Coping With Change: Three Tips

Change is hard for most of us. But it’s hard to grow without it. Whether facing change at home or in the workplace here are some tips that have helped me ride the wave of change and come out on the other side:

1. Accept what is and is not in your control; determine the areas where you have choices.
You cannot change another persons actions but you can change your approach – maybe by adapting you can get a different result. You cannot change someones unhealthy coping mechanisms but you can set boundaries for your own well being!

2. Get grounded.
Change, especially if there are unwelcome suprises, can be reeling. Along with excitement and anticipation It can trigger stress, anxiety and even feelings of depression. Find a way to release some of that tension whether it be a build up of positive or negative energy. Take a walk, hit the gym, have a bath, give yourself permission to have a low key weekend and watch some netflix or maybe have coffee with a trusted friend and do some processing.

3. Establish the new normal.
Maybe its finding a way to incorporate part of your old routine into your new reality or just flat out creating an entirely new one! Having some predictability amidst change can help you stay focused.

Share your examples/tips on dealing with change! Do it now before you forget/chicken out! I don’t care if it’s cheesy; we could all use a few extra coping skills 😉

Kia Ora

Hello from NZ!

As many of you already know, I’ve had the amazing, once-in-a-life-time opportunity to travel to New Zealand to complete a research rotation for school. Fortunately for me, this rotation was flexible enough to involve lots of touring around both the north and south islands!

Although we mostly speak the same language and share similar customs, adjusting to Kiwi life was really a struggle for me at first. Those of you who know me well know that I get anxiety in new places, and I really don’t like being the centre of attention. Well, it’s pretty hard to not stand out when your accent is clearly not local! Once I got used to the adjustments, however, I really started to feel right at home.

NZ really reminds me a lot of Canada. Auckland is basically Vancouver (minus a few mountains), and most of the North Island that I saw was just like Alberta – miles of farm land with a few hills thrown in. I read at Te Papa (The Museum of New Zealand – Te Papa Tongarewa: check out this link for more information on the meaning of the name) that the country was originally covered by over 95% trees! But sadly due to foresting and farming, this number has dropped to around just 5%. This made me really sad when I drove through the North Island and saw all the farm land – it made me wonder what this great country looked like before humans touched it.

New Zealand also reminds me of Canada in other ways. In particular, the relationship it has with the indigenous people. I went on a free walking tour of downtown Auckland, and we found out our tour guide actually had a degree in Maori mythology. He told us a lot of traditional Maori stories (check out the creation story and the tale of how NZ came to be), but also highlighted some of the struggles between the indigenous peoples and the government. One such issue is that of the Treaty of Waitangi. Our guide explained that the major problem is that there are two different versions of the treaty – one in English and one in Maori – with each version saying something slightly different. Unfortunately he didn’t tell us much more then that; however, I would really encourage anyone who’s still reading to take the time to research the issue a bit more.

Interestingly, New Zealand has no large mammals native to the land – they were all introduced by humans! I was able to do a wildlife tour while in Dunedin, which involved seeing some albatross from afar (they are huge!), LOTS of seals, a few penguins, and almost being chased by a sea lion (which was terrifying)! The views from the animal sanctuary were also amazing.

As a keepsake for myself, I decided that I would buy some NZ wool and make myself something. Despite having knit a half-dozen headbands right before leaving on my journey, I somehow never made one for myself! So I decide that a headband would be the perfect keepsake to remind me of NZ when I’m wearing it on a cold Winnipeg day (not looking forward to flying back to winter 😦 !!). After a few unsuccessful attempts at experimental patterns, I settled on a braided teal design.

After making one, I decided to make another! So I made a purple headband with a double twist design.

Knitting these two beauts was really cathartic for me, especially when I felt the pangs of home sickness. Eight weeks without your loved ones is a long time when you rarely go one week without seeing them!

Now I have just over two weeks to go before I board my flight for home. This last leg of our journey will be packed full with tours and adventures, so expected another post later on to talk about those!!

– Douglas Fir

What is threelittletrees?!

We’ve been asked this a lot. Here is our story in short form because the Christmas rush has calmed and you have a date with Netflix!

1. Start with us. Three sisters. We grew up in North Western Ontario.
2. We have a private sister group chat which we named threelittletrees. Our last name means tree and it’s kind of special to us!

3. We use the chat for years to stay in touch, share crafty ideas, video call, talk about intellectual stuff…ok this is all true but poop jokes and dog memes honestly make up a large part of conversation as well.

3. We decide to take our chats public and make a blog to keep our creativity flowing and to give us a group project to work.

4. Why not an Instagram too?

5. Christmas 2017 is approaching. Our homes are stuffed with our hand made products and art…should we sell some of it? Yes! Introduce the Etsy store.

This takes a us to now…We are so grateful for all the support we’ve had for our sister project whether reading our blog, buying stuff, sharing ideas, liking our Instagram etc.

And that’s basically it! If you have more questions please leave a comment and if you need a Netflix breather tell us what your family name means cause we nerd out for stuff like that.
Check out our instsagram @threelittletreesNWO
And our Etsy shop under ThreelittletreesNWO

Sisterhood

For everyone with sister’s, family, loved ones and for all my sister’s old and new…but first for my two originals. Love you. 

A sacred bond marked by growing pains, laughter, tears, angrily slammed doors, giggle fits, hurts and hopes. It’s what you’re given and what you make it. 
It wasn’t always easy growing up sister’s of three. As the oldest I know I didn’t always make it so. For the hurts I am sorry. For teasing you that you biked too slow when in reality your tires were flat. For excluding you from sleepovers. For yelling at you in the living room. For not understanding. We’ve seen each others low moments. From this vulnerable place, we see and know each other. 

But for all the hard parts, there are tenfold good, easy and joyful things both in childhood and maybe especially now. Growing up in the northern woods, eating wild fish we caught, scuffing our knees on rock walls, swimming until our lips were blue.  When overalls were cool; making paper dolls, digging holes, elaborate games of “house”, bringing Mrs doubtfire to life from the dress up box, star trek on grandma’s big bed snuggled up with cousins. 

And now that we are older a sister’s shoulder to cry on, to belly laugh with, to tell all. Sharing wine and wild dreams. Talking like adults (cause we are!?) And laughing like children (cause we still are). If there was ever a time I took for granted my full heart is now bursting with gratitude for having such a special sisterhood. As adults the heart aches are maybe deeper, but so is the love. Becoming a mom and watching my sister’s become aunties – times have never been sweeter. For all this and more, thank you. 

As we’ve grown I’ve realized that the things that we always thought made us different from each other are becoming what make us similar. The things that made us different from everyone else have held us together. We were always a little odd. Hah! But I love it. A fierce need to create, express, connect. The things you imagine come true with the right people and a sisterhood has to be the best place to start. 

If anyone can take something away from this find your people and give them some love. Forgive, hope, be grateful. Let the hard parts make you stronger. Don’t let differences become a wedge.  It’s cliche to say time is precious but it truly is; soak up every moment. Find what holds you close and pursue love above all things. 

-Ashley 

WHEN THINGS DIE.

How do you feel about death?

Everyone processes it in their own way. Everyone has a different understanding of what death is and what comes after. To me, death is simply life leaving the body. Whether the “life” is going somewhere else after that, I’m not so sure.

I’m really fascinated with how we all process the hardship of death in our own lives. I can clearly recall being a young child and walking up the hill to the only funeral home in our small town to attend the viewing of my Great Grampa Ransom. I remember cautiously approaching my Grampa in his coffin, and asking Dad, “why is he so green?!”

I think that moment is when I first truly started to form my own understanding of death.

I recall my aunt laughing merrily nearby with some other relatives and thinking to myself, “how can she be so happy?? Grampa is dead!” Now of course I know they were sharing happy memories of a life well lived. Grampa may be gone now, but our  memories of him remain. Maybe when life leaves the body it simply moves on to inhabit the memories of loved ones left behind.

– Douglas Fir

The top ten best and most ridiculous things about being a mom (so far)

1. Baby snuggles for days. Like snuggling babies? Yeah, I get to do that every day. 

2. Leaking boobs. Is it just me or does this NEVER get old? I laugh every time. Every. Single. Time. My own personal built in super soakers. It’s ridiculous!

3. Secret mom club. The first time I visited the clinic all the other mom’s just make eye contact and know. Many of the women there don’t speak english but we don’t need words (plus we are too tired to use them). It’s all in the eyes. You’re tough as nails and you’re a boss. 

4. The first time you take a poop with your baby in the same room. There are lots of moments when you know your life is forever changed but this one is pretty funny. Bye bye personal space! 

5. Granny panties. More granny panties please! 

6. Bonding with your baby. It feels like magic. Magical momming wizardry. 

7. Trying to remember what you did with your time before you had a tiny human. Seriously what was I doing? 

8. Not being pregnant anymore. There were a few cute moments but seriously, it feels so good to not be preggo mammoth anymore. Even if it means being a leaky saggy squishy balloon. When I’m feeling awkward about my tiger stripes I just remind myself at least those jiggles can bend over and tie their own shoe laces again! 

9. Milestones; Dan happened to be home the first time our baby laughed out loud. Pure joy! 

10. Perspective. Friends and family matter  all the more. You only get so much time with your precious little ones so don’t waste a second stressing about what does not matter. 

New favourite recipe

It’s summer and with it comes cravings for new fresh flavours. As I’m an opportunistic baker, and the rubharb has grown to mammoth proportions (5-6 ft sq), I decided to find a good rubharb cake recipe. I had a feeling almond should be involved and after a quick Google I found this recipe: http://www.floatingkitchen.net/rhubarb-almond-cake/

from floating kitchen.

The blog is definitly worth the scroll through with some great points about the similarities between cake with fruit in it and breakfast. For those in a hurry the recipe is conveniently located in a little box at the bottom of the page.

Almond and vanilla extracts, almond flour, orange zest and fresh ruby rubharb. Heaven. Oh and cardamom. There are not enough recipes with this amazing and versatile spice. One look through the ingredients and I knew this was my new favourite recipe.

Due to the abundance in the rubharb department I saw fit to chop it up in tiny peices and cram as much as possible between my two thin layers of batter.

The strong tart flavour balanced perfectly with the not too sweet but flavour packed cake. I highly recomend for breakfast… and second breakfast.

-B

Simple syrup

Being on mat leave with my precious baby girl is wonderful. It’s amazing and the joy is unexplicable just like they said. But I’m not shy about the hardships of childbirth and being a new mom. They also said I would forget the pain. I will never forget. But more on that another time.

Something else everyone tells you is that you don’t sleep. This is true in the most literal sense. No hyperboly; no drama. Just straight up delirium inducing fact. For weeks I actually did not sleep more that 15 minutes at a time save for a few precious hour long naps here and there.

One time laying in bed a saggy left over helium balloon decided to detach from it’s ceiling perch. Somehow that moment coincided with my sleep deprived mind and I thought I was hallucinating a ghost drifting down my hallway. I woke my husband in a panic saying I needed to go to the hospital. I have post-partum psychosis. I need drugs. As he awoke I instantly realized it was a balloon and said I was fine. I didn’t need drugs but I was not fine.

Fast forward a few months and with a bit more sleep and a few simple changes I don’t feel on the brink of post-partum psychosis. Caffeine helps. Embrace caffeine. And before you judge my doctor says it’s perfectly safe!

Cold coffee has become an important ritual. Moms know what I mean. Common sense says don’t hold hot beverages and a baby. Diaper-feed-snuggle later and it’s always lukewarm. So throw a few cubes and cream in yesterday’s brew and yum! And for once as advertised simple syrup is so easy to make. A few (too many) teaspoons of homemade vanilla syrup and you’ve got instant mommy heaven. If not heaven at least a bit more awake, a bit more like a sentient being.

Instructions:

Simple vanilla syrup – Bring to boil one part sugar to one part water. Add vanilla and cool.

Add left over coffee to tall glass of ice.

Mix in syrup and cream to taste.

By Ashley

 

 

 

 

Introduction

We are three sisters hailing from the middle of the Canadian wilderness! Although our lives have taken us on many adventures and to many new places, our hearts remain in our hometown. We created this blog to bring us closer as well as to share our everyday lives, our adventures, and our creations with the world!

We hope you enjoy it!