In the last six weeks or so, I have listened to approximately one million podcasts, as I have been packing and cleaning and unpacking and DRIVING. It’s gotten to the point where I am wondering if I am in an unhealthy parasocial relationship with the hosts of my favourite ones, because I am relating to them so much. Several weeks ago, Kim from Everything Is Fine spoke about her recent move between Brooklyn apartments, and she said you just have to accept that everything is just going to suck for a while, and then one day you’ll feel like this is home, and when she said that, my ears perked up. I think at the time I was just in the beginning of the process, and those words stuck with me. It’s just going to suck for a while! And then it will feel like home!
The day the movers came – ten days ago now, already – was 37 degrees, RIP the movers and the guys, who were helping. It was such a busy and crazy day, and at the end of it, the guys were having a beer with the movers on the deck. I declined as I really just wanted to get the kitchen at least semi-unpacked, as it looked like this at the time:
My friend Tara (HI TARA) had warned me about what would happen, using the moving company to pack our things. She said you would find something packed super well and unwind all the packing paper, and it would be, like, a single pencil. I did not find any single pencils wrapped as such, but many times I did unwind enormous swaths of packing paper to reveal a single shot glass. Well, it was worth it since nothing was broken, but there was a lot of paper to be recycled.
Anyway, the guys were out having a beer and I was unpacking and arranging shot glasses and other kitchen-related items in the cupboards, when I saw the moving van drive away. At that point my sons burst into the house to tell me that I was desperately needed for One Last Box. By then, I had politely directed people where to put random boxes and pieces of furniture for HOURS, the doors were naturally opened the whole time and so the air conditioning was negated by the 37 degree heat, I had a pile of paper up to my knees JUST from shot glasses, and I was starving and wondering how to cobble together a dinner in such a mess. I did NOT want to go on the deck to make a decision about One Last Box, but the boys were laughing and smiling, and they just seemed so excited, and I didn’t want to be Bitchy Mom with everything going on. Also, I had just read the parenting chapters in Gabor Mate’s book The Myth of Normal, which I do not recommend you do, unless you want to feel like you have done everything wrong and have ruined your children for life. The rest of the book is good, just, maybe skip that part? Anyway, I put down my shot glass and followed them out on the deck, where they had an exacto knife for opening a wide, narrow box that was labeled “Gnomes.”
I don’t yet have a garden to call my own, so the gnomes have been on the deck, and have been moved around magically during the night. Here they are in a conga line:
It reminds me of when I first got Salvadore and it was too wintry for him to be outside, and his position in the house would change every day, like a garden version of Elf on a Shelf.
Even though I have become increasingly unsentimental about My Things, there are a few things that really have made Our House feel like Our Home, and I will say that gnomes are a huge part of it. I haven’t mentioned Julio and Jorge, who are plant pot gnomes acquired at the same time as Gustaf, but they are adorable little things. I do not have plant pots yet for this house, and so right now they are hanging out with the wooden flower I bought 24 years ago from IKEA to decorate our very first apartment, a tiny place 30 floors up in downtown Calgary.
Gaston the kitchen gnome is presiding over the kitchen.
Of course the Girls are enjoying their new spots in the kitchen as well.
The yoga frogs – and bunnies – have rounded out my kitchen decor nicely, which is making it feel very homey.
We are still in the process of hanging up the artwork, a process that will probably take a few weeks to figure out where things will look best, but my husband immediately put up my Desiderata beside my piano, which was the finishing touch on Things That Are Important To Me.
Speaking of things that are important to me, and circling back to podcasts, the incredible Alie Ward of Ologies said that her daily practice for mental, physical, and emotional health is represented by the mnemonic REM REM. The first REM stands for Reading, Exercise, and Meditation, and the second REM refers simply to sleep. I heard this and it cemented my parasocial relationship with her; it was all I could do not to send an email saying Me too, meeeee toooooo, we are besties now! In order to be at my best, every day I need to read, exercise, and meditate – I include yoga in the meditation part or, OR, I could escribo en espanol and say REM Y REM – and to get between seven and seven and a half hours of sleep. I have been squeezing in all of those things every day over the past little while, even whilst in Work Camp Mode. Sure, sometimes it’s just a little of each, and some days I did have less sleep than optimal, but for the most part I have adhered to this.
Now that all the major work has been done, I was able to spend the weekend in a more pleasurable way than being on my feet for fourteen hours and going through insane amounts of cleaning products. Saturday morning my older son and I went exploring on our bikes and it was so much fun. We rode up a grinder of a hill through the orchards, and then rode an absolutely terrifying – for me, not for him – downhill with no shoulder or bike lane, a curving, huge, steep hill; we rode down through the sun-baked creek valley and along the creek until we hit Lakeshore Road, and then circled back up a less-strenuous, but it was at the end of our ride so it FELT strenuous, hill home. I never rode my bike in Calgary as I was terrified of traffic, but there are bike lanes everywhere here – except, of course, on the giant scary hill – and I look forward to doing much more of it in the weeks and months to come. I mean, apparently it often doesn’t snow here until DECEMBER, which is such a foreign idea to me, I cannot even.
I have so many books to tell you about that I have managed to read in the past few weeks, but it will have to wait. Can you believe that it’s the end of July already? This month has flown by; I kind of feel like it should still be MAY. Well, here we are! I hope you have a wonderful week, and Happy August, my friends! xo
REM y REM is the best thing I’ve heard in a while – I immediately put it in my intentions notebook for this week! Glad you and the gnomes are settling in!
Thanks Lindsay! I love REM Y REM!
That is funny, your sons came to get you for the unpacking of the gnomes! Yes, now your house can really feel like home. It sounds like you’re really settling in. And are those mountains in the background? You have an amazing view from you deck!!! I can’t wait to hear about more adventures, and about your current reads.
Those are mountains! Kelowna is in a valley so there are mountains all around. It’s really pretty.
Welcome home, Nicole, family, Rex, & gnomes!
I do pretty well with REM & REM, all except the first M. Maybe I should take it up.
Thanks Steph! I think it helps me a lot.
I felt the same way when I read that part of the Gabor Mate book – like maybe I’ve been a horrible parent and done it all wrong so far?! So much guilt. The relationship you have with your boys is awesome and I love reading about it. I hope my girls feel the same for me! A beautiful house and can’t wait for more of that view. No snow until December? * Sigh *
I mean, I haven’t breastfed for many years but here I was, having regrets! RIDICULOUS, DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT PART!!!
Thanks so much, I love our relationship!
I love the title of this post! So glad you are settling in so well.
Thanks so much Sarah!
I’m exhausted just reading about what you went through. I enjoy the Everything is Fine podcast, so I know Kim was right– and you’ve come through the worst of it. Love your gnome collection. Kind of jealous of it.
I got that podcast recommendation from YOU, Ally! So thank you very much, I enjoy it a lot.
Yay gnomes! I bet that conga party is epic.
REM REM is genius! Truer words were never spoken.
Come on everybody let’s do the conga! You know you can’t control yourself any longer!
You have been BUSY. I’m laughing at your podcast parasocial relationship. I love the gnome conga line. Your guys are funny.
At first when you said you noticed the moving van drove away, I was worried that you were going to say that they failed to unload something or do some part of the moving task. That happened to my sister and I. I went to help her move onto the military base while her husband was deployed. She and I were both pregnant and her little toddlers were with us. The movers were supposed to connect the TV to cable and we about died when they drove away. We NEEDED the TV
(ah – I hit send while typing – sorry) – to keep the tots busy while we unpacked the entire house. Other military guys showed up to rescue us, thank goodness.
Continued good luck in getting settled. Hooray for bike paths and more biking in this area . . . except of course for this one hill.
I cannot IMAGINE doing a move while pregnant and with toddlers. NO THANK YOU. That sounds absolutely stressful!
Awww, the gnomes are so cute! Also, I vote for the espanol version: REM y REM is amazing. The little glimpses from these photos look so beautiful! And despite all your recent stress, you sound HAPPY, too! The biking, the views, the books.. lots of good stuff. I am so impressed that you’ve still managed to do a lot of reading. Makes me question what my excuse is, since I did not just complete a massive multi-hour away move!
I love that you love the espanol version! Yay for including yoga!
Thanks so much for your words! If it wasn’t for reading I’d probably be very unhinged right now!
REM REM helps me remember that I, too, need these things. Yoga has only recently entered my life. Although it is hardly exercise (in my case), I am counting it as such. 🤣
Gabor Mate and I have a complicated relationship. I’m holding one of his books at the library… I can’t remember which one right now. But I read one before…can’t remember which one…but I hope the guilt part isn’t in the book I’m about to read, LOL.
Adding Everything is Fine to my podcast list.
I know EXACTLY what you mean about Mate! So interesting! So much research! And also, wait, if we are stressed we are setting ourselves up for disease…gulp. If it’s The Myth of Normal, do yourself a favour and skip the parenting parts.
Ally Bean recommended Everything Is Fine and I like it a lot. One of the hosts was an editor of Sassy magazine, which I feel you’ll like.
I LOVED Sassy Magazine, so I will definitely listen.
I have so many parasocial relationships with podcast hosts. I imagine if I ever saw one in person (I’d obviously recognize them from their voice), I would freak out.
Our local healthcare group started doing fitness classes via Zoom over the pandemic. The coordinator of the program also teaches a lot of the classes and the first time I saw her in public, it was like meeting a famous person!
ANYWAY! I’m so glad you’re all moved and settling in. Rex looks likes he’s comfortable, so A+ on being a good pet friend! It’s so wonderful that you took time to explore your new home via bike – sounds like such a fun time!
Engie, I have had this happen to me! I have taught zoom yoga and been approached by people in, like, Costco! It’s really really cool!
That said I would probably faint if I met Leah Bonnema from Raised By Wolves!
I always feel like I’m so far behind everyone on the podcast front; I struggle to fit podcasts into my life right now because I feel like I’m rarely alone or I’m working (and need to focus on spreadsheets) or I’m bouncing between various tasks quickly. I also prefer to listen to music while I putter around the house and I usually exercise with someone else, or if I’m running I MUST have music on if I’m listening to anything at all. Sigh. But I know there is so much great content out there and so I feel slightly paralyzed on the podcast front.
Moving on – what a happy post. The biking. The gnomes. The settling in. I’m so glad the move is behind you and you are so happy and cheerful about your new home. It’s gorgeous and no snow until December sounds delightful. You really made the most of Calgary weather, but a more temperate climate will be such a joy!
There will be plenty of time in your future to listen to podcasts IF YOU SO CHOOSE! There’s no law that says Elisabeth Must Listen To Podcast Content!
Thanks for your very sweet words. I really did try to make the most of Calgary weather but it could often be so dispiriting! I am looking forward to a mild winter!
What? No snow until December? If I didn’t know better, I’d assume you had ditched Canada and made your way south. 😉
I’m so happy you are settling in with your guys and gnomes. And Rex too, of course.
Apparently it *can* snow earlier but it doesn’t stick, which is unbelievable to me!
I love your gnomes and your yoga frogs and that you’re not going to be up to your ass in snow all the time and able to ride your bike. I feel like things might be starting to suck less already.
Thanks babe! I mean, it CAN snow but rumour has it that it just…melts, what? It doesn’t pile up into three foot tall piles along the streets?
Oh YAY Nicole! Your gnomes! And all your other beautiful treasures, all in their own special places! That makes me so very happy. And also that you are able to ENJOY your new home! That’s wonderful. So very glad that you are on The Other Side (or at least *nearly* there) and that you have your gnomes there with you. xxoo
Thanks Suzanne! xoxo
Those views from your deck!!! OMG! You are living in such a beautiful place!! I love that your boys pulled you outside for the unboxing of the gnomes. They know their mama so well. I have been through 2 moves where my belongings were packed and wow it is nuts how much paper is used in the process! I was glad I lived in an apt complex both times because there was SO MUCH TO RECYCLE!
I can’t wait to hear your reading recs but will avoid the book w/ the chapter about parenting that made you feel guilty – I would not be able to avoid the chapter even though you are telling me to skip it… it’s like pandora’s box and while I know it will make me feel shame, I would stupidly still read it and then feel shame and then feel bad for stupidly reading something I knew would make me feel shameful. It’s fun to live inside my brain.
I’ve finally gotten around to researching hikes and such in the Canmore/Banff area. Let me know if you have any favorites that you would recommend. We are planning to bike from Canmore to Banff one day as it sounds like there is a safe, dedicated biking trail and then we figured we can pull over and take a zillion selfies/pics of the mountains which would be more annoying to do in a car. My friend’s friend who has been to the area recommended we do that. Let me know if there are any other ‘must do/see’ things you’d recommend. I haven’t seen my friend since my wedding 6 years ago and we’ve both had 2 kids since then so we will have so much to talk about it, so the trip is mostly about seeing her but also about hiking in the mountains/taking in gorgeous views while catching up/reconnecting.
Lisa, I’m so excited for your trip! I have cycled the Legacy Trail from Canmore to Banff and back, it’s awesome. I think you should do both ways – you will lose elevation going from Banff to Canmore so it’s a speedy return trip. It’s a beautiful trail but go early to miss the crowds. As for hikes, there are gorgeous trails pretty much everywhere, depending on your taste and desire for kms/ elevation gain. A very popular but absolutely gorgeous one is the Big Beehive in Lake Louise or the Plain of Six Glaciers, also Lake Louise. Lillian Lake is wonderful, but that’s a bit more Kananaskis area. If you go up to where Sunshine ski is, there are absolutely beautiful trails – Simpson pass, I think is what one is called, and you can have one foot in BC and one foot in AB – and I think you’re at the right time for the wildflowers too.
Okay, so DO NOT read that book. Just don’t do it!
We will do both ways then! I am really excited to get on a bike for the first time in over 6 years! I haven’t rode a bike since I got pregnant with Paul. It’s not something I’ve made time for since having kids. Good advice to start early to avoid the crowds/minimize the crowds we will encounter. It looks like there is no shortage of gorgeous hikes! The Beehive one has come up in a lot of “best of” lists. I can’t wait!
I hate that summer is flying by us. I can only listen to podcasts while driving or walking. I cannot concentrate on more thinking activities while listening to anything, including music.
Girl, I hear you on the amount of paper used to pack anything these days. What’s with the giant rolls being wrapped around something a hundred times?? And then it’s difficult to stuff into my paper recycling bag that I keep in the laundry room. You basically have to make a special trip just to dispose of it.
It was fun for me to see all of your ‘statues.’ I love that kitchen gnome. So cute! My Middle Child has developed an affinity for gnomes recently and it’s been fun finding different ones for each season for her to decorate her bedroom.
Enjoy your bike rides!
I know, my husband and son made several trips to the paper recycling depot because we had so much paper and cardboard!
I’m excited for your child and gnomes. They are so fun.
You know this post made my day! 😊 A house isn’t a home until the gnomes move in! The conga line is the best! I love your yoga frogs too. And I’m a bit jealous that you got to move to a place where it doesn’t snow until December!!! It looks like a gorgeous place to call home.
I was thinking about you while writing it! Well, I guess it CAN snow here but the snow doesn’t stay, and often it doesn’t!
I’m glad you’re settling in and this chaos period of your life is starting to be in the rearview mirror! I *love* that your sons made you go outside for the unpacking of the gnomes! Yay!
Thanks Stephany! The gnomes make the home!
The yoga bunnies– love them. We have a thing for rabbits, so those are quite perfect to me.
The presentation and unpacking of the gnome box is precious. Now you are really home!
Also, I love the wooden flower that has been with you since your first home with your husband. That is a lovely touch and really connects everything.
Glad you’re settling in well. But, that bike ride! Better you than me. I haven’t been on my bike in quite some time, as it sits in the basement collecting dust, and just considered the other day that it may be time to give it away. I’m more of a two feet on the ground kind of person!
Hope your weekend is lovely. Xx
Thanks Chrisoula! I love riding my bike – but only on bike trails or paths, I am so scared of traffic.
I really love that yellow flower, it makes me so super happy. xo
I love how excited your sons were for you to unbox your gnomes. They know what makes you happy and that is such a gift.
Your new home is going to be so much fun for you…NO SNOW UNTIL DECEMBER. What a novel idea! Think of all the bike rides you’ll get in.
I had to giggle, while picturing all the paper unwrapping for a single shot glass. *Sigh* Best of luck getting settled in.
Suz, this is a lesson – you need like an entire box if you have six shotglasses!!! All the paper! Lol.
Moving into a new place is always a little nerve-racking and it sucks for a while, but it always helps to unpack the important things first: coffeemaker/kettle for tea, mugs, personal comfort items (like your gnomes!) and everything else will fall into place.
So sweet that your sons got you to unpack your gnomes because they knew how important they were for you 🙂
And so glad you got to go out to explore on bike!
Hahaha I love that you mention coffeemaker! Such an important part of my life to be sure, even more so than the gnomes!
The view of the mountains from your deck (?) is amazing. I am sure after it all settled it will feel (and look) wonderful! About to read your book moving post :))
Thanks Daria!
Nicole, I think I would love your house (and not just for the winters…). Gnomes were HUGE in a little town in Iowa I used to live in (Decorah… many of the residents have Norwegian heritage, so, gnomes :>) and I miss it so. I only have 2 gnomes in my apartment and that is probably something that I would ADD to my life, not purge! 🙂 Also? Desiderata. Oh, that piece is so close to my heart. I read it – and nearly memorized it – in HS, when I read it at graduation. Sigh. Such a simple, yet insightful, piece of writing. <3 I hope you continue to settle in, and that you are feeling more at home.
I’m all settled in now! Thanks Anne!