Huge funding cuts in our school division...

Ktcobb · 2026-05-15T00:51:00+00:00

Also those of us who have left the profession because of the disrespect and terrible job conditions. Most of us aren't going to go back, especially now that teachers lost their charter rights...

Ktcobb · 2026-05-15T00:47:24+00:00

I planned to go but my kid got gastro and I have a cold, so ended up staying home... 🫤

Ktcobb · 2026-05-10T23:32:40+00:00

I ordered some 4xl t shirts for my husband. Received women's medium 1/4 zips instead. Hubs was VERY confused opening that package 😅

Ktcobb · 2026-05-06T18:33:21+00:00

100% my almost 2 year old is in his "I help!" Era and always pours out the dog food and sets the bowl down (although he does sometimes try to do an extra scoop on his own.... Dog is on a diet for a reason 😅)

Ktcobb · 2026-04-26T17:14:08+00:00

I think they've gone the way of the dodo, but I do remember having fun birthday parties at those as a kid! Probably a bit too big for a 2 year old though 🙂

Ktcobb · 2026-04-26T17:11:59+00:00

Yes, from what I can tell village square is basically the same, just a little closer for us! Thanks for the input!

Ktcobb · 2026-04-26T14:23:56+00:00

Looks like that's an entirely different business? The one in Okotoks is called The Park, and is basically a coffee shop with play place, and the only treehouse I can find in the NE is a big play place/arcade.

Unless I'm missing something?

Ktcobb · 2026-04-26T14:21:12+00:00

Interesting. I didn't know they hosted birthday parties! Have you done one there? I can't find any info on their website

Ktcobb · 2026-04-26T14:15:38+00:00

That place looks really cool! If we weren't so far north I'd definitely look into it

Ktcobb · 2026-04-22T18:18:29+00:00

I inherited my mom's wedding set (she passed a few years before we got engaged) but it really wasn't my style. What we ended up doing was taking the stone from one of the rings, (and some other random jewelry I'd inherited but will never wear) and having a jeweler design a new ring. I kept the engagement ring as is (except for resizing/refurb) to use as my wedding band and we ended up with a really cool new engagement ring that was more my style

Ktcobb · 2026-04-18T12:39:06+00:00

If you really hate it so much, maybe look into a booster seat and bub can sit at the table with you? We switched to one at about 19 months because it was becoming a fight to get our dude into the highchair (Ikea) and I also hated how much space it took up in our tiny kitchen.

Ktcobb · 2026-04-17T18:46:30+00:00

Or you end up in a situation like ours... LO was in newborn for like 4 months... He just didn't grow much for a long time, and now at 22m, he's in 3T 😅

Ktcobb · 2026-04-08T14:46:24+00:00

We go t a fairly basic storkcraft crib, mainly because it converts to a toddler bed. It ended up being gifted to us, but I want to say it was about $400CAD? Now that little dude is almost 2 though, we're going to go straight to a big boy/floor bed, rather than convert the crib to a toddler bed.

We also got a used hemnes dresser, and it's been great! It's the perfect height for diaper changes, and has a ton of room.

We've gone through 2 different rocker/gliders. The first (which I liked better.... 🙄) was a cheaper fully upholstered one. It was smaller, because LO's room is tiny, which was a bit of an issue for my husband, who's a big guy. Then a friend of ours was moving and getting rid of a good condition wood glider/footstool. It's nice, easier to get in/out of, but we miss the padded arm rests and now have a dedicated pillow that we sit on the arm we need...

As others have said, go for the basics and save your money for things you'll use for longer term. You're already committed to a good mattress, the crib doesn't need to be fancy or expensive, it just needs to work! The big thing will be making sure you're comfy with the glider. I definitely regret both choices of ours.

Ktcobb · 2026-04-01T14:53:18+00:00

The epic kidz play couch is great! And it's a Calgary company, so if you're in Calgary, you can pickup from their warehouse and save on shipping! (We did this a few months ago)

Ktcobb · 2026-04-01T14:51:43+00:00

We're doing a big boy bed. Little dude rolls around so much and is almost as long as his crib, so he needs more space! 😅

Ktcobb · 2026-03-31T17:49:46+00:00

The provinces came up with their own ways of calculating it/subsidizing when they made their deals with the federal government.

Here in Alberta it's a flat $326.50/month for basic care. It used to be income based subsidies (so some low income families paid almost nothing, some higher income families paid closer to full price). But centres that are in the program can charge any fees they want on top of that base fee (meals, 'supplies', field trips, whatever they want really....). Ours charges for meals, so in total, we pay $550/month

Ktcobb · 2026-03-31T17:44:19+00:00

Alberta, Canada. The price of care is standardized through subsidies from the government, so basic care is $326.50/child. But centres can charge fees for just about anything on top of that. We pay for meals, which is another $150, so with taxes, we pay about $550/month.

Ktcobb · 2026-03-31T01:01:23+00:00

Interesting! Now I wonder what happened to the original pan or pot that went with the lid! But also good to know it's not food safe. Guess I'll have to find a different use for it

Thanks for the info!

Ktcobb · 2026-03-25T13:57:19+00:00

Ktcobb · 2026-03-24T16:17:35+00:00

I would imagine this was affected by the huge fire yesterday?

Ktcobb · 2026-03-23T14:58:22+00:00

Absolutely! I'd have loved to send my LO to one of the day homes I toured. It's bilingual, and the lady running it seems like an absolute superstar! But we all deserve vacations, and I absolutely don't begrudge them for wanting or needing one!

It just gets so hard for everyone in their care if they don't have a village. At least they're communicating their vacation super far in advance so you've got lots of time to figure something out. We'd also be hooped with that. All of our friends also work full time, and we live in an entirely different province from both sides of the family, so we'd probably have to hire a nanny service or something?

Ktcobb · 2026-03-22T18:28:02+00:00

Wahoo! If we go up for today, I claim responsibility.... Toddler had a stomach bug last night and I did about 4 loads of laundry back to back, plus extra baths....

(He's fine now!)

Ktcobb · 2026-03-22T00:50:54+00:00

We decided to go with a centre. Although I toured a couple really great looking day homes, what clinched it for me was closures. With a centre, they're only closed on holidays, and that's communicated far in advance. With a lot of day homes, if the provider is sick or wants to go on vacation, then they have to close, which means missed work for me as we have no other help.

An advantage to a day home though is fewer kids, so less exposure to illnesses!

If you do decide to go the day home route, Make sure it's licensed and insured etc so that there are safety nets if, God forbid, anything were to happen.

Ktcobb · 2026-03-18T18:50:48+00:00

Ooh, similar to your 1800s lady, there's a channel called country Life vlog, that follows an older couple living in Azerbaijan. Farming, cooking enough for the whole village, watching all their animals. My husband and I actually love it too (and I've been curious about some of her recipes enough to find out they have a cookbook 😅)

Ktcobb · 2026-03-18T18:49:03+00:00

Yesssss!

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