THE GOODS BLOG: Erika's Precious Little Life ~ December Edition

Can you believe that it's the last month of 2025 and that Christmas is 22 days away?!? I cannot. I've been trying my best to get into the correct mindset for all of this but sometimes it feels like I'm just going through the motions... Which I suppose is better than no motions at all. We all know that moms are the ones who make the magic. And I take my role of magic-maker quite seriously! But it's a lot! Here's another photo that I got from our family photography this year. It's too hilarious not to share!! I can't wait for you all to see our Christmas card!

After almost a two year wait I made it into the Menopause Clinic!!! This feels like a cause for celebration, if you ask me! This clinic runs out of one of the major hospitals in Edmonton and my appointment was three hours long. (Which just goes to show what proper care actually looks like for someone dealing with advanced peri-menopause.) During the appointment I met with three different specialists (who were all women!) and they all went over every inch of my history, symptoms, current medications - just everything. They concluded that I have "Premature Ovarian Insufficiency" which is essentially just a fancy way to say "early menopause." They looked at the hormone replacement therapy that I have been taking and confirmed that it's the right thing for me and they also added in estradiol (Imvexxy) for me to take twice a week. So far I'm feeling really good!! Probably the best that I have in a really long time!! It's a huge relief to know that they will be taking care of me now. My biggest piece of advice for all of you is that if you start to notice the bothersome first signs of peri-menopause look into if your city has a Menopause Clinic and ask for a referral NOW. Don't wait. The waitlist will likely be very long and it will be better to get your name on that list sooner rather than later when things are already really bad! Tim went to Guildford, England (just outside of London) for five days for a Cinematic Summit at work. I'm really excited for him that he has reached the point in his career where he gets to do stuff like this! He really deserves to feel like the highly valued employee that he is!

Meanwhile, Archie was on fall break from school. (YES, there is a "fall break" in Alberta. I'm aware that other places don't have this.) I tried to plan a whole week of fun for Archie and I in Edmonton (especially since Tim was off galivanting in the UK) and the two of us had a blast! We visited the TELUS World of Science, went on a two hour long nature walk, and cleaned out the machines at ClawPark. Among other things! I really, truly enjoy Archie's company and the adventures that we get up to together!

This month's awesome food writer victories came courtesy of Triple O's and YOGOST! They both invited me to events! Triple O's was for their O-So Tasty Pairing Event (so, so, so much food) and YOGOST was for their pre-grand opening VIP Influencers Tasting Day event (where I got to try three different drinks). This kind of stuff certainly seems to be picking up in frequency and it's really exciting and tons of fun!

We went out for a fun double date night with our friends Crystal & Scott and enjoyed delicious food at Rita Trattoria! (And our boys shared a babysitter and had a sleepover, which is always awesome!)

We put up our Christmas tree on November 16th! We always do this mid-month in November because we want to have plenty of time to enjoy our holiday decor at home before we leave for the holidays. I love our putting up the tree day! It involves treats and music and Festive Specials!

Completed tree!

The Breaking Idol documentary was released. I was sooo nervous about this which is why I didn't tell almost anyone about it sooner. I was worried about how I would be portrayed but I really did trust the filmmakers involved. Thankfully, after watching the documentary I was really, really proud of it! A huge relief!! The filmmakers first contacted me about three years ago and I had many Zoom calls with them over the years. Finally, in April their six-person crew flew to Edmonton from Toronto just to film me at my house. It was such a crazy day!! Nicole and Rachelle are in it too! I was interviewed on camera for over two hours so it was very interesting to see what footage was used and what was not. We also filmed a scene with Archie in it that was not used. I have gotten so much positive feedback from all sorts of people, including many messages of support from people that I know through radio. It was a really fun and interesting experience and I feel really good about my choice to participate and to help share this story. The doc aired on CBC on November 19th and is available to watch on CBC Gem, Apple TV, or right here on YouTube.

Then we went to Montreal! Tim was invited specifically to attend the Battlefield 6 release party and it was a fun opportunity for Archie and I to tag along and have a fun time in a city that we love! Tim's company put us up in a very fancy hotel downtown and we enjoyed exploring Old Montreal. Plus we had SO MUCH EATING to do!!!

We also spent two nights back in our old neighbourhood of Mile End, a place that will forever mean so much to us. We visited our old house (and therefore discussed ways to purchase it back, HA HA HA) and honestly there was just tons of eating and wandering around which is what we love to do.

Me in my natural environment and happy place.

The biggest highlight of the trip for me was getting to have dinner at Mon Lapin!! Viewed as the best restaurant in Canada, this meal was everything that I dreamed it would be! We told the server to bring us whatever was best and she crafted an incredible feast for us! Every single dish was amazing! I also adore the little foodie that Archie has become because he enjoyed eating every single thing and we had such great conversations about the food. I loved that this restaurant was not over-rated at all and that the hype is well-deserved!

Back home in Edmonton I had a lovely cafe date with Mary! <3

Our holiday season of events got under way with our visit to the Winter Whyte Light Up, a celebration that we enjoy attending every year. It was also very fun that Chef Shane Chartrand (5th place on season 11 of Top Chef Canada) was doing a little bannock-making demonstration there too!

And finally, Archie had his annual visit with Santa Claus at West Edmonton Mall! This year he asked for the LEGO Custom Police Car Garage (which I have already purchased).

GREAT MONTH! Busy and fun and not slowing down any time soon!! Life with Archie: First of all, I just have to share this photo of my sweet little gentleman. <3

Here are some more highlights of Archie enjoying our fall break week of fun! We really did have a blast of a time!

Archie loved spending time in Montreal, the city of his birth. We encouraged him to practice his French while we were there. He was also very stoked about poutine. This trip accounted for his 76th and 77th flights!

Archie had some fun friend hangs this month with his friend Maia and also his friend Caelyn!

Archie built an Excavator and a Teddy Bear Ornament at the two latest Kids Workshops at Home Depot.

And finally, I think that Archie is just excited that we're in full holiday mode and he's looking forward to everything that that entails!

Holy shit it's DECEMBER!!!! This month is completely devoted to holiday festivities and I would expect no less! First, you should be aware of the BUMMER news that Tim's work holiday party has been CANCELLED this year. So that sucks because it was always a big and fancy event that we loved attending. On the plus side, I don't have to go out and buy a new dress and get my hair and makeup done... So I guess that's less stuff to have to worry about. Tim and I are attending the Irvings Farm Fresh Swine & Dine Feast at the Edmonton Christmas Market. We attended a similar dinner last year and really enjoyed it so we're excited to do it again! Lacey & Dallas are coming to Edmonton for a visit from Canmore and we're looking forward to having them stay at our house and also having a fun double date night with them! Tim and Archie are running in the Santa Shuffle Fun Run 5k again this year (I am not) and I'm sure that they will have a great time! I'm excited to celebrate our annual Christmas Girls Night!! This year we're having lunch at Vicky's Bistro and Wine Bar followed by a visit to Greenland Garden Centre for their Country Christmas event and Lights in the Park. I know that it's going to be the best time and I can't wait! I have a ticket to see Hotel Mira play and I love them. I also love a solo concert time very much! We're going to do our annual family outing to the Edmonton Christmas Market, one of our favourite traditions. I think it's the best holiday-themed event that Edmonton has to offer! Then we'll be celebrating Christmas early, like we usually do, at home on the 14th! Santa is coming over early and we're opening presents and the whole thing! We're also going to IKEA's Julbord Buffet Swedish holiday dinner. I tried it for the first time last year and it was really good! Then we are off on our Christmas travels!!! We are flying to Hamilton on December 19th and then driving to London. We'll be spending two nights with Tim's family (which is a pretty long way to go for such a short visit, if you ask me... But it is what it is). Then we'll be continuing on to Regina on December 22nd to be there in time for actual Christmas! We'll be in town for a week and I look forward to spending the holidays with my family. I also can't wait to see a bunch of you ladies while I'm in town as well! We're returning home on December 29th... And then jumping in the car to drive to Jasper the next day!!! We decided that since we'll be at home for New Year's for the first time in forever, that we wanted to do something fun! So we're going to spend three nights in Jasper and ring in the new year on the slopes! Spending the day of New Year's Eve on my snowboard in the mountains sounds like an excellent way to finish off 2025! As always, I want to finish my last entry of 2025 with a huge message of gratitude to all of you, my treasured friends. My word of the year was rebirth and you have all been by my side for every version of myself, including this one. All of my ups and downs. I am honoured to be with you for yours as well and to help lift you up when needed. My goal this year was to manifest a journey where success and inner peace coexist harmoniously - it's no small task! You are the people that help to guide me on my way. Life is happening now. Right now! There is no better moment to make the most of our time on this planet and to make sure that the special people in our lives are aware of the impact that they have made. Thank you all for being exactly who you are. <3