  She also loves to learn.  She will sometimes ask me to give her math problems, and is thrilled when she suddenly understands how to do something new.  She loves being able to now play the violin with some proficiency (though, depending on the day, practicing can be a frustrating ordeal). She is clever, sometimes devious (ask me about the candy incident one day), sensitive, and stubborn. but as long as we can nurture some of that "superhero" confidence, I think she'll do just fine as she muddles her way to adulthood.

Mother's Day, and Linden wisdom

On a super fun family bike trip. The trilliums are out!

Happy, happy Mother's day to all the wonderful mothers out there!  This year, mother's day passed by in a flurry of activity -- it began with a sleep-in (8 am!), followed by some presents in bed (both hand-made and hand-picked from Value Village).  It then proceeded to a wonderful impromptu early brunch with Jane, Mike and Poppy, and ended with us crashing a family get-together hosted by some Kanata friends.  I always feel particularly lucky at this time of year -- both to be a mom and have such wonderful mothers in my life.

Every year, Clark interviews the kids and asks them the same questions about me, to see how things change or remain consistent from year to year.  I won't post the whole interviews, but the answers that kept appearing with some regularity this year from both kids were that I really like to snuggle, and that I'm good at cooking food. That's me in a nutshell, folks.

Post-brunch park time with Poppy

Seeing as I fill this page each week with my own (sometimes inane) ramblings, I thought that today I'd offer some relatively random stories and observations, fresh from the young mind of Linden.

Two trilliums - one in full bloom, and it's white cousin, about to open.  I've always had a fondness for trilliums.

The other day, I broke down and got some Puffins cereal for Linden.  He'd been patiently but persistently requesting it for weeks. When he woke up the next morning, I said:

Tara: "Guess what, Linden?  Because you really wanted it, and you've been so polite and patient, I got you a special box of Puffins"

Linden: "And also because I'm a very good boy, and you love me sooooo much, right?"

My old nemesis: the broken foot woods.  We've recently become reacquainted.  So far, so good.

This past week, Linden's Junior Kindergarten class got together with two other classes, and put on a show.  There were a whole bunch of ridiculously cute kids, doing their best to sing all the songs they had been practising for weeks. Linden was VERY excited to be partaking, though he was upset he didn't have clothes that were nearly fancy enough (the tie was the best compromise we could come up with, short of borrowing one of Juniper's dresses, which he strongly considered and then eventually dismissed).

Going to bed that night, we asked him (as we always do), what his favourite part of the day was. His reply?:

"Singing on stage, and being sooooo proud of myself"  (and then, thinking about it a bit more) "and the dessert".

At least being proud of himself came first!

Linden in front of his life-sized artwork at his school concert

Though she had no part in the concert, Juniper couldn't resist donning her fanciest dress.  Or settling in for some pre-concert reading.

Post-concert photo op

Stuffing post-concert dessert in his face

Linden will get frustrated about things he has trouble with; mad at Juniper for pestering him, and upset when he thinks people are laughing at him.  He is a sensitive little guy.  What has been causing him an especially large amount of grief as of late, however, is (if you can believe it) the fact that he will never be able to carry a child.  I kid you not.

Often, the conversation will go something like this:

Linden: "I want to be like you when I grow up, mom"
Tara:  "What a nice thing to say, Linden!  What do you mean by that?"
Linden: "I want to be a girl"
Tara: "Oh, really?  Why is that?  What would you like about being a girl?"
Linden: "I want to have a uterus. I want to grow a baby in my uterus.  But I know I can't."

We've had lots of discussions about what he CAN do, and how he can contribute as a parent, and all the decisions he can make (about gender etc etc), but I think really and truly, the only thing he really wants is the one thing he can't have.  It is both sweet, and sad.

I will say, however, that just yesterday, the topic came up again when we were at brunch, and he told Jane authoritatively that he can "help MAKE a baby".  So things are, perhaps, looking up in his world.

Spring blooms, which make every walk even more exhilarating than normal

Beautiful blossoms covering the woods floors

Linden has also recently been touting the importance of physical activity.  Or, as he calls it, "extra-cising".  This is, I think, an especially important concept for someone with so much energy.  We are all more than happy to oblige and participate in extra-cising, in all the many forms it can take.

Juniper, helping Linden complete his "obstacle course" - both by making the rings possible, and by simultaneously counting down to see if he could complete the entire circuit in 30 seconds.  

Why settle for plain old soccer when you can get a cliff involved?

Flying a little balsa airplane

Climbing trees.  Bonus point to Juniper for initiating and completing the task in a long dress.  A girl after my own heart.

When in Ottawa...

Popsicle stick rafts, and a quick respite from the rain

Ottawa has a lot going for it, truly.  I may be an east coast girl at heart, but I know enough to take advantage of a good thing when I have it.  And around here, there are many good things.  In our immediate dwelling, there are (as I have mentioned many times over), an abundance of lovely wooded adventurelands. We explore and enjoy these areas year round, rain or shine.  This weekend, for instance, we donned all of our best rain gear, and spent a drizzly morning launching popsicle stick rafts in a flowing wooded stream:

Linden's raft even started out with a sail!

Launching into full-on rapids

Juniper choosing a spot higher up

What's more fun than launching a boat?  Retrieving it with a big stick, of course

Juniper's cure for cold hands

The boys

 With the risk of sounding geeky, one of the best things about this Canadian capital are the many super cool museums and galleries.  We go to the Museum of Nature on a regular basis, and will often skip off to the Museum of History/Children's museum as well.  This weekend, however, we explored not one, but TWO places we had not yet been:  The National Gallery, and the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum. I really don't take these places for granted - especially when there are library passes that (if you act very quickly and snatch them up before someone else), can get you in for free.

The National Gallery:

The day's art project: making clay figures

All dressed up and ready to go find the paintings where the costumes are featured

Juniper finds her painting, and poses just so

Linden doing exactly the same thing with his

Juniper and the big spider outside the gallery 

the spider from a distance, with a cathedral in the background

Another cool outside statue, with the sun behind it

Playing tag with parliament in the background

One handsome fella

The Aviation and Space Museum:

Trying their skills in a cockpit

In front of some very yellow planes

By Sunday night, we were all one tired little family.  But full of both nature and culture - what more could you ask for?