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

Look at how punctual I am this month! :P I am currently home alone because Archie and Tim are off at Beavers camp. So that probably explains why I have time for my own personal things. Like writing this blog. We got a HUGE dump of snow in Edmonton but somehow it still feels like spring is in the air. This winter felt... Short? And mild? But I still need to get some snowboarding in before it's all over!! At the beginning of February we were still in Turks and Caicos Islands but I already told you all about that in my last blog. It was amazing. Great winter vacay!! My absolute goal and dream is to be able to take a (somewhat substantial) winter and summer vacation each year. It feels like we might be getting close to having this be an achievable reality and it feels wonderful. This photo is from back in January but I only just received it recently. I attended a meet & greet with the band Hotel Mira before their concert and it was fun to get to meet them! I like their music a lot and they're one of the bands that I'm the most excited about these days. (My days of hanging out with bands are NOT over, people. They're not. Ha ha!!)

Once back home in Edmonton the month was fairly chill and low-key. Although we DID make good on Archie's birthday present and he got a hamster! He picked a Russian Dwarf Hamster and we named her Marshmallow (because she looks like a fluffy toasted marshmallow). She's really small and cute. Archie LOVES her and Pixie wants to eat her. HA HA! She's supposed to live for around 2-3 years. For those who knew me growing up, our house was always FULL of various pets. So it feels pretty natural to be giving Archie a similar type of experience.

On Valentine's Day we took our annual family acro yoga photo. It's pretty fun now that Archie has more of an ability to participate! Then Tim and I went to Meuwly's Valentine's Charcuterie Date Night where we learned about building charcuterie boards, built our own, and then ate it! It was a really cute and fun night out. Great Valentine's Day!

We got back to having a monthly double date night with the Coxes! We used to do these all the time with Mary and Jonny before they moved away. We all love dining in good restaurants so it's a great match! We went to a restaurant called Darling and it was a wonderful time. Really looking forward to this being a part of our life again! AND Mary and Jonny bought a house in the neighbourhood next to ours (Parkallen) so they will live a 3 minute drive away once they move in!

We had a very fun Girls Night at the Muttart Conservatory where we enjoyed dinner in the cafe and then strolled around the pyramids laughing and chatting. The times that we share are always, always the best. <3

And the Sweet Treats and Latte Festival was happening in Old Strathcona so I got all up in that. I even ended up winning $474 in prizes from it!!!

I tried acupuncture for the first time which was a really neat experience! It didn't hurt but it did feel weird. I had another follow up with my Naturopath and we discussed the state of my cycles and perimenopause symptoms. My last cycle was 87 days long, which is not ideal. She recommended that I start taking Chasteberry Plus twice a day which will help support menstrual regularity, ease menstrual cramps, and support reproductive health. It includes Ashwagandha which is used to support healthy aging, as well as Black Cohosh. She thinks that this supplement will show results quickly and then I will follow up with her again. She did not seem all that enthused about the idea of me having an IUD put in. But regardless, I still have not gotten to see a female gynecologist yet so I might as well try whatever the naturopath suggests in the meantime.

My word of the year for 2024 is ACCEPTANCE and I do feel myself applying this word more and more to different parts of my life - especially regarding this whole perimenopause situation.

Life with Archie: Archie attended another Home Depot Kids Workshop and built a Valentine's basket.

Archie was VERY excited to get his new hamster. The hamster cage is in his room and it's his responsibility to make sure that she has food and water and to help with cleaning the cage. He seems to be up to the task!

Archie had some fun friend hangouts. As an only child we try to do our best with having different friend things going on.

More of Archie's winter activities have started up and he's doing Junior Snowboard for snowboarding lessons at Snow Valley. He's progressing so well! It's like he picked right back up where he left off from last winter. He is now able to ride on his toe edge and heel edge without falling down and it's only a matter of time before he'll be able to switch between the two. He also attended Training School at the Alberta Aviation Museum for the two-day teacher's convention break. And he's climbing really high at rock climbing!

On Valentine's Day Archie dressed appropriately for school in pink and red colours and of course we made him a corresponding lunch/snack.

He also went to the dentist and had no cavities! And we had a cute breakfast date together where he enjoyed a plate of poffertjes.

There's never a dull moment around here and we like to keep busy! March has a bit more going on! Nicole and I are going to a Drag & Burlesque Brunch which I have always wanted to do! It's being held at Fu's Repair Shop which was just named the Best Overall Restaurant in Edmonton and Area... So it should be a grand time! We have a snowboarding trip to the mountains planned! We are going to Jasper with Mary and Jonny and their kids. It's Mary's birthday weekend and they planned a ski trip and we half invited ourselves/got invited to join, ha ha! We're super excited about it and I'm really looking forward to getting on my snowboard finally! Archie has Spring Break for the last week of the month and I have absolutely no idea what we're going to do to make that time interesting or fun. And Easter is at the very end of the month! We don't have anything big planned for it but I always enjoy the usual thing that we do at home. I'm looking forward to the spring getting started and crawling out of my winter hibernation cave! THIS MONTH’S SHOUT-OUTS!: March 7th is Susan Murphy’s 42nd birthday!

I love how close we are and how we talk every day! You're a very important part of my life and I appreciate your presence so much... SOON TO BE IN REAL LIFE! I'm looking forward to your move back to Edmonton (we allllll come crawling back to Edmonton, ha ha ha!) and next year we will be celebrating your birthday IRL! You are managing SO MUCH right now and I hope that you are able to take a moment to enjoy your special day. Love you very much! <3 March 12th is Kristen Smith’s 40th birthday!

YOU LIKE TO KICK! STRETCH! AND KICK! YOU'RE 40!!! 40 YEARS OLD!!! I am wishing you the most magical and special and celebratory of birthdays!! I hope that you get spoiled beyond belief and that you truly go all out for this milestone birthday! I miss you very much and I'm coming to Vancouver soon (in May) and I HAVE TO SEE YOU THIS TIME OR ELSE I'M GOING TO FLIP A TABLE! Love you. <3 March 17th is Mary Cox’s 40th birthday!

ALSO 40!!! I can't wait to celebrate you in the mountains after a day on the slopes!! I know that you're special to me because I rarely let new people "in" and you're someone who I connected with so easily. We're living similar lives where we don't have family nearby and it's really nice to lean on someone in the same situation. I love our weekly yoga & coffee hangouts and I am so excited to live "just across the street" from each other. I appreciate having you in my life so much, my British-Canadian friend! <3