For Northern Mommies

Did you know that cost-co has recently added their baby wipes to the list of things they are shipping for free? You can check it out here. If you haven't tried these wipes, you need to. They have done wonders for Ezri's bum and don't seem to irritate her the way others do. But more importantly all you northern mom's can get months worth of awesome wipes for $30 and free shipping. I'm just excited for you. It doesn't make a difference for me anymore obviously since cost-co is just a hop skip and jump away, but then again maybe I'll take advantage of it so I don't have to endure those irritating crowds and annoying line ups just to your receipt "checked over".

Birthday Cake (babies & doggies eddition)

Christmas Eve marks the celebration of my first year of being a mother, also it was Ezri's birthday. I have a few photos to share with you of the celebration, but an entire year of motherhood is exhausting and tomorrow is Christmas, so here is a quick bed time story to tide you over until I can write a more detailed post.

The afternoon was filled with cake, family and friends. The little girl received more then a little girl needs for her first birthday. After all the guests had gone, only a single piece of cake remained uneaten. The mother gave into the dog, who sat unmoving, focused on the last remaining piece of cake. The plate was placed on the floor and the mother left the room for only a moment to clean up the left over wrapping paper. When the mother returned to the kitchen, she found the dog and the little girl sitting on the floor sharing that last remaining piece of cake. Here is the conversation that ensued that evening.

Ezri: "That's what I was telling you about earlier. You kept sliding the plate across the floor like that piece of cake was a hockey puck. You had absolutely no control, eating cake is not some kind of game. Here is the answer to your problem, this is a bowl."

Ezri: "You see, the bowl has this nifty edge around it that allows you to push the food into the side for a better grip. Honestly, how did you even survive before me? Clearly your quality of life has improved since I've come along. Yes, yes I'm working on opening the fridge. All in good time. You just keep bringing us those treats you find in the garbage can."

I miss you already

I miss you, Nunavut. I don't think about how much I miss you during the day time when I'm driving in my car, texting and eating a Big Mac (but not really because texting and driving is illegal in my area, and I'm a perfect citizen). I don't really think I miss you when the weather is warm, I'm wearing a tee-shirt, the grass is still green and it's November. I vaugly remember you when I'm power shopping the mall, online shopping a distant memory, sipping a Starbucks and heading through a self check out.

But late at night, when I'm fast asleep, visions of snowmachines drive through my head. Blizzards, cold and the snow. And I remember how much I hate rain, rain sucks. Then I start dream wondering why it hasn't snowed here yet, this place sucks and I'm never going to snowmachine here!

Then I really, really miss you!

Playing the single parent, and it sucks.

We recently had my friend Julie come over and take some photos of us in front of my mother's "Bay store entrance" tree (this is what I call her Christmas tree because she does it up like the ones you see at the front of The Bay, you know where all the ornaments match). My tree, which is still not up, normally looks like Christmas barfed all over it, rather then the well thought out, choreographed tree at my mothers house.

This was supposed to be a family portrait, but Nathan was called away for a 3 week work course and I was left a single parent. I didn't really think much of it at first, but now that the 3 weeks are almost over and there are only 2 LONG days until daddy comes home, I am now realizing how ridiculously hard it is for single parents of the world. Now granted I am 6 months pregnant and feeling a little bit of extra burn because my body is hard at work making another person, while I run around, chasing a creature that has just been unleashed to the world walking, with no concept of electricity or stairs. I'm pretty freaking tired. This child also does not like to sit still, or stay in any one place for too long, this also includes mommy's lap. I call her my "free range chicken", because she is constantly on the go and gets very cranky when not left to her own devices. I've got my fingers crossed that the second baby is a little more chilled out. I'm going to start pumping Bob Marley into the womb.

Only 2 more days and the daddy can do all the picking up and lifting. And maybe a diaper too.
You can see more of Julie's exceptional photography here.

Ezri (10 months-ish)

Ezri is really growing, it's a pretty magical experiance to watch. Also under the law of being a mom, I have to also say that she is so amazing and gorgeous and the cutest ever. But holy toledo. am I ever exhausted! This might have something to do with being 5 months pregnant, but I'm thinking it may also have to do with someone getting up at 5:45am since the time change. Ezri enjoys taking off anything that touches her feet, screeching as loud as she possibly can constantly, standing & walking with something to assist her. Two days ago she took her first steps unassisted, but realized she could reach her destination much faster if crawling. We haven't seen much more on the walking front, but we know it's coming and soon. She is a woman on a mission and has no time to slow any of that down with cuddeling or standing still. She has been too much fun and I'm hoping that one day soon I'll get some energy back so I can keep up with her!

Back of the line

Just like the south, the north has it's little irritations that you just put up with. Just before I left the north I started letting those little things bug me just a little more then I would normally let myself get away with. I had caught the "grass is greener" syndrome, everything in the south was going to smell like roses. I usually reverse my outlook depending if I'm north or south. I flip flop like that, it's how I roll. Some people might call that flaky. Well since I'm down south for good this time I've reverted back to the north being all peaches and cream and remembering all the irritating things one has to deal with down south. One of them being waiting in line. And if you don't believe me, I'm telling the honest truth, you almost never wait in a line up north, maybe only on hot dog day once a year, who is going to pass up a free hot dog?

I've had the pleasure of waiting in sorts of lines since my return south. Of course there is waiting in line at Tim Horton's. A minor irritation at 8am when the line is busting itself out of the parking lot and into oncoming traffic. But it seems to move along at a reasonable pace.
Then there is the grocery store line when nameless huge chain only pay to have two cashiers on shift when their is clearly need for more. They tell you it's so they can bring you those Delisio's for the low low price of $5 (a mighty drop from the $16 I used to pay for them up north), but I know that since you're only paying your two cashiers pennies an hour to work anyways, you could probably shave a few bucks off of those dripping with fat CEO bonus cheques and get one more employee scanning out my pizzas. I'm entitled to my agression because I worked for said nameless grocery store for 6 years prior to my time up north. I know the deal. That or maybe you can use all that money your shamelessly charging for plastic bags in the name of the environment and then pocketing. I'm just saying.

Then the mother of all line ups, the one it took to get vaccinated for H1N1 in southern Ontario. Please, some of my northern friends pipe in and tell me how long it took you to wait in line to get vaccinated? Well it took me only an hour and half and that's because I got crafty and drove to another smaller city and got in line an hour before the clinic opened. The one I tried to get into (twice!) the night before was 2.5 - 4 hours long. I'm not going to get into the touchy subject of the vaccination itself, all I can say is that I'm sound with my choice of getting if for my pregnant self and 10 month old daughter. Happy I got it, and just in time too, lots of my friends are popping up with H1N1. Meanwhile back to the line up and how panic and lots of people mean waiting in sweaty, stinky school hallways. If Canada wants it's larger popluated areas to get vaccinated, making people who don't really want the vaccine wait in line for 4 hours isn't going to do the trick. Also who's idea was it to shove a bunch of pregnant ladies, kids and immune compromised individuals into tiny, cramped, low ventalated area with hundreds to thousands of other people. I almost turned into a germaphobe, I must have been purrelling every 10 seconds. Everytime someone caughed or sneezed, out came the purell. Then horror of all horrors, some random kid came over to Ezri, took one look at her and then proceed to lick her hand!! Where are we? Lets all share our germs and then get a vaccination, somehow that feels like it cancels it all out.
Here is Ezri being a trooper and waiting in line. At this point we are being told to make sure we have our Health cards ready, because it's soo important and omg where is your health card. I pull out our Nunavut Health cards, the lady doesn't even bother to check our names and tosses them back to us. "I can't scan these". Ontario your so high and mighty with your scan cards (notice how I'll say that until my Ontario health card comes in the mail). I could have been from Mars and still got the vaccination. Lets just hope that I never have to wait in one of these southern panic lines again. I've had about enough of waiting in line.

Is anyone out there?

Ok so I don't live in Nunavut anymore. So what, I'm still posting. I thought I should do a little better at trying to wrap this up. Not that I really want to stop writing about embarrassing things on the Internet anymore, but really I would be living a fat lie if I kept posting under this website any longer. Maybe I should just change the name to Formerly of Nunavut? Well in any case a new website will be made, but I just moved into a new house, have a baby who is moving faster then the speed of light and am pregnant, so don't expect speediness. I've had a few people, you know all of 5 of my blog fans, complain about not making any posts. So here you are.

Adjusting back down south has been fairly easy, I've found myself plugged back into cellphone and car, the things I lived so easily without up north. I've also been too busy to think much about the adjustment, except for that short time at the end of the day when I feel horridly exhausted and my feet are killing me, I realize it's because there is way too much to do down here. Of course I miss my friends and all the beautiful scenery up north and think of them often. Sometimes I go on the Environment Canada's website and check out the temperatures for back north, like I'm secretly stocking everyone. By now they have lots of snow and down here we have terrible rain and bazaar days with plus 16. But are the Fall colours on the trees ever amazing! I've come to a funny realization that when I lived up north I was ready for Halloween in August and Christmas in September, both Holidays seemed to take exceptional time to actually reach. Everything seems to be in better balance now that there is no snow on the ground, I might actually make it to December without catching myself whistling carols.

Tallinn seems to be making the inside adjustment very well, as it was too hot at first for him to stay outside all day long. Now that it has cooled down he still seems content spending time inside. As long as his days are filled with many trips in the car and visits to Petsmart and Gramy's house. He has also taken up to rummaging through the garbage and shedding like crazy all over my new house, this was one reason having him outside most of the time was ideal. But I do love having his company while he is inside.


This is what has been keeping me so occupied, working on the house and looking after Ezri while Nathan is working. Babies will only stay so happy for so long while parked in one spot. Poor girl wanted to have the run of the place and play with all the tools, nails and paint. Mommy had other ideas, banishing her to baby prison in the exersaucer.
We have been enjoying all the bounty the Fall season provides. Especially not having to pay $40 for a pumpkin, but rather $2.50. This is not the front of my house, I do not live in a shack cabin. Although that would be super cool around Halloween.

Here I'm representing the north wearing my Amauti to a War of 1812 reenactment. Some of the amazingly dressed reenactors where very interested in my jacket, it's funny that I came there to see them dressed up, not the reverse. I tell you this was way more practical then bringing the stroller out onto the battle field.

By the way baby number two is a girl!

The end is near

The end of my time up north is near. Only 9 days left and I will be a citizen of the south once again. I've been having many mixed feelings over the last few months and days ranging between tears of leaving and utter excitement of returning to the land of retail.

The last few weeks I've been trying to overcome some of the symptoms that bother me during early pregnancy, but as I come into the second trimester, I'm starting to feel better and running out of excuses for not blogging. I still have a few good stories to tell while I'm still a member of the north club, and once I step back through the wardrobe, no one will believe me.

So, only 9 days left to tie up loose ends, pack and say goodbye to everything I've called home over the last 3 years. On one side, I'm convinced we're not leaving and I'm going about business as usual. On the other side, I'm having a melt down trying to cram in as much as possible before we leave because I'm frightened to death that we're never coming back. I'm trying to get out of the house as much as possible and just look at things, you know the way you would look at something on the first day you arrive. I've been here long enough that the scenery has become somewhat second nature to me and I don't want leave taking it for granted. I've also been out a few nights just sitting and watching the northern lights. I'm worried it will be the last chance to see them so brightly. I keep saying to Nathan "we'll come back, right? Maybe at the end of your career?". I just don't want it to be over, forever. I guess we'll just have to sit back and see where life takes us. Hopefully it will include another tour of the north, maybe even another northern territory. What I do know for sure is that the north is in my blood. It doesn't matter how excited I'm to get back to family, friends and Starbucks. I'll always be split in two. It's kind of depressing. This is pretty much how the story goes for most who live up north for any period of time.

Here Ezri is trying to help us get organized for the move.

August Nights

It's about time I updated this thing. Frankly I'm getting nauseous every time I'm loading my blog and seeing the previous post with the greasy army ration photos. Well I'm actually getting nauseous a lot these days as I find myself pregnant again. Yes, already. It wasn't planned, but we do want two and why not have them both experiance a part of Nunavut, even if baby two is only going to experiance it in my tummy. So here I have been suffering again, almost like a 3 month hangover. Lets just say it's been hard, especially along side having an 8 month old crawling around and putting her hands into everything. I've got two more weeks until I hit the second trimester and I'm counting down the seconds. This is the time I started feeling more like myself with the previous pregnancy.

Meanwhile I've at least been out taking photos. We've just started getting night again and I took the opportunity the last few nights to go out scouting for the northern lights. We've had really clear nights and peaceful weather, the perfect recipe for shooting some photos.Last night I took Morena out along with me, we had a great time. And yes we are wearing Parkas. I guess we both figured we'd be out for a long time and you always dress warmly when you live in Nunavut. Meanwhile, it was so beautiful, that we were unzipping and taking off our Parkas. It does add a more authentic look however along with the northern lights in the background. Morena made her own parka last year, we both started one at the same time. She finished hers in about 10 seconds and I've been struggling with mine all year, it's just almost done. If it wasn't for Meaghan, it would never get finished. That piece of crap I'm giving to my wonderful sister in law Jen, and then had Meaghan make a good parka for me. Actually the parka I helped to make isn't too bad at all because Meaghan helped me through the whole thing, Jen is going to love it. I will post up photos soon.
I just wanted an excuse to wear my hot new parka before moving back south, where I will have to wait until NEXT winter because I will be too fat with baby number two to wear this beautiful piece of artwork.

Romantic candle light dinner with army rations

When Nathan offered to make dinner the other night, I was so elated that it didn't matter to me what we were going to eat. Somewhere along his busy work day, Nathan had come across some army rations and was so excited that he immediately bust into the ration package to explore it's contents. He had come home with a few options of breakfast, lunch & dinner. They all tried very hard to appear much more extravagant then what the preserved packages inside actually were. This option below was a "Lunch Menu No. 2", Mmm already sounds delicious. Then it goes on to list that it's a "Beef Macaroni Chinese Style", whatever that is. It does sounds like the army came up with that idea, lets just mix whatever is leftover together.

The contents of the ration box below includes:
1 Package of SCRUMPTIOUS beef Macaroni Chinese Style, 1 Package of apple sauce, spoon, salt, pepper, wetnap, Chiclets (yes, the army wants you...to have fresh breath), one Worthers original (thank god, I mean what would you do after dinner if you didn't have a Worthers? Subsequently I passed on my mine because it was in Christmas wrapping), everything you need for tea and coffee, jam, peanut butter, a packet of bread, napkins, juice chrystals, one plastic bag cup used for hot and cold beverages, a chocolate bar (sorry, not shown in photo because someone ate it in the 10 seconds it took to open the package and set up this photo), and lets not forget 1 "How do you rate this meal" survey.

Here Nathan is hard at work with the meal preparation. Packages need to be boiled.

Nathan also made us drinks from the flavored crystal packets in the cups that come along with the rations. Even though we were home, within reasonable reach of real cups, it was important to experience everything. Yes, I drank out of this Ziploc bag below, and yes it was very challenging. Remember though, I'm not complaining, because Nathan prepared everything

I decided to go with spaghetti and meatballs, and can honestly say it wasn't bad. A little like zoodles. The brick of bread there was another story. It just didn't seem right to eat bread that was probably older then Ezri.
Nathan went with a chicken in a sauce and mashed potatoes. The potatoes where a powder to begin with and the instructions noted that you could add in the coffee mate packet to intensify the creaminess. So. Gross. Especially because he didn't mix it up really well and when I went to try a bite (try everything once I say), it was completely powdery.
Found directly under "bread", "Do Not Eat". Exactly. Sure, they mean don't eat the package, I guess in a crunch those army guys get really hungry. My theory is that if your hungry enough to think about eating the package, your probably too hungry to read.After consuming two meals, breakfast & dinner in ration form in one day, Nathan didn't feel so great. That was the end of the rations in our house.

This place is so beautiful

What you can't see are the HOARDS of mosquitoes! I didn't want to spray the baby with deet, so I sprayed the area she was sitting. I know, not really environmentally friendly to spray a bunch of beautiful flowers with bug spray. We could only shoot in one spot for a few seconds and then we had to move. Although there are numerous quantities of arctic mosquitoes, they are as slow as zombies. This gives you a chance to stand still for a few seconds before you are swarmed, then you can out walk them and be clear for a short time before they catch up again.




These purple flowers are called Dwarf Fireweed, as I learned on Clare's blog yesterday. Here is a closer look.

Almost 7 months

The summer sun was shinning brightly the other evening, warming up the kitchen while I was feeding Ezri her evening meal. I caught a few shots before the sweet potato ended up all over her face and up her nose.

Polar Bear Swim 2009

I have made this a yearly event, throwing my semi-naked body into the frigid grasp of the arctic ocean. For no good reason. I've done it 3 times now, missing out only last year because I was about 4 months pregnant and it wouldn't have been the best activity to partake in. You can read about 2007's dip here.

I'm sure it seems not a big deal to you people down south in your comfy warm climate, but first of all it wasn't the warmest day up here and secondly as Meaghan puts it on her blog, "reminder the ice just melted about 2 weeks ago". There is still snow in various areas as well. It's cold and the water is even colder then you can imagine, unless of course you've gone in before, in which case you totally understand me. So yeah, it's brain freeze cold. It is the arctic ocean.The trick here is to "dip", not actually swim. Run in, run out. This time I wore shoes instead of crocs so I didn't have to turn right back around and search for them floating away. This time I used my brain. Get in, get out, don't dally around.
In case you were wondering how cold it was, here is a close up from the photo above. I think our faces say it all, (*insert swear word here*)!It was a good time, I'd do it again. I can't explain why, as the part of my brain that's supposed to make sense of things isn't making the decisions when I'm running into the arctic ocean.

Don't forget to check out Morena's post about our adventure, as well as Meaghan's.

Sleep walk.

I awoke early this morning to the sound of Ezri crying. I had forgotten to turn on the monitor and was jolted awake by the idea that I was hearing her cry from her room, rather then the monitor beside my bed. I jumped straight out of bed and then realized this was not an emergency. Ezri had put herself almost back to sleep immediately, but I was still wide awake. After a visit to the washroom, a BEAMING sun filled visit to the washroom, I took a small peak out the window and saw this:
Some of the stillest water I've seen up here. So I decided at 5am to grab my camera and walk down to the beach. I told Nathan I was going for a walk and he looked at me like I was nuts, rolled over and went back to sleep. I know someone who didn't think it was such a crazy idea. Tallinn was having a blast sniffing every rock and blade of grass from my house to the beach.It was the most calming feeling, there wasn't a sound or even a small breeze. Everyone was asleep tucked in their beds, even the ravens and dogs. It wasn't until a bunch of birds that sounded like ducks and seagulls combined started SCREECHING, breaking the silence that I remembered 3 summers ago around this time of year and hour in the morning there was a bear chilling out on the beach behind our house.

So Tallinn and I booked it back to the house and I went back to bed.

Shots

Today Ezri went in for her 6 Month shots. I documented the day with the NEW camera Nathan got me for my birthday. New camera you ask? Why do you need another camera? Well, let me explain. Firstly, let me point out that I do have 2 hands, so why not two? Second of all I wanted one of those little point & shoot cameras so I could take movies of Ezri, avoiding possible future incidents of holding my lap top over the bathtub trying to capture bath time. For most people this is the staple camera, for me it's a fun camera. My meat and potatoes camera weighs like 20lbs, so shooting with this 2 gram of a thing is like a party in my hands. Sure the image quality isn't what I'm used to, but I've had a BLAST taking photos today. (for those of you wondering, Kennie, Julie & Aleks it's a Canon powershot sd960)

So like I was saying we went to get Ezri's shots. Fun? Not so much.

To cheer us both up we took a little walk and shop in the Northern store. Ezri was incognito. Incognito from the sun. See what I'm saying about taking fun shots with a camera that doesn't need bulging biceps just to hold. I was able to take this shot with one hand. ONE!Here is also something I can not do with my SLR (easily), it's just too damn heavy. Take a shot of myself from above without risk of camera falling and crushing baby.

After shopping, we started to get a little cranky.Mommy to the rescue with a cookie. Smell that baby crack.Oh yeah, that makes it feel all better.


P.S Announcing another Nunavummiut Blogger. Morena at Babies & Bulldogs. Her little boy Oliver is Ezri's Boyfriend. And her Bulldog Tank is Tallinn's boyfriend. This is yet another CD blog. WE ARE TAKING OVER THE WORLD. Eat dust Arctic Bay! :)

The blogger formerly known as Jen of Nunavut

As you already know, I'm moving down south and therefore will soon no longer be "Jen of Nunavut", but Jen of MASSIVE city in southern Canada. I will want to continue writing and showcasing my photography. I figure I'm going to (try to) start a business when I get back south and I might as well start up a full fledged website that will allow me to blog and dabble in a photography business. So the question is "what in H.E. double hockey stick do I call it"?

I WANT your opinion. You can either vote on the side or leave me a comment. OR both, any suggestions are welcome.

Oh Sugar!

For my birthday Nathan and I took out some left over sugar from last year's sealift that had solidified into bricks. We had a bet how many bricks we could shoot through with a single bullet. Nathan won. No surprise.



You can see how solid the sugar actually was. It's too bad the now powdered sugar was unusable. Damn lead.

We then walked about 100 metres and shot at a target.
I hit all my shots on the board. Maybe not in the "important scoring section", but who's counting...it looks like I got an ear or nostril at least. That's worth a pat on the back.It was a good birthday.