bear & lion

here's a peek into the highs and woes of our life

what is happiness: by dilovely!

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i’ve been wanting to share this post by my lovely blogger friend, dilovely. i have written a lot about happiness and contentment here at bear & lion, but i wanted to share something on the same topic, but with a different voice. (read my stuff HERE and HERE.)

as we head into fall, and the routines it brings with it, it is refreshing to be reminded of what and where we want to be, before we are overcome by the drudgery of it all!

please send dilovely some love and go read this article by her!


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i love how freely kids express themselves.
they go from goofy to sad to overjoyed in an honest stream of emotions.


happy monday!

xo, mama lola

heading further north: from pancake bay to wawa and beyond!

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our road trip continued up along the trans-canada heading north from pancake bay to wawa and then to marathon. 



in wawa we stopped at the famous young’s general store and saw henrietta the moose. we had a photo opp with the big goose as well!


in white river we bought the worst veggie burgers ever from A&W for dinner, although their sweet potato fries were delicious! we stopped at the iconic winnie the pooh statue. the black bear that winne the pooh is based on is oroginally from the forests of white river, onatrio. learn more HERE.  


then we kept driving. we had hoped to camp close to marathon, but then we saw a real black bear on the side of the road sniffing some garbage and i lost my nerve. but, finding a motel in marathon proved to be surprisingly difficult; we declined a smoking room in town and opted for a non-smoking room, but it was at a motel next to the highway. so it goes, you win some, you lose some!

breakfast at the motel.


the next day it was a rainy drive, with essential stops at timmie’s for my double-double coffee’s and pee breaks. the kids were tired and eager to get to the much talked about city of thunder bay! i don’t like driving long stretches in the rain, because it’s not as easy to stop quickly to check out a water fall, or some tiny musuem, or have a quick picnic. you’re stuck in the car or inside restaurants. booo!


just outside of thunder bay we stopped at the terry fox memorial statue. before we arrived dear hubby was explaining to bear why terry fox is an important part of our recent history. explaining cancer, amputation and death to a five year old is tricky stuff, especially when you’re talking about a young man. i was unable to participate in the conversation, as i was quietly crying thinking about terry’s amazing marathon of hope, but mostly i was crying because i was thinking of terry’s courageous mama and the unimaginable pain and pride she must have felt. 

thank you terry.


thunder bay is not a beautiful city. it has a roughness and sullen feel about it’s. the grey, rainy days probably exaggerated these qualities but, my heart has a fondness for good ol’ t-bay. it’s where i met my lovely husband and the city has lots of finnish culture there! as soon as we drove into town our first stop was a restaurant known fondly as the scan. it’s the scandinavian home and they make awesome finnish food there. we had finnish pancakes/ crepes called lettut with finnish style strawberry sauce and whipped cream. it was divine!


the sleeping giant. 


we visited fort william, in the rain. the kids loved it and the rain mostly held off. although it was cool, as you can tell by the toques, jackets, fleeces and turtlenecks we’re all wearing! it was shockingly cold up in t-bay!


these are handmade birch bark canoes!
the tools below were used for tooth extractions. yikes!


while in thunder bay we rented a student townhouse at the local university, instead of staying at a hotel. we had our own four bedroom house, with a living room, kitchen and an outdoor space for two nights. it was perfect for our rainy t-bay visit!


the kids some flowers to press.


we had deer come and visit us. i took this photo through a window.


kakabeka water falls just outside thunder bay.


more pictures to come!
there are more pictures from thunder bay and then manitoulin island!
like i said there are a gazillion of them!

to read about the first leg of our trip go HERE.

xo, mama lola

the first leg of our epic summer road trip!

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and so our second annual family summer road trip started with a weekend at the cottage with dear friends. we left home on a stormy friday afternoon and arrived at the cozy cottage where the weather was calm and beautiful. so, we decided to get our bathing suits on and jump in the lake! it was a great way to start the weekend!
our weekend was fun in the sun; we swam, chatted about everything under the sun, sat by the fire, roasted marshmallows, drank various drinks, the kids played and played… it was glorious!


we left the cottage on a hot sunday afternoon and headed north on highway 400. our first stop was french river. it is a beautiful spot, perfect for a picnic and stretching your legs. we did both!

our first night of camping was fine. dear hubby and i were a bit out of sync, but seeing as it was our first night on the road, we allowed ourselves the learning opportunity to figure it all out. it took a lot re-organizing to get things into good order. for example, packing up my camping kitchen, i just tossed things into my bin at home, but here at camp i organized it as now i knew what i needed first when starting a meal. We had to look at getting the best heavy duty camping chair (well two actually), because we couldn’t stay on our feet constantly!

we also bought the kids their own camping chairs and surprised them at our first campfire. they seriously believed us when we told them the forest fairies brought them! it was so sweet!


our first morning at fairbank provincial park and this is what the crater created lake looked like. kinda unbelievable!


then we hit science north in sudbury! (a shout out to all the sudbury peeps, YO!) man, it was fun, awesome and did i mention fun? if you’re even by the big nickel, hanging out on the rock go check this place out!

this big guy here, was the tallest man alive once-upon-a-time. he too had some issues with his pituitary gland, different from mine, but i felt a bond with this freakish moving robot man!


then it was time to hit the road. the kids were quiet and sleepy after such a busy morning, which made for easy driving. we did get stuck behind the road painting truck, which was super frustrating and hilarious at the same time!


and then we saw this sign (see below photograph). we passed the english version before i could snap a photo, but here is the french version (canada is billingual – and the french-speaking province of Quebec is a unique place to go if you want an experience that is neither fully french, nor fully english). the sign reads “please do not feed the bears”. then on the brown part “bears are dangerous”. um yeah they are! they have massive claws and teeth, which are not there just for looks! and, here i thought there is no way in hell anyone in their right mind would want to get near an actual bear, never mind feed it. clearly i am naive!


we drove to sault saint marie, arrived after dinner time so the kids were grumpy and had a hard time finding a good place to eat. eventually, we decided to get a room at the motel 8 and get some grocery store sushi, cheeses, baguette and fruit. kids loved it, i loved it, and dear hubby loved. it was easy and delicious!

the next morning we piled into the car and headed for the famous canal locks. we arrived just in time to see an american tourist boat experience the strange wonder of the locks. the boat started out at one water level and then slowly was lowered to another water level. it’s actually super cool, but also scary!


we visited the bush plane museum in the soo. it was very well organized, and even though it’s a small museum, there is a lot to see and do. the boys of course loved it!


after the soo, we headed along the trans-canada highway north to camp at a provincial park.

that was when we discovered the wonder that is pancake bay.


as we set up camp we could hear a deep rhythmic pounding in the distance. so, we walked over the soft, sandy dunes and saw this.
a breathtaking view of sand and water and sky and forest.

dear hubby and i sat and watched as the kids played in the water, becoming more and more soaked as the waves kept crashing into the shore, and as the kids kept running into them. the boys were not bothered at all by the frigid temperatures of lake superior, or the cool wind that was blowing over the lake; they laughed while running and playing! it was perfect.


then, evening came. dear hubby put the kids to bed, i hooped…


and then this happened. wow.


more pictures and tales to come later from our epic road trip!

xo, mama lola

ontario, the beautiful.

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my family and i went on an epic road trip this summer. just over two weeks of driving, camping with a few pit stops in m/hotels. i say this trip was epic, because although we drove a similar distance last summer when we drove all the way out east to the maritimes of canada, on this trip we headed north. north to where life is rougher, the temperatures much cooler and for us the trip felt more challenging, mirroring the way of life.


we live in south western ontario, which is mostly farm country, with pockets of lush forest. everything down here is flat. once you’re about 5 hours north of toronto, you start to kind of notice the rock, the rougher landscape, but just after sault saint marie, which is about 8 hours north west of toronto you really, really notice the rock cliffs, the trees fighting to survive and the lush green of the south is long forgotten and replaced with a scragglier, rougher landscape. 


dear hubby and i met 12 years ago in those scraggly forests just outside of thunder bay, while treeplanting. this vacation was really a trip down memory lane and a way for us to re-experience all of those fun new-relationship places we got to know each other at all those years ago! we’ve had a tough year of marriage and life, and even though the kids were with us, this vacation felt like dear hubby and i were reconnecting in all the right ways! so great!



the raw feel of the landscape along lake superior really affected me. i grew up in finland, which has a very similar look and feel, so i was feeling quite nostalgic. the rocky cliffs lining the shores of the great lake are capped with moss, thin spruce trees, the odd birch tree and some berry bushes. you can imagine the freezing cold wind blowing up from the lake, creating incredibly cold conditions. we camped at a few provincial parks along the shores of lake superior and were surprised at the fine sand beaches we found, with awesome crashing waves. felt like we were in the caribbean without the crowds of tourists and palm trees, oh and the salt water!


we truly live in a beautiful province, one that i think most people take for granted. it is so easy to forget to look at the beauty that surrounds us, to acknowledge the wonder that is in our own backyard. i am proud to share the awesome adventures ontario has to offer with my kids; it doesn’t sound like a very exotic place, this good ol’ ontario, but we saw and experienced some awesome things. it isn’t a coincidence that our car license plates here say “yours to discover”!


i have a million pictures to sort and edit, stories to organize in my brain and many details to write down! i will be sharing vacation pics and tales in spurts!
keep checking back!

xo, mama lola

a wonderful post on breastfeeding!

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i don’t often do this, but i wanted to share a very specific post by another blogger with you. it’s about breastfeeding. there is so much information out there, but as i remember my days as a nursing mama, i distinctly loved hearing about other women and their own experiences with feeding baby safely. even the “easiest” of babes can have various problems or concerns when it comes to nursing and then there are babes who need extra care of attention and mama needs extra skills to get things flowing properly (like the pun?)! on top of that, i faced some unique issues myself. for example, where i nursed my children, it was frightfully cold most winters so i had to look up a guide on how to prepare for breastfeeding in such cold conditions. so every mother will face their own unique struggles and it’s important she finds way to overcome them.


even though, i’ve been a non-nursing mama for almost a year now, i am still keen on spreading good information to new mama’s when i stumble upon it!


kritstin at one organic mama wrote a post about her experiences as a nursing mama. but, her post is so good one, as in REALLY GOOD… she shares her stories, she has a great list of resources that are totally my kind of resources (kelly mom, dr. sears etc)

this her post: BREASTFEEDING REFLECTION

read it!

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just a little fun story to share: when bear about a year old, facebook was giving lots of mum’s i knew trouble for posting pictures of themselves nursing their cute babes. i too had picstures removed and received warnings. so one sunday afternoon, i decided to send emails to various news services and programs i thought should know about this. the local CTV station contacted me within hours, asked to come to our home and interview me. i was on that evening news report, ranting about facebook’s sexist policies!

anyhow…. here are a few of our family’s breastfeeding pics…

when i would nurse baby-lion, bear would often sit with me a nurse one of his babes or friends.

this was taken on bear’s first birthday. i was a sobbing mess. for some reason i thought because he was now one i would or should stop breastfeeding or that he would stop! boy was i wrong!

here’s lion nursing after a play crisis. he ate chalk and the barfed, but nothing a little of mama’s milk couldn’t soothe.

happy day to all!
xo, mama lola

bear is a bear.

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we’ve been going through a super tough patch with bear, and yes again. so there’s the whole potty mouth thing that i blogged about earlier (read about it HERE), that is still happening, but now instead of everything being poo, everything is stupid. 
oh, great!

“my family is stupid, you are all stupid”

and recently bedtime has become a huge battle. 
we’ve actually relaxed this summer a bit with the hopes that that would shift his negative (stupid) attitude. but,unfortunately no go. he kicks, shifts, tosses and sometimes even shouts, which is a huge problem as the boys share a room. we’ve tried letting him read a little on his own in our room after stories, so that he doesn’t bug lion. we’ve allowed him to just lay in our room and try to fall asleep there, we’ve changed times, tones, tunes… yes, i have gone back to singing my sleepy repertoire i sang to him so many years ago: “eternal flame” bangles, “let it be” the beatles, and “hey jude, the beatles. 

i’m just not understanding where this rude, blatantly disrespectful behaviour is all coming from. yes, he’s 5 years old and pushing the boundaries, but c’mon he is ONLY 5 years old and calling his family stupid. all the time. really?

when i call him on it he giggles and laughs. which i try to ignore, but it really gets under my skin and makes my blood boil even more! ya know?! i try to keep my cool and set the example, but i feel like i am going in circles with him. i repeat myself a million times a day and hate the sound of my own voice and…. 


blargh.
during the road trip there were some very trying moments with him, but road tripping is stressful, so we tried to be forgiving.  but, now back at home, with a month until school starts i am hoping he will grow out of this rude phase and express himself more softly. he’s just so mean. i’ve told him if he doesn’t have anything nice to say, to not bother saying anything at all!

my upset is exaggerated, when i hear my three year old lion saying the same mean things, but he understands less about being mean intentionally.

here’s hoping this last stretch of summer is filled with more kindness!
fingers crossed!

xo, mama lola

this moment.

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as inspired by souleMama; one photo from our week, no words, only an image to sum up our time as a family. one that captures a moment in time and is a visual reminder of where we were at this time in our lives.

this moment comes from this past wednesday when i was told by my endochronologist and neurologist that i am still tumour free! so relieved and happy to share the moment with my sweet dear hubby! those annual appointments really don’t get any easier with time! (photo taken at the hospital with my phone!)


i’d love to see your moment from this week, so share a link in the comments!

xo, mama lola

a quick vent or release more like it…

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it is 10:30pm on tuesday evening. i am sitting alone in my living room. lion is fast asleep upstairs in bed. but, bear and dear hubby are sitting in the waiting area at our local hospital’s emergency department.


you see, this evening around 9pm, bear came downstairs and complained of a painful eye. earlier in the day he said they were dripping and watery, so i didn’t make him wear his glasses. i looked at his eyes when he came downstairs and the one was quite red and looked irritated. he was scared and whimpering about not wanting drops in his eyes!

we gave him advil. we gave him some polysporin eye drops. i put cortisone cream on the eczema that has flared up all over his body. but nothing seemed to help. in fact he seemed to getting worse. dear hubby called our doctor’s on-call service and once your call is registered you have to wait for them to call back. it usually takes about 20-40 minutes.
we waited, but bear was getting more agitated so we gave him benadryl. and like magic, his tension eased, he was able to open his eyes and the pain slowly diminished. we gave him a bowl of ice cream to distract him and started looking at maps online related to our up-coming road trip.

the nurse from the on-call service phoned back and after an extensive discussion recommended that bear be taken to the hospital to be checked out.

wait, WHAT???

it is now about 9:45pm, so we decide to listen to the advice. dear hubby packs up a backpack with a few dinosaur books, water and an apple, then out the door they go. we have no idea how long the wait is at the hospital, or how long this night may turn into!

the timing of this allergic reaction could not be worse. on wednesday mornings dear hubby gets up early and hops on a commuter bus to the big city. the bus leaves at 5:30am. and tomorrow, i have my annual appointment with my brain tumour team where i will receive results from my recent MRI and blood work. the appointment is in the big city and i have been a nervous wreck about it the last few days. and, we are leaving for a 2 week road trip on friday and shoudl be packing!

wait, WHAT???

when it rains it shits, right?

it is now 10:45pm and i am sitting alone in a messy living room with camping gear all over the place. i cannot focus on anything practical. dear hubby has sent me a few texts, but really they are just sitting and waiting at the hospital. i feel so completely confused and helpless. we have no idea what triggered this reaction and even though this particular reaction seems to have been quite slow to erupt  who knows what will happen next time. and since we don’t know what caused this reaction how can we possible prevent it from happening another time?!

ok… must stop brain from over thinking and distract myself with packing or something.will update once i receive more info.

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july 17th, 2013.
wednesday AM now. 

bear seems fine. he still has is rash, and the doctor at the ER wasn’t sure if it was related to the allergic reaction or not. bear’s eyes seem pretty sensitive today and he’s super tired, but he’s not in pain or anything, so i’m relieved.

but, i have my BIG annual appointment with my tumour team today so i am a frazzled mess! wish me luck!!!
xo, mama lola
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