Go Wander, Bee Happy

Stories of an expat mama

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Becoming A Stay At Home Mom

Becoming a stay at home mom was never my plan. Husband and I briefly discussed it after our first child was born and just as quickly dismissed the idea. Staying at home was not for me. I grew up in a household where my grandmother and my mother worked full time their whole life and that was the norm. But life had other plans.

I worked hard to earn my degree and career and I wasn’t ready to give that up when we started a family. Parenting is the most amazing rollercoaster experience and I wouldn’t give it up for the world. But I also get a lot of satisfaction and fulfillment from being good at my job, checking off goals and collaborating on projects with people taller than 3 feet tall.

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Becoming A Canadian Expat in California

This week marks the three year anniversary – our expativersary – since we joined the ranks of Canadian expats in USA and moved to Silicon Valley, California. With the new adventure and our new circumstances, I became a Canadian expat and a suburban stay at home mom, at least temporarily. Which is an adventure on its own. This is Part 1 of my origin story – becoming a Canadian expat in California. 

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Four Days in Monterey and Carmel with Kids

Last summer we got out to travel through some of California and get to know our current home a little better. Monterey and Carmel are only a couple hours away from Silicon Valley and it took us two years to finally go exploring there. Isn’t it always the case though, the closer you are to something the less you go there.

Clearly this visit was long overdue and I’m happy we finally made the time to go. We spent a total of four days wandering through Monterey county with our kids, a preschooler and one year old. Some things were great, others not so much. Here’s how we spent four amazing days in Monterey and Carmel with kids:

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How Sending My Toddler to Daycare Helps with Sibling Rivalry

When Booboo was almost 18mo she started attending a home-based daycare a couple of days per week. I am a stay at home mom but I still choose to send my kids to daycare at least part time. I know that this is not always the popular choice but I find it necessary for my own sanity. When I was dealing with PPD, one of the most helpful things I could do was get some regular kid-free time that I could depend on and look forward to. Lulu, who is in preschool now, attended daycares when I was working and after I became a SAHM and this worked well for us. In sending Booboo to daycare I discovered that not only was it helpful for me and my mental health but that it was also great for our family overall. Booboo has a blast at her daycare and the sisters having some time apart gives them a chance to miss each other. It was an unexpected side effect that sending my toddler to daycare helps with sibling rivalry.

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STEM At Home: Density Tower with everyday liquids

I posted about this on my FB but figured I’d add a more permanent post. This density tower using everyday liquids experiment worked out so well. It was fun to set up and fun to test. The best part is that we didn’t have to buy anything. All of the liquids in this density tower are ones we have in our kitchen on a regular basis.

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Adventures in Funny Toddler Mispronunciations

When Lulu was a toddler we all giggled at all the accidental swear words she was saying. Blueberries became “boobies”, fork became “fuck”, crouton became “cunt” (I don’t even know how she got to that one). We knew what she was saying but still laughed immaturely at her innocent funny toddler mispronunciations. Every once in a while these mistakes happened in public or with people who were not aware and resulted in embarrassing, but hilarious, stories to be shared for a lifetime.

I asked some other moms to share their adventures in funny toddler mispronunciations. These stories are as entertaining as they are cute.

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