Its getting close to going-early October to Calgary and my OH has a number of concerns.

She is quite worried about leaving her family even though they are very supportive of what we are doing.
Having 2 young children under 4, she is also afraid of being housebound because of weather while I am working during the day. What do other people do in this situation? Another worry is her meeting people and making friends in same boat. We have got great help from this forum and people on it so far. Thanks for listening and Sorry if this sounds so negative but she is a natural worrier!!!

where are you moving too? We moved to Calgary in Feb of this year and my wife has already built up quite a few Mummy friends...........in fact she goes out socially more than I do

Best avoid people in the same boat, she'll end up in a group of worriers, all out-doing each other with their stresses.

There's nothing to do except to integrate in the local community - get involved in whatever takes her interest, start some hobbies etc.

The winter weather doesn't stop you from getting on with your life. It's pointless losing 4-6mths of the year just because it's cold.

Good point!!! We will avoid that boat! We are going to live in Okotoks

Does your wife drive? That would give a lot more flexibility for getting out and about (in winter or otherwise) especially here in Okotoks, given the absence of public transport?

Eamonn & Janet.

What they said.
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Also read the Babies and Toddlers section of the Wiki called Calgary Fun. It has links to info that covers Okotoks as well.

I came from a sub-tropical climate, and I raised babies and toddlers, met other mothers, found activities to do, etc., in this climate.
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My OH and I have been here in Calgary for a year now (how time fly's) and when we came over my son was 4 and my daughter only 11 weeks old. It was a bit of a scary prospect to be honest as we were leaving behind some very close family and a load of great friends.

A year on and I can honestly say that there is a whole heap more to do here with the kids, even in the winter when you think you may not be able to get out and do stuff. It certainly wasn't easy. OH went to work and I was left to figure out what to do with my days. I had always worked up until having my second child and being a stay at home mum (mom!) was probably the hardest thing to get used to.

However, there were two main things that helped me get settled here. Firstly I joined the Calgary Newcomers club which has a Moms and Tots group. This helped me get to know a load of other mums who were in similar situations and also helped get some playmates for my son. We meet every week and it helped to have people around who know what its like to be all alone in a new city without any family around.

The second thing was getting my son enrolled in preschool. This meant that I had a bit of structure to my week and also helped me meet some other mums, many having lived in Calgary all their lives. This and the newcomers helped me with all of those 'where do I get/find that?' type questions.

There is no doubt that moving to Canada can be a bit daunting but from experience it can be pretty good. I still miss my family a lot and was pretty homesick for the first 6 months but, with the help of webcams and phone calls, I don't really feel that I am that far away from them. My advice- one step at a time. If you or your OH needs any further help, just drop me a line.

All the Best,
FraggleJH

And Brian and co...as per previous offer, you're still more than welcome to pop 'round for a tea/coffee/beer when you get here. Drop us a PM if you want the address.

Eamonn & Janet.

Thanks for the advice FraggleJH. Is there a minimum age for preschool and is it expensive?

Thanks for the offer Eamonn and Janet-will keep it in mind. Great blog

Most nursery schools or preschools are designed for three-year-olds and four-year-olds.

Usually a minimum requirement is that the child is toilet trained. The youngest age at which they take children typically is two and a half.

In the Calgary area, a nursery school typically operates two half-days a week for three-year-olds and three half-days a week for four-year-olds.

I did a Google search for PRESCHOOL + OKOTOKS. The first link that came up was Okotoks Preschool Academy. I don't have any personal experience of this place. As I said, it was just what Google threw up. Anyway, tuition is $150/month for two mornings a week and $210/month for three mornings a week.
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thanks Judy for all your help

Hope you don't mind me replying to your post, as i'm not yet living in Canada myself, but should be in the near future.

But, I wanted to reply because without no doubt it's totally understandable that your wife is worried about leaving close family behind, being here in the UK and knowing they're going to be right there if need be, whilst looking after young kiddies is reasurring. Also having two kiddies under the age of 4yrs is without a doubt hard work !! Being housebound, is one of the most daunting things that can play on your mind no matter where we are looking after young ones. It's not easy, and as you say the Winter's in Canada/Calgary,.. coming from UK are very different.

I think that it depends on how much your wife actually does right now during her daytime in the UK, having young kids,.. (sometimes the brightest of days can be a disaster to try and get things going for the day!).

I think you should try and question how last winter was in the UK ? Also her plans, maybe changes, goals etc for the future. I believe that we become more confident as mum's as we grow older. She may still be feeling vulnerable.

It's not an easy decision, by far, but it's nice to here that her family are supportive.

As the others have suggested the Kiddie groups etc are always there and also owning a car I feel would help a great deal.

I realise I haven't the answer, but I want to wish you both all the best in whatever you decide. x

Wot he said.