The school encourage us to pick the apples to enjoy instead of letting them go to waste.  So that is what we did.  Every day after school, we stopped to pick apples on the way home.  The kids loved climbing the tree and picking and eating those apples straight from the tree.

There are still tons of apples on the tree.  Unfortunately they are now too high to climb to pick.  So yesterday we took the ladder and we picked more apples.  Made juice yesterday and will make another apple crisp today!  The super easy recipe is at the bottom of the blog.

The big surprise was when Kyle came home from one of his customers this week who is a farmer.  Check out the size of that apple.  Kyle is not sure whether to eat it or not.  I remember seeing apples that size in Australia….

The apple is as big as her head

His favourite fruit!

Guess which one is from the farm and which one is from the school

Apple Oatmeal Crisp

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup butter melted
Mixed the above ingredient together and line the pan with half the mixture.

4 cups sliced apples
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
Mix the apples together with the sugar and cinnamon and place on top of the oatmeal mixture.
Top off the apples with the remaining half of the oatmeal mixture.

Place it in the oven for 350F for 45minutes.
Enjoy!
The kids like it with ice-cream.

During the ride (I ran along side Natalie, she is still getting used to the stops and starts), I was able to just enjoy the river and the surroundings, the water lapping along the river bank, the trees blowing in the wind and the birds in the sky. It was pretty amazing, we didn’t hear too much of the traffic even though the riding path was along the Ottawa Parkway. Everything just seemed so right.

We biked up to the pond where Matthew caught a frog a evening before with his friend. Nature right in the city. Can’t beat that.

The ride was short as the kids had a plans with my parents but we had a great little adventure right in our back yard. These are the little things that make living in Ottawa so good!

The cottages are for rent and they are fully equipped, very elegantly decorated and very comfortable.  The kids had a great time too.  In the morning they just hung around playing board games and on Saturday afternoon, the weather was perfect and the kids had a blast tobogganing and exploring.  Simone and Dan have a dog and Matthew really had a great time playing with her.  He declared that Saturday was his best day ever, the highest toboggan hill that he had ever been on and a dog to play with all day.  Andrew had a blast too, he couldn’t wait to go outside to play Sunday and spend about 3 hours outside tobogganing and playing in the snow.

We are looking forward to going back there, what a great place to be and so close to the city too.  Summer will be awesome when we can swim in the lake and explore the bush!

Hey if anyone is looking for a place to get away, this place is only about an hour and a half from Ottawa.  I highly recommend, check out their website for pictures and more information.  http://www.themoonshadowretreat.com/

Our first big thing was traveling to Ottawa by train. When I first looked into airfares on flying to Ottawa, there was a seat sale. Then when we decided when to come, the seat sale was over and I did not want to pay more so I decided to wait. At this time, Kyle was traveling to Toronto from Ottawa on the train and he suggested looking into that option.

At first I thought that that would be so troublesome but was open to different options.  I was surprised to find that the prices were so much cheaper for the train than the plane, actually the price of the airline ticket for me was cheaper except that there are so many taxes and charges on the plane that traveling by train became cheaper. My total train ride from Winnipeg to Ottawa was $228 and the 3 kids were half price at $114 per child. Mind you I ended up paying about $30 in tips for the porters but still that was a savings of over $200. My dad said that if I ate in the dinning car and all the food I bought, it would actually end up costing me more. I had to remind him, I still had to eat and the food I bought would have been food I had to buy anyways. The meal for the 4 of us on the train was less than $30. The experience and memories are priceless.

Think about how train travel is more environmentally friendly. It is the most eco-friendly way to get around, other than walking or biking. It’s certainly more efficient and less polluting than flying or driving a car. So it is cheaper and better for the environment.

When we lived in Ottawa before, we lived in the suburbs, lots of driving to get anywhere. So now we live in Ottawa, walking distance to everything I need, 7 minutes to church, 10 minutes to the library(because we have to walk up a hill), 15 minutes to the grocery store and a 2.5km walk to Chinese school. So we have decided not to own a car. The public transportation is really good here. If we need to, we can always take a taxi or rent a car. 1 less car on the road, less pollution.

Kyle works for Jazz Solar, a solar installation company here in Ottawa.  He takes the bus to work, another set in the right direction.

It has finally hit me, the place that we have called home for the last 3 years will become another place that we have lived in.  I am very excited and a little sad.  In the last 3 years, we have spend so much time with family and friends, but thanks to the internet, keeping in touch is going to be so much easier.  Plus they can come visit.

In a couple of hours, we will be set on our next adventure.  What better way to start it with a train ride across Canada to Ottawa.  Relaxing on the train, enjoying nature and the vast open spaces.  And traveling “green”!

It all started 5 years ago when I was 8 months pregnant with Natalie while we were still living in Ottawa. Kyle came home one evening and said that we were going to Toronto for a 3 day course and that his mum was coming from Winnipeg to look after the kids. Then he suggested I read this book by T. Harv Eker: Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth

That book changed my life. After I read it, I was really excited about learning how to have a millionaire mind. Till that point, I had the mindset of just working at a job and living our life, whatever ways our salaries provided. After reading this book and attending the followup seminar, I realized that I was limiting my beliefs, I was capable of so much more. This book was the turn around point for me in what I could do personally and what I had to offer to others.

After attending, “Mind of Steel, Heart of Gold”, I know now I can do anything. I have re-evaluated my priorities and once I am clear of my intentions, it will happen. If I stumble along the way, I know I will have the support of my friends(old and new) to guide and help me along my journey! Thanks Golden Steel! I trust in the Universe… and I know I can do it!

I have a Mind of Steel & A Heart of Gold
I Love my Life!