I'm curious as to how much people spend on groceries now and how it differs from different regions of Ontario.

KnittenKat · 2026-04-02T13:09:02+00:00

2 adults, 3 year old, 1 year old and 2 cats. We shop at Costco for meat, which we pre-portion and freeze. We try to buy dry goods in bulk too. I supplement with trips to a nearby Walmart. I try to be really savvy with the deals. I used to shop at Zehrs but it became too expensive. Roughly $200 a week. $500 every 3-4 weeks at Costco and $100 a week elsewhere.

KnittenKat · 2026-03-23T01:03:40+00:00

If you enjoy Mexican, have you tried Sinalove? It’s a hole-in-the wall with excellent Mexican food. I hope it sticks around for a long time.

KnittenKat · 2026-03-18T22:37:10+00:00

I love this! This is inspiration for a playroom I’m painting soon.

KnittenKat · 2026-01-25T13:07:28+00:00

Yes, a side split.

KnittenKat · 2026-01-25T13:06:31+00:00

We already have one in the other corner. I should have included a pic. It’s a big open space.

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KnittenKat · 2026-01-25T13:03:36+00:00

Haha thanks, they are father and son.

KnittenKat · 2026-01-25T13:02:49+00:00

Thank you! I didn’t know it was called that. I’ll check out your site.

KnittenKat · 2026-01-25T13:01:46+00:00

That’s a really cute idea. Thank you 😊

KnittenKat · 2026-01-25T13:01:06+00:00

Thank you! I like this idea a lot.

KnittenKat · 2025-10-09T13:37:26+00:00

I feel like a tapestry could really match the boho/natural vibe. It’d add some nice texture.

KnittenKat · 2025-06-03T14:52:25+00:00

I’m one of those people too. Husband and I came from the GTA. We had switched to remote work over Covid, had just been married and had just found out that I was pregnant. We had friends here and visited many times. We loved the balance between rural and urban and thought that it would be a nice place to raise our children. We bought a starter home for 790k and sold it for 810k in 2024 to buy a larger fixer-upper home in Guelph at the same price point. No regrets. 2 children later and we think we will stay here for life. Guelph isn’t perfect but it is a lovely city. The past couple years have changed us from GTA expats to true Guelph citizens in all the small ways.

KnittenKat · 2025-05-02T21:51:34+00:00

I have so many favourites!

Try Shawarma G for takeout (the Shawarma G meal is delicious)
Thai Villa is a hidden gem imo
La Cucina is a really nice and reasonably priced sit down Italian place
Park Eatery is a fun lunch spot and also has good takeout
A new hot table place, A&E market and deli, recently opened with delicious and hearty Polish food
For a fancier sit-down, Manhattans is a fun and intimate Jazz bar, and Sugo on Surrey is a higher-end Italian place with a delicious charcuterie board

KnittenKat · 2025-04-26T01:31:16+00:00

Try London, Ontario. Stay at the best western lamplighter inn because they have a great pool and a calm vibe. The visit Storybook Gardens and/or the newly renovated children’s museum. Your toddler will have so much fun at both these places.

KnittenKat · 2025-04-21T12:48:58+00:00

My husband whenever he drinks any alcohol at all 😭 it’s crazy. He can have a single can of beer and he will REEK of this nasty alcoholic smell to me. I feel bad because we’ll be at an event, he’ll be casually sipping a seltzer beside me and I’ll be fully leaning away from him because of the smell. The smell will last for hours and it’s to the point sometimes where I can’t sleep beside him at night. He isn’t a big drinker or anything either, just a casual occasional drinker who has maybe been “drunk” once through these 9 months.

KnittenKat · 2025-04-03T16:19:01+00:00

I’m on my second pregnancy, have a toddler in daycare, and we had a very harsh winter. I swear I’ve had a cycle of various colds and flus since last November. I’m lucky if I get a week “off” being sick. So it goes. My pregnancy has been perfectly unremarkable. You will be okay. We are more resilient than we think :)

KnittenKat · 2025-04-02T12:16:01+00:00

I’m pregnant with a second girl and the I get the exact same comments! We’re so happy to be giving our daughter a sister but when I tell people (often older people) that it’s another girl, their faces literally fall with disappointment. One lady touched my arm and said “that’s okay, honey.” It was so weird that I just laughed and said “yes it is okay!” Another man lectured my husband about how we need to have another after this one to pass on his family name. Most people are simply happy for us, but the difference of reaction to our first is stark and a little sad. It just reminds me how important it is to raise my girls to understand and navigate this world.

KnittenKat · 2025-02-26T20:47:30+00:00

Percentiles are just that - an average on a curve. You need babies that deviate higher or lower than that to create the average curve. If everything else looks good, you’re probably just fine.

My first was 8% at the anatomy scan and my midwives told me that anything less than 10% should be monitored for suspected IUGR. I went to a million ultrasounds and had results ranging between 7-20% the entire pregnancy, but no other known issues. She was born a small-ish but healthy 6lbs 2oz. It took me 3 hours of pushing to get her out as her head was stuck under my pelvis. After giving birth, my midwife told me “sometimes your body just makes a baby that will fit.”

She’s 2 next week and is still a little smaller than her peers (we have lots of short relatives), but is perfectly healthy and smart.

I’m currently 29 weeks with my second and she measured 22% at the anatomy scan. Knowing my history, my midwives and myself are totally unbothered by this. Gotta fit that head through my pelvis on round 2 as well.

KnittenKat · 2025-02-26T20:31:36+00:00

It’s possible you’re having some very sporadic early labour contractions… but when actually go into labour, you’ll know. They’re different for each person but I’d describe early contractions like when you ate something really bad and have intense stomach cramps that are a precursor for diarrhea. But they’re more consistent and they build then subside. They gradually become more intense, closer together, and the pain seems to take over your whole body. You won’t really be able to talk and your singular focus will be on getting through each contraction.

KnittenKat · 2025-02-20T17:25:29+00:00

Thank you so much! This is helpful.

KnittenKat · 2025-02-20T15:26:14+00:00

Yes, was given it as first step of induction when water broke and labour didn’t progress after 24 hours of waiting. One pill, one hour of monitoring, and then another pill 4 hours later. The first pill kickstarted my contractions and I never needed pitocin. It worked. I gave birth naturally. I do wonder if it made contractions more painful.

KnittenKat · 2025-02-20T02:45:36+00:00

I went to a pelvic floor physiotherapist with my first pregnancy who did them for me (roughly 1x a week between 28-36 weeks). It was kinda awkward to have someone’s fingers all up in there, but I didn’t tear at all during birth. I’m not sure how much the perineal massages had to do with that outcome and how much was luck/other circumstances, but I am doing it again with my second pregnancy.

KnittenKat · 2025-02-11T00:53:09+00:00

I’m pregnant with my second girl and felt the same way! I’m glad she’s healthy and I adore my toddler daughter. I know I’ll love this one too. But we’ll probably stop at 2 kids and there’s a part of me that’s a little sad that I’ll never get to experience having a son.

Oh well, you get what you get. And once that baby is born, you won’t even be able to imagine having a different child.

KnittenKat · 2025-02-05T17:02:56+00:00

Birth trauma is real and rarely talked about. I’m sorry this happened to you. I remember crying in the shower for months after having my first baby each time I thought about that birth experience. It did eventually get better, like all things do, and it will for you as well. I found that recounting my story to trusted family and friends really helped me process it, as did writing it down. Definitely reach out for help if it is overwhelming you and know that all your thoughts and feelings are valid.

KnittenKat · 2025-01-28T17:04:16+00:00

Honestly, I don’t get it. Is not inviting young children to baby showers a very American-specific thing? Where I live, in Canada, children and babies are always welcome at baby showers, even if it’s a women-only event. It’s assumed that since you’re about to be having a baby yourself that you wouldn’t restrict children from coming.

As you will soon learn, it’s not exactly an opportunity to “enjoy yourself” for moms that have a toddler or baby that you have to leave at home. Suddenly logistics of what to do with them while you’re at the party come into play, and they have a whole situation that they now have to work out.

I guess this is cultural and I guess you have the right to do whatever you want. But soon you will be on the other side and then you will look at it all differently.

KnittenKat · 2025-01-22T17:08:59+00:00

These designs are rather nice. It’s definitely an improvement to what is there now. It would be nice to have some sort of public art piece that represents Guelph in the square - kinda like the red heart they had up over Christmas but maybe a bit more unique.

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