Well, just in case I wasn’t sure I was really living in Canada, just in case the universal health care and uber-cold winters weren’t enough to convince me…
I saw beavers.
Yup, I saw three beavers while out for an evening stroll with the fam. And let me tell you…those suckers are BIG! We thought they were dogs at first. They were down in the river and we were up on a bridge {without my camera} so we didn’t get a close look. But they were definitely beavers. Maybe they were giving me a belated welcome to the great nation of Canada, kinda like this guy:

{Thanks to our friend Lola for sharing this video.}
I think I prefer my beavers in the river and not on the highway.

Sarah @ Barefaced Approach asked “What is your favorite thing to do when you get me time??”

It kind of depends. I often go through periods of interest in one hobby, then put it on the shelf for a while and fall back to an old hobby or pick up a new one {yay ADD}. Lately I’ve been reading, writing, and {no lie} cleaning. I don’t know what’s come over me with the whole wanting to clean thing, belated nesting maybe? Not that I’m complaining. Anyway, when Lucy gives me enough time for the set up and clean up I’m looking forward to painting again.

One Cluttered Brain asked:
“Have you ever considered vlogging?”

Ummm…I dunno. I’m not familiar with it. I don’t really know what it would entail. But now I’m intrigued. So yes, I have considered vlogging, just now at least. I guess I never really considered it before because I can’t imagine anyone wanting to watch me.

“How long have you been blogging?”

A really long time…at least, it feels like a really long time. I think I started my first personal blog in 2004. This blog began as a family blog back in April of 2008. I’d say I really started making the transition from family blog to a “blog blog” {whatever that means} last year.

“Why Domestic Dork? And WHO designed your blog header and gal at the top? It is fabulous! Did you pay them to design your blog or do you just know people?”

“Domestic Dork” because I’m a SAHM, but I’m not particularly good at keeping house. I’m very ADD which is just not conducive to order and cleanliness {just ask my mom what my room looked like when I was a kid}. I am a lot better than I used to be. But “dork” also applies to the fact that I’m just a big geeky, dweeb overall. I always have been. I never fit in growing up. But it’s gratifying these days to see that people like me for who I am, weird, geeky quirks included.

As for the design, I did it all. I try to be modest about it, but the truth is I’m really freakin’ proud of myself. I drew the cartoon of me and Lucy on paper first, then turned it into a digital illustration. I used to have a different design, also by me, but I like this one much better.

“I must know. Twitter or Facebook? Which is better?”

Ooooh, that’s a tough one. I think I enjoy Twitter better.  I do like uploading photos to Facebook. But overall, I think I’d have to pick Twitter. People seem more engaged on Twitter. And there are no annoying Farmville or Mafia invites, so that’s a plus.

“And it's random I know, but who WAS your fave Sesame Street character and WHY?”

Wow, it’s been so long since I watched Sesame Street. When I was a kid I think I remember liking Oscar, Big Bird, and Snuffleupagus best {no idea why}. I was more of a fan of the Muppets I suppose. But anything Jim Henson is great. Random fact: I actually used to do puppetry when I was a teen. It was a blast and something I miss doing.

Jessie Kaitlin asked “This is sort of a question about you and Mini-Dork. What sort of activities do you do through the day?”

Really? Not much. I probably spend too much time on the computer {something I’ve been working on changing}. I also like to read. Lucy’s going through a pretty needy stage right now so she doesn’t let me get a lot done. She likes to dance, and explore and whine {lots of that lately}. I do try to read to her daily, but she’s not quite got the attention span needed to listen to a book most days. Adam takes the car for school and work so we spend a lot of time at home, just enjoying each other’s company. But since moving there’s a lot more to do within walking distance {such as the library}. I’m looking forward to warmer weather so we can go more places, like the park.

Casey asked “Why do you consider yourself a ‘dork?’”

Well, I partially addressed this above. But let me put it this way:
Hermione Granger’s nerdiness + Ron Weasley’s laziness & scaredy-cat nature + Hagrid’s housekeeping skills + Neville Longbottom’s social ineptitude + Luna Lovegood’s quirks = ME.

“What has been your best parenting decision?”

Breastfeeding. Aside from the financial factor {we’re students, so money is tight}, and the fact that I don’t have to wash bottles, it’s been a very special experience. It kind of sucked at first {no pun intended}. But with time and support we got through the rough spots. The health benefits of breast milk vs. formula are awesome, of course. But there’s more to it than that. It’s an almost spiritual experience. Maybe it’s just the hormones that make me love it so much. But it’s been wonderful for Lucy and for me.

“What vacation destination do you recommend to people when they talk about going on vacation?”

If you can afford it, Paris. I was lucky enough to get to go with a relative my senior year of high school and I’ve been dying to go back ever since. The French are charming {the only rude people I met were Americans, be polite and you’ll be treated politely in return}. The city is beautiful. The food is amazing. And the art! Oh, the art! I could spend weeks and weeks just visiting museums.

Vyckie said “I'm curious to know who did the design too ~ did you do all this yourself?”

I did. :)  It took a lot of banging my head against a wall to figure out the coding bits. But there are lots of great websites out there with tutorials. I prefer the drawing part of the process.

Brittany asked “as an American who has had a desire to move to Canada since about middle school, I'd love to know: 1) What is your favorite thing about life in the Great White North? and 2) What do you miss most about life in the US of A?”

Honestly? The health care is why we originally moved here. Knowing my family will be taken care of medically no matter what financial position we find ourselves in is very comforting. But I’ve also found that Canadians, in general, are great people. They seem more laid back than a lot of Americans. Also, having a Tim Horton’s on practically ever corner is awesome {though perhaps bad for my waistline}. I also feel like Canada has taken some steps in the right direction that people are still fighting about in the US {like marriage equality}. 
What I miss most is my family, of course. But I also really, really miss Target. I also miss the USPS {I am not a fan of Canada Post}, and the price of cereal in the US {it’s really pricey up here,and the selection isn’t as good}. I also miss feeling like I know what’s going on. I mostly follow US news because I still don’t have a good grasp of how the Canadian government works.

Jenn asked “How do you decide what to write about/How do you narrow down your ideas?”

You know, I just kind of go with the flow. I just write about what interests me at the time. I narrow things down based on what I lose interest in. I sometimes come up with a bunch of ideas at a time, but by the time I get around to finishing the list I don’t necessarily feel excited by all my ideas anymore and they just fizzle out.

Insanitykim asked “When can I join your club and have a hat like that? And, can the hat ties be made of licorice?”

If you’re a follower, consider yourself in the club. And I don’t know about the licorice part but you can get a hat here or you can get one of many different similar hats and matching gloves {moose, owls, lobster, orca and more!} in adult or child sizes here.

Thanks for your questions! If you missed the last post and have a question just leave it in the comments and I’ll answer it there.

UPDATE #2: Whrrl is working on finding a way to make me eligible! So VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

UPDATE: Remind me to read the fine print BEFORE I spend all morning working on an entry for a contest. Whrrl and SITS are showing NO LOVE for Canadian Residents. I am INELIGIBLE to win. :( But you know, I'm leaving up the link above because I spent all morning working on my entry and I can't bear to take it down just yet. I'm sick today, and this was the one thing I was feeling good about. I felt like I had a decent chance at winning (especially as I was checking out some of the competition). Now, and I know it's sill:y, but now I just wanna curl up and cry and sleep and not be sick.

I’m a big fan of SITS {The Secret is in the Sauce}. It’s a community of bloggers sharing comment love. And it’s done wonders for the traffic and comments on my blog. They’re hosting a conference {SITScation} in fabulous Las Vegas this October and it’s SOLD OUT {not that I could afford to go}.

However…today they announced how to win a trip (including airfare!) to SITScation!

I’ve already completed my entry. But now I need YOUR help. Please watch my Whrrl story (above). Once you get all the way to the end there will be an option that says “I Like It.” PLEASE click it! I need your votes to win!!! And please ask your friends and family to do the same!

It would mean the world to me if I could go to this conference and become a better blogger.

And I promise to try not to end up in any emergency rooms.

Today's a holiday for those of us lucky enough to live in Canada. So I'll be posting my Body After Baby post a day late {and that has nothing to do with the fact that I didn't do well last week and really don't want to have to 'fess up...nope, definitely not}. But here's a little something to entertain you while I'm away {yup, that's my baby}.

part 1

Other

Humor Me (comics):

• http://news.yahoo.com/comics/fminus;_ylt=Arge6iLM5v5Pmdb6L_UIKJwDwLAF We don’t get the paper, so I read my funnies online. I never miss F Minus, For Better or for Worse, Stone Soup, Get Fuzzy nor Pearls Before Swine.
• http://www.questionablecontent.net/about.php My favorite web comic, Questionable Content. It does, in fact, have questionable content just as a way of warning.

O Canada! (links related to moving to and living here in the Great White North):

• http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/index.asp Evil-evil-hardly-helpful-at-all website for immigrating to Canada.
• http://www.healthlinkalberta.ca/default.htm I can call Health Link and talk to a nurse about pretty much anything. And that rocks.

Trip (links related to our upcoming vacation):

• http://www.phdinparenting.com/2008/08/25/cover-up-airline-breastfeeding-policies/ A guide to different airline’s policies on breastfeeding (many of which are lame).

Running:

• http://nikerunning.nike.com/nikeplus/ I <3 Nike+. It tracks my runs for me.
• http://running.about.com/ A very good resource for newbs like me.

101 in 1001:

• http://www.actsofkindness.org/ Inspiration for doing good deeds.
• http://www.thrilltheworld.com/learn Learn the Thriller dance. Heck yes!

LoLs (a series of sites that make me laugh out loud):

• http://dontjudgemyhair.com/ Ridiculous hair.
• http://icanhascheezburger.com/ The famous “LOL Cats.” Don’t miss their sister sites (i.e. Fail Blog, Lol News, etc.).

Hope you’ve enjoyed seeing just some of my bookmarks. Don’t forget to leave me your favorite links in the comments!

The celebrations began with a breakfast surprise from Bear. Canadian flag French toast! Strawberries {YUM!}, whole wheat French toast, whipped cream, and a French toast maple leaf made with one of our maple leaf cookie cutters. It was awesome!

We hit the festivities at the park which included a lot of inflatable, bouncy fun for kids older than Lucy and younger than us, crafts we had no desire to buy, and overpriced food we did not consume. But lest you think it wasn’t any fun I will point out that I had a blast showing off my adorable daughter in her adorable outfit. She was very popular. Plus we got free maple leaf temporary tattoos!

After hitting the park we stopped at the grocery store to pick up some groceries {which most certainly did not include a key lime pie…nope, definitely not}. And after lunch we all had naps, but only the most patriotic of naps. Really, they were very Canadian naps.

And finally we went to watch the fireworks. We found a great spot that was far enough away that we avoided the really bad traffic on the way home, plus the fireworks weren’t loud enough to scare the little one. We may not have been all that close but it was a great view. We could see the tepee, the moon, and the fireworks all together. How’d Lucy like the fireworks? She loved them!

She watched them very intently and was jumping in my lap in her excitement. I wasn’t sure whether she would hate them or be indifferent at her age. I certainly didn’t expect her to enjoy them as much as she did. I think her reaction was more fun than the actual fireworks (which were also very nice)!

I love my native country, don’t think I don’t. But I also really love Canada. It’s a great place to live and while I may not be a true citizen I have a lot of Canadian pride. I love the freedom, the tolerance, the natural beauty, the diversity, the wildlife, the health care, the Tim Horton’s density, and yes, I even love the word “eh!”

All in all it was a great holiday, probably the best holiday we’ve had since moving to Canada. We had good food, good fun, and good naps. And we had each other to enjoy it all together. Happy 142nd Canada!

O Canada!
Our home and [cherished] land!
True patriot love in all [of us] command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Canadians, how did you celebrate? Tell me in the comments. Non-Canadians, feel free to tell me how cute Baby Lu looked. ;)

July 1st is Canada Day! As if in anticipation of the holiday I received my permanent resident card in the mail yesterday! Finally! I’m so happy to have it, even in all its “oh-my-Google-that-picture-of-me-is-awful-glory!” I also finished Lucy’s red and white tutu and made her a matching shirt. The shirt was a big let down. The wax paper stencil did not iron on properly so I had to paint the design more or less freehand (hence the asymmetry).

I used a metallic, red fabric paint for a little extra shimmer. If you want to make something similar don’t forget to put a piece of card board inside the shirt to prevent bleed through to the other side. And if you’re thinking of making a tutu I recently learned this helpful trick…tie the in-progress tutu around a chair or your leg (depending on the size) to keep it from moving around while you’re tying on the tulle.

I’m super excited to get Lu all dressed up. Check back tomorrow for part 2 which will include photos of the tutu in action, a recap of the festivities, and some of my thoughts on Canada!

What do you think of Canada (US citizens feel free to answer)?

This weeks Muffin Tin Meal theme was “Patriotic.” And since I’ve spent most of my life celebrating the 4th of July and only this year and last celebrating Canada Day I decided to go with a Canadian theme rather than a US theme. But…things didn’t work out so well.

I was going to make French toast shaped like maple leaves. But we were out of bread. So I tried doing maple leaf pieces of tortilla to dip in tzatziki sauce. I tried to make it red…but red food coloring and white sauce = pink. And tortillas don’t cut into shapes as nicely as bread does. {sigh}

The rest of the MTM consisted of plain yogurt sweetened with {Canadian} maple syrup and died red pink to make a Canadian flag, red cherries, and red fruit punch. It didn’t go as well as I hoped. Fortunately it was just for me so I’ve got no disappointed kiddos!

Check out the original post to see some truly amazing MTM’s. I looooove the one the Masked Mommy made!

Let me tell you a {true} story.

Once upon a time {a year ago} there was a woman who had moved from the land of bad drivers {Utah} to the other land of bad drivers {Alberta}. This woman was not a bad driver. She was careful and obeyed all the rules of the road. One such rule decreed that she must turn in her old driver’s license and replace it with one issued by the province. So off she went to do just that.

Upon applying for her new license she was informed that if she wanted a real, grown-up license she would need to show proof that she had been driving for much longer than her old license indicated. She would have to embark on a quest to retrieve a driving record from her original, home land {Ohio}.

So she did.

But then a mysterious spell was cast upon her that caused her to sleep {read: procrastinate} for a very long time. It wasn’t until the next summer that the spell was broken and she was able to apply again.

She and her handsome knight {who had to drive because he was the only one with a valid license} arrived at the office when the woman remembered she had forgotten her magic bag {wallet} which contained her old license. So they travelled back to their home to get it.

But then upon their {second} arrival they were told they needed proof that they were wed to show that the woman was indeed a resident of the land. So away they went once more.

Finally {on the third attempt in one day} they had success! The woman was granted a new license and there was much rejoicing…

…until she had to go back a fourth time because she dropped an important document on her way out.

And {despite all that} she drove happily ever after.

Well, now that I'm an official permanent resident of Canada it seems I'm seeing its true color. And that color is white.

It's June, people! JUNE! Last June we were boiling alive. This June? Not so much. Truly, this is the "Great White North."

On an unrelated note: You may have noticed that I made no post yesterday. Friday is Saturday around here. And by that I mean that Friday is Adam's day off. I'm not planning on making posts on Fridays. But I am making an effort to post the other 6 days of the week. So there should be plenty for you all to read (and tell your friends and family to read*).

*What? Too shameless? It's kind of hard to maintain any shame when fishing for readers.

Yesterday we made the long drive (but not as long as this drive) to Lethbridge. I had a late morning appointment with the immigration office. They weren't entirely clear ahead of time about the nature of the appointment. So imagine my surprise when the woman interviewing us casually turned to me and said "As of today you are a permanent resident of Canada."

Oh!

Well, AWESOME!

In 30 days I can expect my PR card which will finally allow me to leave the country and be permitted to enter it again. And I'm done giving them massive amounts of money (yesterday they required another $490). And I'm allowed to get a job or enroll in classes if I so choose (maybe some day, but not anytime soon). And I don't have to worry about losing my Alberta Health Care coverage. So, yeah, kind of a big deal (despite the casual manner in which we were informed).

As soon as we get our massive tax return I will so be on a plane to Ohio because a certain somebody needs to meet Grandma.

PS: Why in the name of all that is good and sane would a government building not have a single restroom available to the public?

If you're wise you check you receipt before leaving a store to ensure everything rang up correctly. And then, if there was an error, you make sure to get the difference refunded, right? Well that's not all you should be doing. If something rings up at the wrong price ask for it free under SCOP.

Yes. I said free.

If a store participates in the Scanning Code of Practice and you ask for them to honor the SCOP you get the first item that scanned incorrectly for free (if under $10) or you get a discount ($10).

Today we got free tabbed dividers (you know, the things you put in three ring binders). And it is ridiculous how giddy that makes me feel.

But, bad news for you US readers. I'm pretty sure this is a Canadian thing.

Have you ever gotten a SCOP item before? And how do you pronounce SCOP?

You know you miss someone when you have a dream about how much you miss them.

My best friend lives in Utah, where we met. I haven't seen her in over a year (Happy Canadaversary to us, by the way)! I'm particularly bummed about being so far away right now because I missed her baby shower/missed out on helping her paint her baby's room/won't get to meet her "Ninja baby"/haven't been able to show off Baby Lucy to her/etc. I've had two dreams about her in the past week, one of which was actually about not getting to help paint and how much I miss her. And she bought all her friends who helped paint ice cream (in the dream) and it made me jealous...partly because I miss her and partly because I haven't had ice cream in weeks and weeks.

So, today I think I'm going to wallow in self pity and eat ice cream.

Other things/people I miss (from Utah and Ohio):

• Target
• the dollar theater
• mountains
• the UTA
• $400 a month rent
• Spencer
• Rachel (who is also having a baby soon)
  
• Nora
• my family, especially my mom!!!
• Dodger and Elly (and Harrigan too)
• Harrigan's (especially the pizza and the chicken fingers)
• Bill's Donuts (best donuts EVER)
• lots of birds and critters running around everywhere
• the Provo library's magazine selection
• the USPS
• my grandpa's yard/garden
• Windmill Farm
• the nearby museums
• high school (not that I could go back even if I was physically close enough)
• humidity (can't believe I'd ever miss that, but the dry air is doing a number on my skin)
• regular thunderstorms
• Goodwill
• and, again, MY FAMILY

If only I was allowed to leave the country. What things do you miss from places you used to live?

How could I not miss this?

If I ruled the world...

• The max MCAT scores would be in the thousands instead of forties because a test that big deserves scoring that feels more impressive.
• Blogger would have a wysiwyg template editor so I could finish and install my new design sometime in the next decade.
• I'd be allowed to leave the country without fear of being denied re-entry.
• Target, Ben & Jerry's, and a decent Mexican place would all be available in Medicine Hat.

If I ruled the world and had supernatural powers...

• Hogwarts would be real and I'd be a graduate.
• The weather would remember that we're in spring now so it's OK to be warm.
• The nutritional value of a food would be directly linked to its yumminess.
• Time could be manipulated.
  

What would you change if you ruled the world?

Well, Monday we drove about three hours for the privilege of paying doctors and technicians to poke and prod me and evaluate various fluids. The results? I'm healthy and will not pose a threat to the health of Canadians if the government lets me stay here.

I could have told them that. But I guess they don't trust me.

All in all it wasn't a bad trip. It was inconvenient, sure (Adam missed class, I got blood drawn, it was a long drive). But it went pretty smoothly and it gave us an opportunity to stop at Ikea. We now have bookshelves, a desk chair for me, a cheap, simple high chair for Lucy, and an even cheaper potty (which she won't be needing for quite some time, but who knows when we'll get another chance to go to Ikea), and a few other odds and ends that had been on our shopping list for quite some time.

If I wasn't already in love with Ikea (and I certainly am) I would have fallen in love after using their nursing room. I don't mind nursing wherever I happen to be (though I prefer to sit in a chair of some sort). Usually it's easiest to just feed Lucy right on the spot so she doesn't get too upset to eat while I'm looking for someplace nice to sit. Sometimes I can anticipate a pending feeding session and will find someplace cozy. Ikea has someplace cozy. The nursing room is furnished with Ikea products (just like the cafeteria) including a real changing table (not one of those plastic things that folds down from the wall) and a super comfy leather chair. There are even toys in case baby has an older sibling who needs something to do while mum's nursing. And you can even control the volume of the store radio. And the room was clean. I was very pleased. If I could have I would have just chilled there for a while after Lucy was done because it was so nice. But I had to go sacrifice blood to the Immigration Gods.

1. I'm trying, I'm trying very hard, I still can't come up with good fill-ins for these blanks.

2. Why do I have sewing machine and not a love of sewing?

3. How does this Canadian government work, anyway?

4. Every morning, I put a clean diaper on my baby (and repeat as needed).

5. I consider myself lucky because because my husband changes diapers willingly.

6. One day we’ll see what color eyes and hair Lucy will have.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to nothing in particular, tomorrow my plans include finally finishing up all my thank you cards and birth announcements and Sunday, I want to get to bed early because I have to be in Calgary by 9 the next morning!

One should never get a tax refund. If you get a refund it means you gave the government an interest free loan. Just think, you could have invested that money and let it earn interest all year long.

That said, if you get a new job in a country and you are unfamiliar with the tax laws of said country you may inadvertently end up with a refund the first time you file your taxes. How do I know this?

I'm just really smart.

Yeah...

It has nothing to do with the fact that Adam filled out our Canadian tax return this past week and we're apparently due for a $2000 refund.

Did I say "nothing?" I mean "everything."

That's right, we should be receiving a $2000 (CAD) refund. If we can figure out how to get Lucy's consular report of birth abroad and a Social Security number in time to file our US tax return I believe we'll qualify for a $300 (USD) stimulus payment. And I might mention that we'll also be getting $100 (CAD) per month for Lucy, a hefty refund of sales/service taxes, and an even heftier payment under the Canada Child Tax Benefit. I won't go into details about how much because it might make you non-Canadians envious. And you should be envious, because guess what...we also pay $0 per month to insure our little family.

Why am I telling you all this? I dunno. I guess it's just because I think it's so awesome.

Now, assuming I am allowed to leave the country and return legally then it looks like I'll be able to visit my family sometime this year after all. And that makes me very, very happy.