Barn (shed) Raising

Some things you cannot do alone.

This weekend we built a very large shed in our suburban farmland (read: backyard). We call it our barn. This was my first large construction project. While I am reasonably confident with the tools and reading plans, my dad is a skilled and seasoned carpenter - who was willing to teach me the tricks of the trade.

Raising a large structure in a weekend with little ones required a great deal of help. We sent out a call for barn raisers and were humbled by the response. Friends and family arrived with huge smiles and time and energy to give.

They made a big job enormously fun. Now our barn is not simply a barn, but a memory of the loving hands around us.



 

Cheers to hard work together!

Introductions: Us


I'm Pamela. Mommy to two little ones - Zoe\(3) and Sage (.5) - and wife to my partner Col. Together we live in a small city in Ontario, where we are trying to find the most joy in living more with less.

I've started this blog as a way to share that joy, and document it for our family and friends.

Col (mama) and Pamela (mommy)
 

Col and I have shared a lot, including pregnancy. Col carried our first, Zo. I recently was pregnant with Sage. We both work part time and parent full time - by our philosophy that we should work to live. We both really want to enjoy these early years with our daughters.

Col and I met doing something we both love - working with youth who are passionate about social justice. Early in our relationship we moved to Ghana, West Africa for a year. We lived with host families in rural communities - communities of small-scale farmers.

Our families taught us so much - the main lesson was that our livestyles have an immense impact on the lives of others. We came home with a desire to make that impact as positive as possible.

Today we try to live that lesson, together with our little ones.

Introductions: Sage

Sage is seven months old. She was born last March, here at our home. She was born the first day of spring - right as the sun was rising. It was an incredible moment after a long, quiet night of labour. Her middle name means 'sun' and 'joy' in honor of that day.

When I was carrying Sage, I wondered and worried about having a second child. How could I possibly love anyone as much as I love Zo?

She was born, and there it was. An immense space just for her. As if it had always been there.




Meeting Sage

Mama and sleeper

 

Serious swinger

Introductions: Zoe

Zo has spent a great deal of time in character as 'Franklin' over this past year. Franklin is one of her favourite story book characters. When she is wearing this costume, she becomes Franklin - and by her direction her family becomes Franklin's friends - Fox, Bear and Snail. If we mistakingly call her Zo, or call each other by our names, we are gently reminded not to sway out of character.

Being Franklin gives Zo a chance to explore in a different way.

When Zo was a baby we went to a book signing to meet Stuart McLean, who is a treasured storyteller in this house. Zo slept through the encounter in her ergo (she was just 7 months then). Stuart noticed her and mentioned that the first year's of a child's life is similar to watching a polaroid develop. You see little bit emerging all the time to form this personality. It gradually fades into view.

Here are some things I've observed about Zo:

- if Zo is going to try something new, she will likely want to perfect it first. She will also likely want to know with certainty that it is both safe and desirable.

- while perfecting a new skill, she may keep it a secret. Such as writing letters. Then one day she will start writing letters in front of her moms as if she's always done it, and we will be shocked.

- Zo can spend months working on a project that only she really understands. This summer she collected rocks from nearly every place we went (including grocery store parking lots). She brought the rocks home and added them to her ongoing rock sculpture. A sculpture she has been working on for 5 months now.

- Zo has an imaginary mouse whose name is 'Mouse'. Mouse is male, purple and lives under our dresser. Mouse is very excited to start school. As is Zo.

- Zo cares muchly about her attire. There has not been a single day since she turned two years old that we have been permitted to choose her clothing for her.



newborn Zo with wide open eyes



1 yr



2 yrs



3 yrs

the beginning

the beginning.