Mission Impossible

...YVR --> LAS red-eye --> EWR --> SDQ (Dominican Republic)
...3 airports = 3 take-offs, 3 landings
...2 sick kids; 1 recovering from croup
...1 luggage full of donations, including 20 lbs worth of Costco products my husband picked up
...1 car seat
...50 degree weather to 91 degree weather
...2 grandparents that will no doubt overwhelm and fight over the 2 sick kids when they arrive


Prayers, miracles...we'll take it.


Santo Domingo, here we come!

When it rains it pours...

Last October, we were in NY for most of the month, so I was curious to see what the weather would be like this month. Well, sun has been in the forecast and we've been quite happy that the consecutive days of rain has not started just yet. We went out to Abbotsford, B.C. a couple weeks ago and went apple and corn picking...we went on a hayride and did the whole "Hudson Valley, NY experience" except in B.C. It was lovely. I really do love Autumn in New York though. 

When I referred to the "rain" in the subject matter, I meant "life"...things were super slow and steady in regards to my daily grind this summer and it was really pleasant. Out of the blue this week, I end up with a part-time job from home (which I'm anxious, but excited about) and had 2 local meetings I've been asked to work on. Also great, by why all the same time?

On top of this, we have Halloween, Kindergarten Registration and of course, our trip to the Dominican Republic next week! As I said, when it rains, it pours...I guess it all contributes to the rainbow afterward though. 

We're slowly packing and getting our donations for D.R. together, as well as praying for uneventful travel with the two kids and an unforgiving flight itinerary. I will surely send an update...before that, Halloween comes first!

The American Cheesesteak Co.

We've been waiting for months and months for this new place to open called The American Cheesesteak Co.  It will be opening a handful of blocks up the road from us on Davie Street. Melvin and I both went to university in Philadelphia, home of the cheesesteak, so we're both curious and skeptical about whether this place will live up to Philly's iconic, greasy, savoury and satisfying cheesesteak. 

There is no official website yet, however, I found this link chronicling the months prior to opening. While it was due to open this past summer, it seems like they've gotten their act together and we saw the staff-in-training today. 

The owner actually went to Philly to see "how a real cheesesteak is made." This was one of the spots he visited. I actually emailed the owner to see if they need us to taste test their product before they open!

Hmm, we'll see what the outcome is! Stay tuned!!

Sample Sales

I forgot to mention in prior posts that this is one of thing major things I miss about NYC-- sample sales! There's a lame website here called www.ilovesamplesales.com but it's really limited and it's geared mainly toward snowboarders!! UGGGHH. There has been maybe one acceptable sale I would've gone to, but it was located way out in Burnaby.

For those that have been missing out and don't know what a sample sale is (shame on you):

Sample sales are used by retail businesses in order to discard excess merchandise. Sometimes these samples have been used by agencies to sell products that they will distribute to local vendors. Sample sales are often associated with the fashion industry. These sales are an opportunity to get near perfect merchandise at a fraction of the price (sometimes up to 80% off). It is often difficult to have information on the date and time of sample sales.

Melvin scored an awesome deal on a snowboard, bindings, boots, the whole deal,  but I've had no luck whatsoever. I just went to a sale tonight looking for skis...all they had were snowboards and boarder type gear. I was quite irritated, came home and as I'm typing this, Melvin just ran out to catch the sale before it closes. See, there's a misunderstanding when people look at us. People assume I'm the shopper in the relationship when in actuality, it is Melvin. 

Trip to Woodbury Commons? Melvin = 5 bags, Coleen = 1, if lucky

Special Day

Today was a special day. While I realize that I will be one of those women that lie about their age, I didn't feel so bad about "aging" today. Perhaps it was the body wrap and deep tissue massage Melvin treated me to on Sunday? Who knows...Melvin worked from home and I spent the morning with Amélie. We all had lunch together and everyone sang that dreaded song and had cake pops from Starbucks (so good, by the way). 

Once Amélie was down for her nap, Julian and I went on a bike ride. The weather is glorious today - perfect Autumn weather with the sun shining, crisp air and various colored leaves on the ground. otally my favorite season - reminds me of my soccer days. As we were riding, I couldn't believe my eyes that 1) I have a 3 year old. 2) He is able to zip around on a bike without training wheels already. 3) We live in Vancouver, like, another country. 

We rode all the way to English Bay (his distance is getting greater and it's so fun) and I was so happy to be home and enjoy the moment. Moments like these, which I would not have enjoyed had I been stuck in an office or traveling for work. It's really nice to come to that realization over and over again, especially when there are times that I question whether it was the right decision. 

Well, enough of that...I'm very excited for dinner at our favorite French Bistro in the city - 

Café Salade de Fruits. Frog's Legs here I come!

Kindergarten

I can't believe I'm already doing this, but we're researching K options for Julian. Since he was born outside of Canada, our situation is a bit more complicated (ugh). We have to register him at this centre (which is not exactly close) BEFORE we can go to each individual school that we are interested in to register him. THEN, we are not guaranteed a spot, but rather in a "lottery" system, since we're in the city and classroom space is limited (like most cities). Luckily, the quality of schools in Canada are pretty similar across the board. Registering for a public 'inner city' school does not mean it has metal detectors at the door.

Here are our options:

Elsie Roy - our neighborhood school. It is 2 blocks away. Who could ask for more in terms of convenience? The view from the school library is outstanding and the locale provides walks to the central library, Vancouver Art Gallery, and boat rides to Granville Island. However, I met the principal and SHE DID NOT impress. Clearly, the school is overcrowded, being the most popular downtown, the teachers have been on strike since January and are teaching but not doing administrative tasks (testing, grading, report cards, etc). Normally, we would recognize all schools have issues, but we have so many other options, we're not sure what to do. 

Henry Hudson - this is a 2 minute drive over Burrard Bridge. Two issues: we have to get in a car to get there and it's full FRENCH IMMERSION. This concept was totally foreign to us. Apparently, the teachers speak french all day long, including all lessons. Melvin is not keen on this as he thinks it'll interfere with Spanish. I'm a bit torn. I think it could be healthy for our kids to learn a foreign tongue and would encourage them to speak Spanish more freely. I mean, when I go to a French restaurant, I can understand most of the menu because I can read Spanish...doesn't that mean the same thing? I am not sure. One thing that concerns us most is that we wouldn't be able to help with homework or would be limited to Google Translator. Since French Immersion is such a popular option here, the overflow school would be Strathcona, which is located on the "east side" (think Harlem, but whiter and trashier). I think I'd be okay with that if we chose to go French Immersion though because it's the same curriculum and Strathcona is getting amazing funding, plus it's important for our kids to see all walks of life in their surroundings.

Tyee Montessori - we are really loving the Montessori Method. Julian's preschool is Montessori and at first we were indifferent about it, but we've seen how positively he's responded to it. It's all about kid-led learning without a teacher in front of a classroom. Without going too much into the method, I think it really promotes independent learning (you know how when you were younger, if the teacher left the room, everyone would turn around and talk to their friends? Well, in a Montessori setting that doesn't happen and kids wouldn't even notice if they left the room. It goes to show how dependent we are on teachers to tell us what's next and what we're supposed to cover that day), teaches time management and self-awareness (the kids create a personal lesson plan with teachers at the start of each week), promotes compassion and respect, as well as responsibility. The kids are in mixed aged classrooms (no grade 1, 2, etc), there are no letter grades (instead, it's typically 'learned', 'mastered', etc) and the older kids are an example to younger kids, help teach each other, etc. They also cover "practical life", like setting the table, knowing when to wash hands, take a break, etc. Anyway, we love it and there is a public option here, BUT it's lottery AND it's a 12 minute drive away. In Vancouver, that translates to "far" and feels more like 45-minutes. I know it's a weird concept but we're not used to driving more than 5-minutes anymore.

THEN, there is Catholic School, St. Patrick's K-12. We never even considered it and are big public school supporters, but we've become parishioners of a church here that is predominantly Filipino and really like the neighborhood. It's about 5-minutes by car and in a really great neighborhood on the nicer part of the east side. Anyway, we had no idea Catholic Schools in B.C. are government subsidized (main reason for consideration)! Therefore, tuition is only $225 - $300 per month for parishioners. Apparently, this is one of the most expensive Catholic Schools too -  crazy cheap. So, it kind of bothers me that it's predominantly Filipino because, as I said, it's really important for the kids to be exposed to all walks of life, BUT we really like the sense of community there and Filipinos are not so bad :)  This will be our back-up.

Phew, so much to think about before NOVEMBER 1st! Yes, we have to register him on Nov. 1st and then when we get back from our trip to D.R., we have to go to each school to register. I think we're honestly going to register to all of them and just see what happens (since it's lottery). The kicker is that I found a SPANISH IMMERSION preschool that is opening Sept. 2012 (for Amélie) which would typically be a no-brainer. However, it's located in North Vancouver, which is a 25-minute drive (now that's far) and over a bridge away in the OPPOSITE direction of all of these schools. Can it get more complicated? Yes...we only have one car.

Also, I think I need to ask myself if I'm okay with sacrificing another 2 years trucking the kids around. I think I pictured in my head that once J is in K, that I can walk Amélie to his current preschool (5 min walk, starts at 8:30am) and then Julian (2 min walk, starts at 9:00am) and then have the morning to myself. Hmm, that would be lovely. Well, we'll know what our future holds by end of February. Updates on this topic to follow!

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

I wrote about this last year, while we were visiting New York, but now we're actually in Vancouver to enjoy our first Canadian Thanksgiving...in October! It feels SO weird to be at the start of Autumn, and far off from Christmas, to be planning a menu to cook on Thanksgiving. Oh, and on a Monday??

We didn't have a Thanksgiving at all last year because we were in NY in October and then in Vancouver for American Thanksgiving, so I'm REALLY looking forward to making my Maple Roast Turkey, which I have made every year (with the exception of last) since 2001. Traditionally, we (well, my sister and cousin) decorate our Christmas Tree on Thanksgiving. Well, I think October is way too early to be rockin' a tree, so we won't be doing that. There is also typically a football game on, as well, but that is not happenin' in Canada. I guess it's time to start new traditions. 

Initially, we were going to spend it alone as a family, but then my friend asked if we wanted to team up for a dinner. I was going to cook anyway, so the more the merrier. We'll be hosting another family at our place and will be cookin' up some Maple Roast Turkey, Cranberry Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Green Bean Casserole and Pumpkin Pie! I also took a trip to Michael's and picked up some Autumn crafts for the kids. I love the taste of Thanksgiving:) 

In a way, we are extremely lucky to be able to celebrate two this year! Melvin is promising me some pernil for American Thanksgiving...hmm, we'll see if he comes through. I think he forgot he will have to work that day.

Salud! (Cheers in Spanish)

I love how my kids start the morning by sitting next to each other at the dining table, looking at each other with huge smiles on the faces and clinking their milk glasses, while Julian yells, "Cheers".

Thanks for this wonderful life lesson Tita Robyn!  LOL

We had a blast in Seattle, but just have been so busy to write about. Quick snapshot: we had a nice room at the W Hotel downtown, kids were wonderfully quiet and asleep for most of the car ride back and forth, we picked up packages and mail in our mailbox, we did a cheesy duck tour, but it satisfied Melvin's need to "know more" about the city. We even stopped off at Birch Bay in Washington to throw rocks in the water and look for crab shells. Our highlight was a trip to Trader Joe's and had wonderful meals at Wild Ginger, Le Panier, Athenian Inn, PF Chang's. Trader Joe's and PF Chang's do not exist in Canada. tsk tsk. Man, do we miss the world of consumerism. So bad, but it's really insane how there are SO many stores in the States and they go strong. It's probably the biggest difference we've noticed.

Okay, gotta get Julian to school, but wanted to write about the "Cheers" incident :) hah