Our first apartment in the city was half an hour from both of our parents. We spent weekdays with my husband's parents, weekends with my family. But we knew that we’d be moving when my husband finished his degree. There was high competition for teaching positions in the city and a desperate need for teachers in the rural areas. We thought that being willing to move to the country would get him a job—and we were right.
His first job was in northern Alberta, in a small town that was a four-hour drive from my family and a seven-hour drive from his parents’ new home. We drove that at least once a month, for various family gatherings, conferences, weddings, and other events; at the end of the year, we decided that we wanted to be closer to family again.
For the last year, we’ve lived within an hour of my aunt and uncle, forty minutes of my brother, half an hour of his parents and his sister’s family, fifteen minutes of my grandparents. My in-laws were able to babysit Sunshine while I was working. And when we had to move to BC sooner than we expected, we took an extended holiday at his parents’ place.
Now, we are twice as far from either of our families than we were when we lived up north. Sometimes I find myself questioning that, wondering why we choose this city. (Because it’s the only one with a creative writing program for me and a law co-op program for my husband). Convincing Sunshine that we can’t go visit “Gamma and Gampa” whenever she wants has been hard.
The other day, my mom called us. After I’d been chatting for a few minutes, Sunshine wanted her turn to talk to “Gamma D—.” She visited for a few minutes, talking about swimming and saying “yes” to whatever Grandma D— was telling her. Then she asked Grandma D— to come visit. When that failed, she changed tactics, suggesting, “I go to Gamma D—?” Mom and I didn't know how to explain that she couldn't do this, that she had to wait until Christmas (of which she has no concept yet).
One of the parks that we went to had a little ride-on toy for the kids in the shape of a D6 cat. I wished that I had brought my camera, to take a picture of it to send to her Grandpa—though riding it isn't quite the same as riding the real thing with him. Every once in a while, she says “oh boy” just the way that he does and I find myself missing them.
Everyone says we’ll like it in Victoria, that we’ll want to stay here when we’re done school. I keep saying that our family is back in Alberta. We’re getting our degrees and going home again.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Does Homeschooling Work?
With more than 2 million students busy doing schoolwork at home this fall, perhaps we should ask this question: How are those homeschool graduates faring? Does homeschooling work? Are graduates thriving in excellent colleges, universities, the military, and the labor force? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding "Yes!"
"Homeschooling high school is no longer uncharted territory . . . . There are a multitude of homeschooled graduates who are bearing fruit in the workplace, in the military, in their families, and in colleges across the country," states the Home-School Legal Defense Association. Dr. Brian Ray of NHERI summarized the status of homeschool grads with these words: "Homeschool graduates are just as or more likely to go on to college as the general population, more satisfied in their work, happier with their lives overall, and more involved in civic affairs."
Homeschool graduates are proving that schooling at home works, and more and more families are opting to make the sacrifices required to educate their children at home—an investment of time, energy, and resources that is earning huge dividends.
Homeschoolers typically score above average on SAT and ACT tests, and colleges, who appear to be waking up to the fact that homeschool grads make outstanding candidates for admission, consequently are recruiting them with zeal. The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine featured an article in their Fall 2009 issue titled "We Love Homeschoolers! Prominent Colleges Jump on the Bandwagon," which discussed the current trend among colleges nationwide to actively recruit homeschool graduates. Author Claire Novak cited "the desirability of students schooled in an untraditional learning environment" as one of the factors that's gotten the attention of schools.
Apparently some of the $26.7 billion that homeschooling is saving working taxpayers can benefit homeschool graduates in the form of financial aid. According to Christine Field of Homeschool Legal Advantage, "The Department of Education has made it clear that homeschooled graduates are to be treated equally for purposes of admission or financial aid" and have backed up that stand with the Higher Education Act Amendments of 1998.
Zan Tyler, who began homeschooling back in 1984, when it wasn't such a popular choice, has observed that parents are successfully preparing their sons and daughters-academically, spiritually, and socially—to take the world by storm, and many institutions of higher education are taking notice, courting their registration in dual-enrollment programs and offering scholarships and other incentives to lure homeschoolers in their direction. Let's face it: Homeschooling is one big success story; it's no wonder that more and more families are joining their ranks.
Although academic achievement is a high priority among homeschoolers, the influence of homeschooling parents reaches beyond academic topics. Kelly Bagdanov, veteran home educator of 24 years, described it this way: "We need a vision for what education can be. We need to move beyond meeting minimum requirements or keeping up with relatives' expectations. We need to throw off the mediocre . . . to pursue the excellent. Our goal should be far beyond reaching graduation; it must be to inspire our children to be men and women of integrity, curiosity, strength, and courage."
As the homeschooling movement continues to expand, and as the graduates from among their ranks assume positions of leadership and responsibility in the United States [and Canada], our nation will be watching. Most citizens would agree that our nation desperately needs leaders: men and women of integrity, curiosity, strength, and courage. The fact that homeschooling is the fastest-growing form of education in our country may just offer our nation that hope we're looking for.
This is the shortened, condensed version of an article by Donna Rees (Managing Editor at TOS Magazine) published in a TOS e-newsletter; reprinted with permission of TOS. Visit the TOS home page to view a free sample (click the page-flipping graphic on the left).
"Homeschooling high school is no longer uncharted territory . . . . There are a multitude of homeschooled graduates who are bearing fruit in the workplace, in the military, in their families, and in colleges across the country," states the Home-School Legal Defense Association. Dr. Brian Ray of NHERI summarized the status of homeschool grads with these words: "Homeschool graduates are just as or more likely to go on to college as the general population, more satisfied in their work, happier with their lives overall, and more involved in civic affairs."
Homeschool graduates are proving that schooling at home works, and more and more families are opting to make the sacrifices required to educate their children at home—an investment of time, energy, and resources that is earning huge dividends.
Apparently some of the $26.7 billion that homeschooling is saving working taxpayers can benefit homeschool graduates in the form of financial aid. According to Christine Field of Homeschool Legal Advantage, "The Department of Education has made it clear that homeschooled graduates are to be treated equally for purposes of admission or financial aid" and have backed up that stand with the Higher Education Act Amendments of 1998.
Zan Tyler, who began homeschooling back in 1984, when it wasn't such a popular choice, has observed that parents are successfully preparing their sons and daughters-academically, spiritually, and socially—to take the world by storm, and many institutions of higher education are taking notice, courting their registration in dual-enrollment programs and offering scholarships and other incentives to lure homeschoolers in their direction. Let's face it: Homeschooling is one big success story; it's no wonder that more and more families are joining their ranks.
Although academic achievement is a high priority among homeschoolers, the influence of homeschooling parents reaches beyond academic topics. Kelly Bagdanov, veteran home educator of 24 years, described it this way: "We need a vision for what education can be. We need to move beyond meeting minimum requirements or keeping up with relatives' expectations. We need to throw off the mediocre . . . to pursue the excellent. Our goal should be far beyond reaching graduation; it must be to inspire our children to be men and women of integrity, curiosity, strength, and courage."
As the homeschooling movement continues to expand, and as the graduates from among their ranks assume positions of leadership and responsibility in the United States [and Canada], our nation will be watching. Most citizens would agree that our nation desperately needs leaders: men and women of integrity, curiosity, strength, and courage. The fact that homeschooling is the fastest-growing form of education in our country may just offer our nation that hope we're looking for.
This is the shortened, condensed version of an article by Donna Rees (Managing Editor at TOS Magazine) published in a TOS e-newsletter; reprinted with permission of TOS. Visit the TOS home page to view a free sample (click the page-flipping graphic on the left).
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Carnival of Cities
My post about Beacon Hill Park was just featured on the Carnival of Cities blog carnival. Hop on over for a tour of some other cities around the world!
Q&A with Miralee Ferrell
Q: You’re published in both contemporary and historical fiction. Which one do you feel is a better fit? How did you come to that realization?
A: It's funny....because I have The Other Daughter and Finding Jeena, but I'm also working on a third historical right now for Summerside. I'm leaning towards going the historical route for the long term. I have one more contemporary story I believe I’m supposed to write, then I may let go of that genre and stick with historical. We’ll see what the Lord (and publishers!) have in mind, though.
Q: Introduce us to Jeena.
A: Readers first met Jeena as Susanne’s friend in The Other Daughter, and most didn’t care for her. She’s a rather focused business woman whose goal in life is to find success in her chosen profession, interior design. Childhood experiences have soured her on Christians and made her mistrust most men, and she has strong opinions on people who aren’t as successful as she.
Jeena’s personality and outlook on life is one that we see daily in many worldly people around us. It’s going to take some hard knocks and God’s intervention to show Jeena another way of life before it’s too late. By the time you finish reading Finding Jeena, I believe you’ll have a deep sympathy and understanding for this hurting woman, and be cheering her on as she finally figures out which path to take.
Q: What was your inspiration behind a book dealing with life at rock bottom?
A: Jeena led me down that path as I began writing her story. She wasn’t happy that so many readers didn’t like or understand her after they read The Other Daughter, and demanded I explain her background. Then of course, she continued making poor choices, and other things happened outside her control, leading her to a place she never thought she’d go.
At the time I wrote Finding Jeena, the economy was strong and jobs were plentiful. A few months after finishing it and while in the midst of edits, things took a sharp downturn, making what happens to Jeena very believable in today’s world. I think anyone who’s struggled with finances or job loss will relate to this story and find hope.
Q: Tell us about your book cover! How did it come about?
A: I was so blessed when Kregel gave me the opportunity to shoot the photo for the cover of The Other Daughter, and used it. With Finding Jeena I sent in three different shots I’d taken that I felt depicted key scenes in the book. They loved the one of Jeena sitting on a park bench, suitcases by her side and used it exactly the way I did it.
One cool little-known fact is the model of Jeena is the mother of the 13-year-old girl I used on the cover of The Other Daughter. It’s been awesome to have my photos used on two of my covers, as I understand from my editor that only happens (at least with Kregel) about 5% of the time (or less).
Q: Do you have new stories in the works we can look forward to reading?
A: Yes, one releases in late January next year that I’m very excited about. It’s with Summerside Press and the title is Love Finds You in Tombstone, AZ. It’s my third Love Finds You title and is another historical romance. This one is set in 1881, just a few months prior to the gunfight at the OK Corral. It follows Christy Grey, a strong secondary character readers met and loved from my book Love Finds You in Last Chance, CA. The book should be showing up on Amazon and Christianbook.com in the next month or so for preorder. This is my favorite of the three I’ve done with them, and it has an old west feel for readers who enjoy a western romance.
Q: Anything else you’d like to tell us?
A: I’m working on updating my website with pictures I took while visiting Last Chance, CA, Bridal Veil, OR, and Tombstone, AZ. Please check it out over the next couple of weeks and click on the link (coming soon) that says Research Photos. Thank you for having me! And I’d love to hear from readers with any other questions they may have.
Monday, August 23, 2010
God's Minute
I’ve started unpacking the books. There’s a few that I’d like to find, so I began in the den. After I get Nicole to bed, I’ll go put a few boxes on the shelves. It’s like finding old friends again. All my reference books, my writing books, my old Dickens collection, books I want to read again and books I’ve read lots. Fifteen years of journals fill one shelf. My husband’s collection of old books fills two shelves.
Among the old books, with their faded hard covers and musty-smelling pages, one caught my eye. It’s small enough to fit in my back pocket. Brown print on the navy blue cover reads GOD’S MINUTE: A Book of 365 Daily Prayers Sixty Seconds Long for HOME WORSHIP. I flipped through it, intrigued. It’s like any other daily devotional book I’ve seen, but this one was printed in 1923 and uses the language of that day.
I picked it up this morning as I waited for the computer to boot up, and flipped through the pages to “August Twenty-third.” I read the prayer twice, for it put into beautiful language a prayer that I could pray every day:
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.—Prov. 3:3-4
Our Father, Thou has given us the morning light so sweet to our eyes; give us also, we pray Thee, the morning blessing which shall fill the whole day with its sweetness and beauty.
May all the duties of the day, however distasteful in themselves, become a delight as we hear Thy voice calling us to go forward fearlessly into the heart of them, in the assurance that we shall find Thee waiting for us there, ready to give us the strength we need.
May all our relationships within and without this home be consecrated by the touch of Thy hand, by which all that is base, belittling and untrue shall be removed and destroyed.
When the night comes, may we be able to look back upon a day in which the burdens of others have been lightened, and in which hearts that have lost hope have been filled with new faith in God and His controlling love. In Christ’s name we ask it. Amen. (Charles Wood, D.D., Washington, D.C.)
Among the old books, with their faded hard covers and musty-smelling pages, one caught my eye. It’s small enough to fit in my back pocket. Brown print on the navy blue cover reads GOD’S MINUTE: A Book of 365 Daily Prayers Sixty Seconds Long for HOME WORSHIP. I flipped through it, intrigued. It’s like any other daily devotional book I’ve seen, but this one was printed in 1923 and uses the language of that day.
I picked it up this morning as I waited for the computer to boot up, and flipped through the pages to “August Twenty-third.” I read the prayer twice, for it put into beautiful language a prayer that I could pray every day:
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.—Prov. 3:3-4
Our Father, Thou has given us the morning light so sweet to our eyes; give us also, we pray Thee, the morning blessing which shall fill the whole day with its sweetness and beauty.
May all the duties of the day, however distasteful in themselves, become a delight as we hear Thy voice calling us to go forward fearlessly into the heart of them, in the assurance that we shall find Thee waiting for us there, ready to give us the strength we need.
May all our relationships within and without this home be consecrated by the touch of Thy hand, by which all that is base, belittling and untrue shall be removed and destroyed.
When the night comes, may we be able to look back upon a day in which the burdens of others have been lightened, and in which hearts that have lost hope have been filled with new faith in God and His controlling love. In Christ’s name we ask it. Amen. (Charles Wood, D.D., Washington, D.C.)
Friday, August 20, 2010
Explore: Beacon Hill Park, Victoria
Besides unpacking and meeting the neighbors, we’ve also been exploring the city a bit. On Wednesday, after I got overwhelmed by trying to sort out the girls’ clothes (what fits who and who’ll be growing into what soon), we went to Beacon Hill Park for the afternoon.
Finding the Victoria map book that my aunt gave us has made getting around the city much easier, but my husband seems to be mastering directions and streets here better than I am. This is the first time we’ve moved to a new city and I sometimes find myself wishing we were back in one of last two small towns we lived in, with only one main street that took half a day to explore. I’m starting to grasp the main drags and Beacon Hill Park was off a main drag. We took the scenic ocean-view route there, with Sunshine exclaiming, “I see a boat, Mommy! I wanna go a beach, Mommy! There’s water, Mommy!”
At Beacon Hill Park, we stopped first at the Children’s Farm (a petting zoo). Sunshine ran from pen to pen, looking at the ducks, pigs, and horses. She enjoyed the bunnies and guinea pigs as well, but was a bit shy around the goats, to my surprise. She tentatively brushed them but didn’t want to pet them, and when a baby goat climbed up on the rocks with her, she wasn’t very happy. One baby goat was climbing on people as well, and went jumping over me when I bent down to help Sunshine with her sweater.
The suggested donation for the children’s farm (not listed anywhere in Frommer’s or on the website) was $3 for adults and $2 for children. We got there right before it closed, so we didn’t pay. Half an hour was about enough time to spend in the park and I didn’t think it was worth $8 (maybe $4). Perhaps if that was the only place that Sunshine could see animals, I’d want to take her more, but she’s already met lots of cows and dogs and other critters.
From there, we drove around the park several times trying to see what else was there. The view from the top of the hill, out over the ocean with the mountains in blue haze on the other side, was very nice. We missed the splash park the first three or four times we drove past it, because it wasn’t turned on; it’s a huge watering can that squirts water in various directions. We stopped at the playground and let Sunshine play for quite a while, then went walking around the trails.
We’ve started taking the girls on hikes lately, so the trails through the park were a good chance to go for a longer walk. Sunshine enjoyed tramping along the trails and Lily was quite happy as well, looking around at all the trees and flowers. I found it fascinating how the terrain went from carefully manicured lawns and gardens to native island rock and grass sticking up. We saw two blue herons in one of the lakes, as well as all the ducks who came paddling over looking for handouts (despite the signs about not feeding them).
The history of the area fascinated me. The original bandstand has been relocated in the park and now has several posters with information and pictures about the park history. Apparently it has been there since 1850, when the chief Hudson’s Bay Company man allocated it as a park. It was given to the city in 1882 and was a very popular place because it reminded the city’s inhabitants of their native England. Now, there’s a good collection of native trees and plants, but for a while, most of the plans for the park seemed intent on making it a good English park.
Of course, however, I forgot my camera, so I haven’t any pictures to share with you. One further note about the park: it’s very popular with cyclists and joggers, so watch for them when driving through the park. We may be back with our own bikes or to explore more of the trails there with the girls.
Finding the Victoria map book that my aunt gave us has made getting around the city much easier, but my husband seems to be mastering directions and streets here better than I am. This is the first time we’ve moved to a new city and I sometimes find myself wishing we were back in one of last two small towns we lived in, with only one main street that took half a day to explore. I’m starting to grasp the main drags and Beacon Hill Park was off a main drag. We took the scenic ocean-view route there, with Sunshine exclaiming, “I see a boat, Mommy! I wanna go a beach, Mommy! There’s water, Mommy!”
At Beacon Hill Park, we stopped first at the Children’s Farm (a petting zoo). Sunshine ran from pen to pen, looking at the ducks, pigs, and horses. She enjoyed the bunnies and guinea pigs as well, but was a bit shy around the goats, to my surprise. She tentatively brushed them but didn’t want to pet them, and when a baby goat climbed up on the rocks with her, she wasn’t very happy. One baby goat was climbing on people as well, and went jumping over me when I bent down to help Sunshine with her sweater.
The suggested donation for the children’s farm (not listed anywhere in Frommer’s or on the website) was $3 for adults and $2 for children. We got there right before it closed, so we didn’t pay. Half an hour was about enough time to spend in the park and I didn’t think it was worth $8 (maybe $4). Perhaps if that was the only place that Sunshine could see animals, I’d want to take her more, but she’s already met lots of cows and dogs and other critters.
From there, we drove around the park several times trying to see what else was there. The view from the top of the hill, out over the ocean with the mountains in blue haze on the other side, was very nice. We missed the splash park the first three or four times we drove past it, because it wasn’t turned on; it’s a huge watering can that squirts water in various directions. We stopped at the playground and let Sunshine play for quite a while, then went walking around the trails.
We’ve started taking the girls on hikes lately, so the trails through the park were a good chance to go for a longer walk. Sunshine enjoyed tramping along the trails and Lily was quite happy as well, looking around at all the trees and flowers. I found it fascinating how the terrain went from carefully manicured lawns and gardens to native island rock and grass sticking up. We saw two blue herons in one of the lakes, as well as all the ducks who came paddling over looking for handouts (despite the signs about not feeding them).
The history of the area fascinated me. The original bandstand has been relocated in the park and now has several posters with information and pictures about the park history. Apparently it has been there since 1850, when the chief Hudson’s Bay Company man allocated it as a park. It was given to the city in 1882 and was a very popular place because it reminded the city’s inhabitants of their native England. Now, there’s a good collection of native trees and plants, but for a while, most of the plans for the park seemed intent on making it a good English park.
Of course, however, I forgot my camera, so I haven’t any pictures to share with you. One further note about the park: it’s very popular with cyclists and joggers, so watch for them when driving through the park. We may be back with our own bikes or to explore more of the trails there with the girls.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
First Impressions
When little things in our old place would begin to bug me (the doors that didn’t close without a lot of noise and effort, the dead-end hardwood floor at the bathroom linoleum), I’d imagine this place. It’s slightly newer than other places that we’ve lived and the rental agreement seemed pretty serious. I was looking forward to a nice place.
When we decided that I’d stay in Alberta with the girls while my husband and his parents moved our stuff to BC, I sent my camera with them. Take pictures, I said, so I can get an idea of where we’re moving to. They came back with lots of pictures—of all the damage to the walls, the holes in the carpet and linoleum, the scratches on the doors. Because of the long weekend, there hadn’t been staff there to do the walk-through and my husband wanted proof that we hadn’t caused the damage. Looking at the pictures—especially the one of the dirty oven—I was disheartened.
On our first night here, as we walked through the place and I grumbled about all the things that looked worse in life than on my camera, my husband asked, worried, “But do you like it? We can ask for a different unit—“
“We’re not moving again,” I said. “It’s fine.” I was just tired after a long drive. Disappointed after all my high hopes. In the morning, things looked better. The patched picture holes were easier to ignore; they’ll make it simple to hang pictures—we’ll just put our pictures in the old holes. I cleaned the bathroom and the kitchen cupboards, but I ignored the oven and complained about it when we finally did the walk-through. They sent the household staff over to do it. I don’t mind cleaning own dirt; I object to cleaning up after someone else, and the previous tenants left this place dirty.
Now that we’ve got all the furniture where we want it and more things unpacked, the place is growing on me. There’s lots of closets, for the neat-freak in me that likes things put away and organized. The windows are big and bright (our last place felt dark to me). The kitchen is bigger, and even has a “pantry” (something I’ve always wanted). I didn’t need to use the Ikea kitchen shelves we’ve used in every other place we lived, so those have moved to the living room to hold photo albums and toys. And having the den for a study space and “child-free zone” will be nice.
As usual, it just takes a few days or weeks to make a house a home. To place the furniture, arrange the knickknacks, hang the pictures. To make it ours.
When we decided that I’d stay in Alberta with the girls while my husband and his parents moved our stuff to BC, I sent my camera with them. Take pictures, I said, so I can get an idea of where we’re moving to. They came back with lots of pictures—of all the damage to the walls, the holes in the carpet and linoleum, the scratches on the doors. Because of the long weekend, there hadn’t been staff there to do the walk-through and my husband wanted proof that we hadn’t caused the damage. Looking at the pictures—especially the one of the dirty oven—I was disheartened.
On our first night here, as we walked through the place and I grumbled about all the things that looked worse in life than on my camera, my husband asked, worried, “But do you like it? We can ask for a different unit—“
“We’re not moving again,” I said. “It’s fine.” I was just tired after a long drive. Disappointed after all my high hopes. In the morning, things looked better. The patched picture holes were easier to ignore; they’ll make it simple to hang pictures—we’ll just put our pictures in the old holes. I cleaned the bathroom and the kitchen cupboards, but I ignored the oven and complained about it when we finally did the walk-through. They sent the household staff over to do it. I don’t mind cleaning own dirt; I object to cleaning up after someone else, and the previous tenants left this place dirty.
Now that we’ve got all the furniture where we want it and more things unpacked, the place is growing on me. There’s lots of closets, for the neat-freak in me that likes things put away and organized. The windows are big and bright (our last place felt dark to me). The kitchen is bigger, and even has a “pantry” (something I’ve always wanted). I didn’t need to use the Ikea kitchen shelves we’ve used in every other place we lived, so those have moved to the living room to hold photo albums and toys. And having the den for a study space and “child-free zone” will be nice.
As usual, it just takes a few days or weeks to make a house a home. To place the furniture, arrange the knickknacks, hang the pictures. To make it ours.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Parenting Dilemnas
My mom tells a story about my twin brother when he was about five or six years old. We were building our house at the time and the upper deck, about five feet off the ground, had no railing yet. My brother peered over the edge and asked Mom, “Can I jump down?” Mom told him that he could but it might hurt when he landed. My brother thought about this and then jumped. Mom asked how it was. He said it hurt. And he never did it again.
I’ve thought about that story a lot since I became a parent myself. I think it reflects something of my parenting strategy: as long as Sunshine won’t get hurt, she can explore as far as she wants. Either that attitude or her own personality (or both) have made her rather fearless. She closes herself into dark closets or rooms; she wades into the swimming pool past her nose as often as I pull her back to shallower water; she leans over the edge of seven-foot high playground equipment to laugh at me. Not that she's a daredevil. She's actually quite careful most of the time. She's never fallen down any stairs or off any playground equipment.
Now that we are here, a new dilemna has arisen. We have a playground just outside our front door--albeit a small playground, with just a slide and playhouse and a few smaller toys that others have left around there. However, every time we walk past it, Sunshine wants to go play, and at some point during the day, she'll remember it and ask, "I wanna go play a park."
So: is it too much freedom to allow a two-and-a-half-year-old to go the park by herself (even if said park is ten steps from your front door)? So far, that's what I've been doing. I can keep the dining room window open so that I can hear her (Sunshine often keeps up a running train of speech that lets us know exactly what she's doing) and I can watch her from there or the door. Still, I find myself going to the window or door to look out at her every minute or two, making sure that I can still see her in the park.
If other kids from the other houses are around, I feel a bit better about letting Sunshine play. The older kids (there's quite a few five- or six-year olds) should know to stay in the park and Sunshine will stay with them. And she's quite careful on the playground equipment, so I have no worries about her there. Unless she wants to try on the other kids' roller blades or ride their scooters...
We also have a fenced patio where I've put Sunshine's trike, her push-car and some "outside" toys. I can leave the patio door open (it's lovely not to worry about the bugs here!) and she can wander in and out at will. But again, sooner or later, she remembers that there's more exciting things at the park... and then the patio isn't enough. And then I debate: should I let her go out by herself or not?
I’ve thought about that story a lot since I became a parent myself. I think it reflects something of my parenting strategy: as long as Sunshine won’t get hurt, she can explore as far as she wants. Either that attitude or her own personality (or both) have made her rather fearless. She closes herself into dark closets or rooms; she wades into the swimming pool past her nose as often as I pull her back to shallower water; she leans over the edge of seven-foot high playground equipment to laugh at me. Not that she's a daredevil. She's actually quite careful most of the time. She's never fallen down any stairs or off any playground equipment.
Now that we are here, a new dilemna has arisen. We have a playground just outside our front door--albeit a small playground, with just a slide and playhouse and a few smaller toys that others have left around there. However, every time we walk past it, Sunshine wants to go play, and at some point during the day, she'll remember it and ask, "I wanna go play a park."
So: is it too much freedom to allow a two-and-a-half-year-old to go the park by herself (even if said park is ten steps from your front door)? So far, that's what I've been doing. I can keep the dining room window open so that I can hear her (Sunshine often keeps up a running train of speech that lets us know exactly what she's doing) and I can watch her from there or the door. Still, I find myself going to the window or door to look out at her every minute or two, making sure that I can still see her in the park.
If other kids from the other houses are around, I feel a bit better about letting Sunshine play. The older kids (there's quite a few five- or six-year olds) should know to stay in the park and Sunshine will stay with them. And she's quite careful on the playground equipment, so I have no worries about her there. Unless she wants to try on the other kids' roller blades or ride their scooters...
We also have a fenced patio where I've put Sunshine's trike, her push-car and some "outside" toys. I can leave the patio door open (it's lovely not to worry about the bugs here!) and she can wander in and out at will. But again, sooner or later, she remembers that there's more exciting things at the park... and then the patio isn't enough. And then I debate: should I let her go out by herself or not?
Friday, August 13, 2010
At Home in BC
Well, we are at home in BC now. We left my husband’s parents’ place on Monday, amid “local showers,” as my father-in-law put it (partings are hard). After nearly half a year of talk, it finally became real that we are moving a long ways away—a mountain range, an ocean strait, and a whole lot of highway miles now separate us from most of our family and friends.
Sunshine and Lily traveled very well that first day. Lily slept and Sunshine played with her toys, ate her snacks and tried to do the actions to the silly songs I sang to her. We stopped for a potty break and then a lunch break, but at lunch it was pouring rain so our intentions to find a park didn’t happen.
We pressed on until, ten kilometers out of one town, Sunshine had completely had enough of her car seat. She wailed until she saw we were pulling into town; then she was quiet as we drove around looking for a park. We spent nearly an hour there, playing and getting coffee, before continuing the rest of the way to my aunt’s condo on Lake Okanagan.
We gave ourselves a day to visit with my aunt and uncle and let the girls have a break from the driving. My aunt said she usually takes her guest on a wine-tasting tour, but she came up with several other ideas for entertaining Sunshine: a tractor ride at an orchard and a visit to a bee farm. In the afternoon, when the sun came out, we donned swimsuits for the beach in front of the condo and took turns exploring the lake in my uncle’s boat. Sunshine loved the boat, although she was so tired she fell asleep on the second ride.
On Wednesday, we were in the Jeep again for the last leg of the journey. We weren’t far down the road when Sunshine was asking for “ride a boat” and “see Aunt S.” She threw in a few “I want Gamma D” as well and I tried not to choke up as I thought how far away from these beloved people we were going. Lily again slept for most of the drive, but Sunshine was much harder to entertain. We finally stopped the whining about a boat ride by promising her a much bigger boat—a boat big enough for the Jeep to ride too.
We missed the 5:00 ferry by five minutes and had to wait on the wharf for the next one. Thankfully, there was a Starbucks and a park, so the wait wasn’t terribly long. The ferry also boasted a children’s play area and a cafe—and lots of other kids traveling—so Sunshine thoroughly enjoyed the "boat ride." And then it was a short drive to our home… where we attempted to find blankets and beds to sleep on for the first night.
We’ve spent the last couple days trying to find things. The bathroom is cleaned, unpacked, and organized. The rest of the house… well, my husband went grocery shopping last night and I put a few dishes in the right cupboards. We tried to find the parts to assemble the girls’ beds. We took a short tour around campus. We met a couple of our neighbors and their kids. We priced out laundry machines. And I realized all over again just how much work moving is. Someone remind me not to do this again for a few years, okay?
Sunshine and Lily traveled very well that first day. Lily slept and Sunshine played with her toys, ate her snacks and tried to do the actions to the silly songs I sang to her. We stopped for a potty break and then a lunch break, but at lunch it was pouring rain so our intentions to find a park didn’t happen.
We pressed on until, ten kilometers out of one town, Sunshine had completely had enough of her car seat. She wailed until she saw we were pulling into town; then she was quiet as we drove around looking for a park. We spent nearly an hour there, playing and getting coffee, before continuing the rest of the way to my aunt’s condo on Lake Okanagan.
We gave ourselves a day to visit with my aunt and uncle and let the girls have a break from the driving. My aunt said she usually takes her guest on a wine-tasting tour, but she came up with several other ideas for entertaining Sunshine: a tractor ride at an orchard and a visit to a bee farm. In the afternoon, when the sun came out, we donned swimsuits for the beach in front of the condo and took turns exploring the lake in my uncle’s boat. Sunshine loved the boat, although she was so tired she fell asleep on the second ride.
On Wednesday, we were in the Jeep again for the last leg of the journey. We weren’t far down the road when Sunshine was asking for “ride a boat” and “see Aunt S.” She threw in a few “I want Gamma D” as well and I tried not to choke up as I thought how far away from these beloved people we were going. Lily again slept for most of the drive, but Sunshine was much harder to entertain. We finally stopped the whining about a boat ride by promising her a much bigger boat—a boat big enough for the Jeep to ride too.
We missed the 5:00 ferry by five minutes and had to wait on the wharf for the next one. Thankfully, there was a Starbucks and a park, so the wait wasn’t terribly long. The ferry also boasted a children’s play area and a cafe—and lots of other kids traveling—so Sunshine thoroughly enjoyed the "boat ride." And then it was a short drive to our home… where we attempted to find blankets and beds to sleep on for the first night.
We’ve spent the last couple days trying to find things. The bathroom is cleaned, unpacked, and organized. The rest of the house… well, my husband went grocery shopping last night and I put a few dishes in the right cupboards. We tried to find the parts to assemble the girls’ beds. We took a short tour around campus. We met a couple of our neighbors and their kids. We priced out laundry machines. And I realized all over again just how much work moving is. Someone remind me not to do this again for a few years, okay?
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Writers-on-Wednesday: Bonnie Way
I thought that, since I’ve asked so many other writers to answer these questions, I would answer them myself. And if you are a writer reading these interviews and haven’t yet participated, please contact me; I'd be happy to interview you too.
How did you become a writer?
By reading lots. I was a voracious reader growing up, always asking my mom for more books to read. I had an adult library card long before I was 18, because on a youth card I could only withdraw four books at a time and that wasn’t enough to get me through the week before we got back to the library. Reading would often make me think of my own stories, and I’d close my book and move to the computer to work on one of my novels.
What inspires you to write?
A good story, whether in a book, a movie, or a song. Songs often get me thinking of stories, because they can only tell part of the story and leave the rest to your imagination. Feelings, a strong emotion, also inspire me, as I try to capture that feeling through my characters.
Who is your favourite author and why?
Emily Bronte; her novel Wuthering Heights is one of the best novels of all time. I’m amazed that she could write only one novel and that it is so good (I always wonder what else she would have written if she hadn’t died young). The first time I read it, I didn’t really like it; yet it stayed with me, bothering me, until I read it again about six months later. Then I liked it. A few years later, after talking about it with a friend, I read it again and loved it—and that was just before I studied it in one of my university English classes.
On a contemporary note, another favourite author is Lisa Samson. I’ve read her first novel and her latest and the difference between the two inspires me. She shows me that not every writer is a one-book wonder like Emily Bronte who gets it right on the first try; most of us learn and grow as we continue writing, getting better with each book or story that we write.
How did you become a writer?
By reading lots. I was a voracious reader growing up, always asking my mom for more books to read. I had an adult library card long before I was 18, because on a youth card I could only withdraw four books at a time and that wasn’t enough to get me through the week before we got back to the library. Reading would often make me think of my own stories, and I’d close my book and move to the computer to work on one of my novels.
What inspires you to write?
A good story, whether in a book, a movie, or a song. Songs often get me thinking of stories, because they can only tell part of the story and leave the rest to your imagination. Feelings, a strong emotion, also inspire me, as I try to capture that feeling through my characters.
Who is your favourite author and why?
Emily Bronte; her novel Wuthering Heights is one of the best novels of all time. I’m amazed that she could write only one novel and that it is so good (I always wonder what else she would have written if she hadn’t died young). The first time I read it, I didn’t really like it; yet it stayed with me, bothering me, until I read it again about six months later. Then I liked it. A few years later, after talking about it with a friend, I read it again and loved it—and that was just before I studied it in one of my university English classes.
On a contemporary note, another favourite author is Lisa Samson. I’ve read her first novel and her latest and the difference between the two inspires me. She shows me that not every writer is a one-book wonder like Emily Bronte who gets it right on the first try; most of us learn and grow as we continue writing, getting better with each book or story that we write.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Sunshine Says...
The other day, I took Sunshine over to her cousins’ to play on their playground. She climbed up by herself and started down the slide. Because I was holding Lily, I couldn’t catch her, and she landed on her bum at the bottom. She stood up and started towards the swings, but then the pain set in and she began rubbing her bum and whining. As I picked her up, she said, “Kiss my bum, Mommy. Kiss my bum.”
Lately, Sunshine has gotten better at doing things by herself, such as climbing into her car seat in the Jeep or booster chair at the table. However, she’s still learning how to tell us this. If we offer to help her, she answers, “I do it my cell phone.”
We stopped at a dollar store one afternoon to get Sunshine a few toys for the drive out to BC. As we stood at the cash register, the cashier leaned over to comment on how cute Lily was in her car seat. Sunshine said, “That’s Lily,” and then, as the cashier continued to coo over Lily, she added sternly, “Leave alone.”
A few weeks ago, after we did a day hike in Kananaskis, I took Sunshine to the outhouse to go potty. As I latched the door, she glanced around the small, stinky space and commented, “No soap.”
* * *
Lately, Sunshine has gotten better at doing things by herself, such as climbing into her car seat in the Jeep or booster chair at the table. However, she’s still learning how to tell us this. If we offer to help her, she answers, “I do it my cell phone.”
* * *
We stopped at a dollar store one afternoon to get Sunshine a few toys for the drive out to BC. As we stood at the cash register, the cashier leaned over to comment on how cute Lily was in her car seat. Sunshine said, “That’s Lily,” and then, as the cashier continued to coo over Lily, she added sternly, “Leave alone.”
* * *
A few weeks ago, after we did a day hike in Kananaskis, I took Sunshine to the outhouse to go potty. As I latched the door, she glanced around the small, stinky space and commented, “No soap.”
Friday, August 6, 2010
Book Review: In A Heartbeat
Back when I was still working at Starbucks, one of my co-workers kept talking about this Sandra Bullock movie that she really liked. Finally, as she kept mentioning it, the title stayed in my head: The Blind Side
. As I browsed through the movie rental store one day, I saw it on the shelves and decided to grab it. I’m not a huge football fan, but it sounded like a good story, and besides, my co-worker really recommended it.
It was a really good movie. One of those great stories of unlikely success, a boy making the most of the chances given to him, one family making a difference in another person’s life. So when I saw that that the Tuoys, the family in the movie, had written a book, I jumped on the chance to review it. It turned out to be just as good as the movie.
In a Heartbeat: Sharing The Power of Cheerful Giving is Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy’s story—from their childhoods to the movie coming out. The book traces the influences of their parents—equally generous people—in their lives. How they knew what it was like to live in poverty and to wonder where their next meal was coming from. And how, as they both grew successful in business, they began looking for ways to give back and to help others as they had been helped.
The book spells out Sean and Leigh Anne’s strong faith—something that Hollywood, of course, left out of the movie. Sean shares how one of his pastor’s sermons really influenced him to consider tithing. In one chapter, Sandra Bullock talks about her “distrust of organized religion. People use their faith or their religion as a banner and then they don’t do the right thing.” She soon saw, however, that Sean and Leigh Anne were nothing like that. She says, “I realized, ‘Wow, I’ve finally met someone who practices but doesn’t preach.’ So I’ve had the blessing of having my… not a restored faith, but I now have a faith in those who say they represent a faith.”
Sean and Leigh Anne take turns telling their story. Interspersed through that story are shorter chapters from Sandra Bullock (who plays Leigh Anne in The Blind Side) and Tim McGraw (who plays Sean), as well as the Tuoys’ three children. There’s also a section of family photographs in the middle. At the end of the book, the Tuoys invite readers to “discover the joy of cheerful giving for yourself” and suggest their website as a starting place. You can also read more about their "Popcorn Theory" in a Q&A posted on my blog earlier.
Besides being a very good story filled with lots of humour, In A Heartbeat really challenged me to think about my attitude toward giving. So often, we think that giving involves money and requires a huge effort. The Tuoys challenge us to consider other ways to give. They give of their time by tutoring and coaching just as much as they give of their money. Instead of trying to feed all the starving children in Africa, we can help the child next door who also doesn’t have enough to eat.
I hope this book will help me to notice those around me who need something—and to do something to meet that need, rather than walking on.
This book was provided for review courtesty of the publisher.
. As I browsed through the movie rental store one day, I saw it on the shelves and decided to grab it. I’m not a huge football fan, but it sounded like a good story, and besides, my co-worker really recommended it.It was a really good movie. One of those great stories of unlikely success, a boy making the most of the chances given to him, one family making a difference in another person’s life. So when I saw that that the Tuoys, the family in the movie, had written a book, I jumped on the chance to review it. It turned out to be just as good as the movie.
In a Heartbeat: Sharing The Power of Cheerful Giving is Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy’s story—from their childhoods to the movie coming out. The book traces the influences of their parents—equally generous people—in their lives. How they knew what it was like to live in poverty and to wonder where their next meal was coming from. And how, as they both grew successful in business, they began looking for ways to give back and to help others as they had been helped.
The book spells out Sean and Leigh Anne’s strong faith—something that Hollywood, of course, left out of the movie. Sean shares how one of his pastor’s sermons really influenced him to consider tithing. In one chapter, Sandra Bullock talks about her “distrust of organized religion. People use their faith or their religion as a banner and then they don’t do the right thing.” She soon saw, however, that Sean and Leigh Anne were nothing like that. She says, “I realized, ‘Wow, I’ve finally met someone who practices but doesn’t preach.’ So I’ve had the blessing of having my… not a restored faith, but I now have a faith in those who say they represent a faith.”
Sean and Leigh Anne take turns telling their story. Interspersed through that story are shorter chapters from Sandra Bullock (who plays Leigh Anne in The Blind Side) and Tim McGraw (who plays Sean), as well as the Tuoys’ three children. There’s also a section of family photographs in the middle. At the end of the book, the Tuoys invite readers to “discover the joy of cheerful giving for yourself” and suggest their website as a starting place. You can also read more about their "Popcorn Theory" in a Q&A posted on my blog earlier.
Besides being a very good story filled with lots of humour, In A Heartbeat really challenged me to think about my attitude toward giving. So often, we think that giving involves money and requires a huge effort. The Tuoys challenge us to consider other ways to give. They give of their time by tutoring and coaching just as much as they give of their money. Instead of trying to feed all the starving children in Africa, we can help the child next door who also doesn’t have enough to eat.
I hope this book will help me to notice those around me who need something—and to do something to meet that need, rather than walking on.
This book was provided for review courtesty of the publisher.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Writers-on-Wednesday: Brittni Carey
Brittni Carey is a young writer currently attending my alma mater. She requested a mentor through the univerity’s mentoring program and they sent her request to me. I’ve enjoyed chatting with her about the writing life and trying to answer her questions about being a writer. Here, I turned the questions around and asked her about writing!
How did you become a writer?
I was a reading-with-a-flashlight-under-the-covers kind of kid. They say to be a writer you need to read a lot, so I think that my love of reading spurred me on to create stories of my own. After a brief infatuation with science in junior high, I returned to my first love and decided to study English. I was blessed with the opportunities to be part of a student writers' group, a poetry workshop class, and the University newspaper, all of which stretched me and helped me to discover my voice. Through the encouragement and support of friends, teachers, and family, I've come to accept myself as a writer.
What inspires you to write?
The time I feel most inspired to write is after I've witnessed someone else's genius, whether that be a brilliant work of theatre, film, song, or anything else creative. Witnessing people as well: everyday life is full of beautiful and unique moments that will never come to pass again, and to capture even a fraction of that moment is the great art of a writer. Knowing that God doesn't give gifts without reason, I find great inspiration in the fact that He's guiding my writing and using it for His own good purpose.
Who is your favourite authour and why?
Fyodor Dostoevsky. He somehow captures life in a way that resonates with me: a melding of the philosophical and the spiritual in everyday messed up situations. His insight into suffering hits hard and the complex psychology of his characters is engaging. Dostoevsky also had a fascinating life which is made apparent through the semi-autobiographical nature of some of his writings.
How did you become a writer?
I was a reading-with-a-flashlight-under-the-covers kind of kid. They say to be a writer you need to read a lot, so I think that my love of reading spurred me on to create stories of my own. After a brief infatuation with science in junior high, I returned to my first love and decided to study English. I was blessed with the opportunities to be part of a student writers' group, a poetry workshop class, and the University newspaper, all of which stretched me and helped me to discover my voice. Through the encouragement and support of friends, teachers, and family, I've come to accept myself as a writer.
What inspires you to write?
The time I feel most inspired to write is after I've witnessed someone else's genius, whether that be a brilliant work of theatre, film, song, or anything else creative. Witnessing people as well: everyday life is full of beautiful and unique moments that will never come to pass again, and to capture even a fraction of that moment is the great art of a writer. Knowing that God doesn't give gifts without reason, I find great inspiration in the fact that He's guiding my writing and using it for His own good purpose.
Who is your favourite authour and why?
Fyodor Dostoevsky. He somehow captures life in a way that resonates with me: a melding of the philosophical and the spiritual in everyday messed up situations. His insight into suffering hits hard and the complex psychology of his characters is engaging. Dostoevsky also had a fascinating life which is made apparent through the semi-autobiographical nature of some of his writings.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Living in Limbo
A few months ago, I smiled as I read the Facebook status one of my friends had posted: “Home tomorrow. Home tomorrow. Home tomorrow.” (It sounded like something Sunshine would say.) I could understand her feeling. They were living in a friend’s basement because their mobile home had sold before their new house was built. I told myself I would never live halfway like that.
As the old saying goes, “Never say never.” For the last month, my husband, daughters and I have been living in my in-laws' basement while all our things sit in our townhouse in BC. Despite my efforts to bring everything with us that we’d need for this month and a half, we’ve had a few discussions that go like, “Where’s this?” “In BC.”
In some ways, it’s awkward living in another person’s house. Mom and I are tag-teaming on the laundry (especially when Lily needs more diapers). I try to help by baking or cooking, and then end up asking Mom, “Where’s the vanilla? Where’s the casserole dish?” My husband and I tie up the phone line checking our email on the dial-up internet.
In other ways, I’m enjoying this extended vacation. It’s fun having another woman in the kitchen, to say, “Hey, what should we make for supper?” Mom helps get Sunshine to the potty or bounces Lily to sleep. We like running into town for groceries or other errands together. And we’ve been watching lots of movies on satellite TV—I’ve now seen Princess Diaries, Jaws, and Notting Hill.
I keep thinking that Sunshine is really going to miss her grandparents when we leave. She likes going outside to ride the farm machinery with Grandpa (there’s a Cat, a big John Deere, a lawn mower, a quad, and then all of the trucks). She helps him feed the dog (that’s how she’s learning to count). She goes for drives in the van with Grandma and every morning she climbs up the stairs calling, “I coming, Gamma.”
It’s been a nice, relaxing month and a half. A chance to spend extra time with family before we disappear to BC. And now the holiday is about end… and life is about to get busy again.
As the old saying goes, “Never say never.” For the last month, my husband, daughters and I have been living in my in-laws' basement while all our things sit in our townhouse in BC. Despite my efforts to bring everything with us that we’d need for this month and a half, we’ve had a few discussions that go like, “Where’s this?” “In BC.”
In some ways, it’s awkward living in another person’s house. Mom and I are tag-teaming on the laundry (especially when Lily needs more diapers). I try to help by baking or cooking, and then end up asking Mom, “Where’s the vanilla? Where’s the casserole dish?” My husband and I tie up the phone line checking our email on the dial-up internet.
In other ways, I’m enjoying this extended vacation. It’s fun having another woman in the kitchen, to say, “Hey, what should we make for supper?” Mom helps get Sunshine to the potty or bounces Lily to sleep. We like running into town for groceries or other errands together. And we’ve been watching lots of movies on satellite TV—I’ve now seen Princess Diaries, Jaws, and Notting Hill.
I keep thinking that Sunshine is really going to miss her grandparents when we leave. She likes going outside to ride the farm machinery with Grandpa (there’s a Cat, a big John Deere, a lawn mower, a quad, and then all of the trucks). She helps him feed the dog (that’s how she’s learning to count). She goes for drives in the van with Grandma and every morning she climbs up the stairs calling, “I coming, Gamma.”
It’s been a nice, relaxing month and a half. A chance to spend extra time with family before we disappear to BC. And now the holiday is about end… and life is about to get busy again.
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