Rubber Boots and High Heels

The Flu Bug has made landing

2011-02-27T06:10:00.002-05:00

Well I have been at Carissa's side, it seems like for four days now. The poor little one has got the nasty flu. It certainly doesn't seem to be the 24 hour one as we are now starting day four. I have a few other family members who are also dealing with cold symtoms but it only seems to be Carissa who is being attacked by the flu. I have to tell you though, she is quite the trooper. She doesn't winne or cry at all. She just asks for what she needs and gets on with it. She has been up day and night and is still in pretty good humor( wish I could say that about me. She does nap a lot during the day though, thank goodness. I am really hoping that she starts to kick this thing and doesn't pass it on to someone else, though I have two others that think they maybe starting to feel funny. Time will tell, I guess.

Snow !!!! Winter!!! Cold!!!

2011-02-09T10:31:00.003-05:00

Snow, Snow and more snow!!!! Well this has definitely been an old fashioned winter here on the island. We haven't seen snow storms and this much accumulation in a few years. We are now living out in the country and I can really see the difference as it blows across the fields. At times, the world just looks like one big sheet of white. I enjoy the clean look and the frosted trees but even these are starting to grow old. The road that we now live on is awful. It is so dangerous and has seen it's share of accidents this winter. I know of at least four and one of those claiming a life. Unfortunately a man and father, that I have known for many years.
I used to enjoy winter and the snow and all but now I must say, not so much anymore. I appreciate the first snowfall and a little around Christmas but really that is all. I am really looking forward to summer or at least spring. I love the sun and the heat. This old farm house is freezing and costing a fortune for the least amount of heat we can get away with. My DH just figured out from our last oil bill that we were spending $25.00 a day on oil. Does that make you shiver, it sure does for me. I think of all the places I could be enjoying spending that money. Not nice, just not nice!!!
Well with that being said, I am enjoying a snow day with most of my kiddos, who had the day off of school because of the weather.
The sliver lining or hope is the first day of spring is in 40 days. Yes, I am certainly counting and dreaming and pleating and begging for an early spring.
Spring if you can hear me, Please come early and warm me up. Have a great day :)

A Very New Year!!!!

2011-01-02T18:06:00.002-05:00

Wow!!! I can finally use my iPad to write on my blog. Thank you Honey for once again being my techie!!!!!

Well, 2010 wasn't too bad but to tell you the truth I am hoping that 2011 maybe a little more. A little more "what", you ask. Well, I am hoping to experience some new things and reincorporate others in my life this year. In fact as my new year's resolution this year, I have resolved to get my life in balance. As a very busy Mom, I have worked very hard in some areas and totally neglected others, mainly me. I am so pumped and excited about working somethings into my life that have been pushed out for a long time now. Here is a short list of some of the things that I want to work into my new year:
* Preschool activities with my little princess
* Exercise (yes, I do love to exercise)
* Eat more veggies and fruit
* Study scriptures by topics this year
* Learn some new skills
* Get re-certified for ECE, first aid, CPR
* Make time for fun each month, date night each week, family fun activities each week,
* Beautify my home
* Increase temple attendance
*spend time visiting/ email/ calling/ etc... Extended family

I am so excited to work these ten things into my life. I have really missed many of these things. I know that I have been missing things in my life and really have not been feeling the joy that these activities produced in my life. So onto this new year!! I love a new beginning.

I have decided to take another try at blog writing

2010-12-08T12:59:00.000-05:00

Mommy's learning

2009-07-23T12:35:00.003-04:00

I have decided that while I am working this year, I will also be taking a course to two. I am not sure what they will be right now. It may be about children or computers. I have decided to start taking time to build up my skills and knowledge again. I love to learn and some how seemed to have found time in the past but over the last 10 years, I have stopped. I totally gave everything to my family and ignored myself. Don't follow my example girls!!! We must remember to keep growing as an individual for so many reasons. To learn more and be of more use. To be interesting to other and even your family. I truly think that your family respect you in a different way as well. It puts a little excitement into my life also. I love the feeling of the" lightbulb" going on and suddenly I understand something new. Wow!! Why didn't I make time for this. Anyway, that is the start of finding and reinventing Me.

New Job

2009-07-23T12:24:00.003-04:00

Well, today I made it official. I am going back to work. I will be working with kindergarten children after their kindergarten finishes and with the school age children after school finishes. I will also be a substitute teacher for the two kindergarten classes. I start August 31st for setting up the rooms. I am a little disappointed in some areas but happy with other opportunities that the job provides. I have met two of the staff members so far and they seem very sweet and I am sure that we will all have a blast together. My shift is from 11:30 to 5:30 when I am not substituting. I will still be home to see my own children off to school and kindergarten and get to spend some extra time with my little sweetie, Carissa. She naps for two hours in the afternoon so she won't miss me than. So she just gets a break from me for 4 hours each week day. I am very happy that I will get all school holidays off. So I will still have a great deal of time with my own kiddos. Well, ready or not here I go.

Shining Waters family Fun Park

2009-07-23T12:11:00.003-04:00

We recently had my sister in law and her wonderful family come back home for a visit. She is living in Ottawa, so we really look forward to seeing them whenever they are able to come back home. We went to a fun little water park here, that the children just love. It was a discount day, so I loved that too. We went with my two brother in laws and their families, my other sister in law and her family, my husband's parents and my sister in laws' in laws. ( wow that is an interesting thing to write, my sister in law's in laws.) hehe!!
Anyway, the day was perfect and we all had so much fun. There were activities for all ages. The water slides were a very big hit and also a little water area for the toddlers as the weather was so warm that day. Ah... the lazy days of summer!!!

New Look

2009-07-12T19:15:00.001-04:00

Please bear with me in finding a new look. I am a total newbie and will need some time to make the change. I am hoping for a very cute summer look when I am done. Thanks and happy blogging!!!

Sick children, Allergies and Summer

2009-07-12T10:40:00.006-04:00

Isn't it amazing how you could possibly have sick children in the summer? I just never think of people being sick in the summer, it should be a winter thing. Well, no matter when I think it should or shouldn't be, it is now!! Poor baby Carissa Lynn is ill. She is so petite and sweet, it breaks my heart to see her ill. She had a very difficult night a few nights ago but seemed better and now has awoke with a fever and chills. The poor little thing was shaking trying to eat her cereal this morning. I know that cereal may not be the best thing for a ill child but Carissa Lynn needs her Cheerios every morning. She will have a second breakfast some morning if the family has something else. She is indeed a big cereal fan. Well Caleb is also down with a sore throat. I am not exactly sure where that came from but his allergies have been very bad lately so I thought I may be just irritated from dealing with the allergies. It is kind of funny because several of my family members wish to live in the country where there is more room to run but so many of them suffer from allergies in varying degrees that I think they would all be stuck in the house anyway. Ah.. Summer, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times........

Lazy Days of Summer

2009-06-27T15:24:00.003-04:00

Summer is officially here. I had such a wonderful day with the children home yesterday. It was the first day with my school aged children home. We enjoyed a leisurely wake up and breakfast. Of course, our first vacation breakfast was celebrated with chocolate chip pancakes. We spent a lot of the day trying to prepare the house for summer visitors but also had time to enjoy our very warm day. Our BBQ hot dogs were served outside on the little picnic table. We also enjoyed a walk to the neighborhood park. I took the four youngest ones to the park after supper. We played and got all hot and dirty. We came home and rewarded ourselves with homemade frozen juice pops on the front porch and then one by one they found their little bodies in a nice bath. That evening as I put the last one to bed, I laid there wondering what had made such a wonderful day. I believe that I just needed a day without too much outside interference and to just enjoy my children. My children at there own level, not expecting anything from them. We just hung out like friends. Ahh... I wish every day could have been like yesterday, but then today happened but that is another story.

School Trips

2009-06-18T08:09:00.004-04:00

I have been thinking about "School Trips" a lot lately as many of my children are now taking part in these. A couple things have come to mind. The first one is how many of the students as young as 7 & 8 years old are allow to have free run of our small local amusement parks. Usually the grade ones have chaperons with them but after that, some have meeting spots and times and others are on their own for the whole day. I think that this is kind of funny because as Mothers, not many of us, would allow our young children to go there with a friend and no parents any other time of the year. Why do we okay it now. I was lucky to have had my husband there with my younger boys. I wonder why we feel some sort of safety in doing this. Any ideas?

My second thought is the amount of end of the year trips for grade sixes. Where I live grade six is the last grade in elementary school and therefore the student's last year in that school. Since the students will be moving on, the school and some parents believe that the end of the year school trip should be big. My son, who is in grade six this year is going on his trips over two days as it won't all fit into one. The first day takes him to park in the morning with all sorts of different things about Anne of Green Gables and than to Subway for lunch and than to an amusement park for the afternoon. He gets back two and a half hours after school is out. The second trip day takes him to a movie theater to watch "Up" and than to a pizza party and than for an afternoon of swimming. The cost to parents $60.00. ( I think) Now we did have an opportunity to fundraise by selling raffle tickets but since our family doesn't believe in gambling we could not take part in the fundraising.
M questions is, is this a little over board. When I take my children somewhere in the summer for a fun day, will it pale in comparision to what they have already experienced. Don't get me wrong, I like all of the places they are going, I just wonder if it is really necessary to go to all of them in one week. Ahhh... parenting, it is always full of questions and thoughts.

Relay for Life

2009-06-18T08:04:00.004-04:00

I am always so amazed at how fast time flies. Last weekend I participated in the Relay for life with my son and his grade 8 class. It is a fundraiser for the cancer society. The class worked hard and raised $6,200.00. Wow, that is a wonderful group of 21 grade 8 students. The whole night was great other than the terrible weather we had. It poured for hours and we were all covered in mud but still no one complained. It was such a good eye opener for our community to see how some teenagers are amazing contributing citizens. Way to go guys!!!

Pandemic

2009-06-11T13:13:00.003-04:00

Well, I just finished watching an United Nations' web cast by the World Health Organization. I was really happy to see, how the whole situation was handled. I believe they did well to express concern about people thinking that if their country had already reached the peak, that they didn't have to take notice. All countries were strongly encouraged to prepare for the first hit or a second wave of infections. Yes, that is right a second wave. This flu is expected to go around the world for the next year or two and therefore in all likelihood would find its way back to a lot of the countries that has already been visited. They also mentioned that the degree of the symtoms, of the flu could change at any point. In most cases the flu symptoms have been mild and not even needing medical attention. So, with that being said. They also did not feel the need for any trade or travel bans to be put in place. They also mentioned that there is no need to panic or think any doom and gloom. That the places that we should be most concerned about are in the developing countries where the health systems are not very advanced. Not to mention the health of the people is already compremised from poor nutrition and higene habits.

Hilary Weeks is one of my Favorite People

2009-06-09T09:43:00.001-04:00

Okay, so my very large family has been hit with the flu hammer. It has taken five of us down in six days and now dear Hubby thinks that he is not feeling great. So you might ask what gets the mommy of this house through such an event. Well, her name is Hilary Weeks. She is not a nurse nor doctor but she sure has a way of making me feel better. Today I watched two little you tube videos of her and laughed so hard. She is so talented and truly has a sense of humor that tickles my funny bone, while she tickles the ivory. Please, if you want a treat today go and look it up on you tube. The first one is

Hilary Weeks the to do list

and the second one:

Hilary Weeks My Favorite things

Now Liz, my sweet sister in law, over at "home life"has been encouraging me to get blogging again so here is your thank you. Go watch these and let me know what you think.

Lost but I have been Found

2009-06-09T08:53:00.003-04:00

Hi, I am sorry for anyone who has been waiting for an update on here. No, I have not fallen off the earth or even encountered something terrible. It has just been life and more life. I try to remember not to be a slave to the computer though some family members may disagree on that. With school and some activities winding down I am very hopeful that my blogging days are back. I look forward to writing again. Hope everyone has had a very pleasant spring and will have a very fun and relaxing summer.

Provincial Gymnastic Championchip

2009-02-24T16:37:00.004-05:00

This past weekend was the provincial gymnastic championships. It was held in Kensington, Pei.
Inorder to be invited to participate in this event you needed to have done well in your school and school zone meets. Still there were many students there ready to compete. This was for pre novice, novice and bantam. Wow, we were really treated, some of these students were amazing. This year again we were there to cheer on two of our boys. Caleb came in 6th in the vault and 8th over all. Wow, great job Caleb. Benjamin was 1st on vault and 1st over all. Wow, great job to you to. I am very proud of my boys, they work really hard at this and really enjoy it so much.
But the real thanks and appreciation needs to go to Chris Meuse. He is an amazing gym teacher. Well, to tell you the truth, he is much more than that. He truely cares for his students and takes every opportunity to build them in skill and character. He is one teacher that I would love to be able to put threw the photocopier. HAha! No, really I am very thankful for his work with my kids. Thanks for a great gymnastic year again.

Jack Frost Children's Winter Festival

2009-02-24T16:03:00.005-05:00

Wow! Can you say amazing? This was a great winter escape for a weekend. I am sorry that I am posting so late but I just could not let this pass by. The Jack Frost festival is held each winter in Charlottetown, PEI and is a child's paradise, that is a winter paradise. The festival opens on Friday night and goes threw until Sunday afternoon. We just attended on Friday and Saturday and we had our money's worth, no problem. Jack Frost is spread over three different venues and caters to children from baby to age 10 in my opinion. The venues were all pretty close together but there were free shuttle buses making a continuous loop over the weekend. The first venue I will discuss was the outside one. This area was decorated in a storybook theme, kinda. There were ice and snow sculptures everywhere. There was a facade of a castle welcoming you at the front. Inside we saw a dragon and an icehouse village and at night some of these had different coloured lights shining on them. We saw lots of different ice/snow sculptures that were being judged I think. It was all very beautiful; however, the childrens' favorite parts were the ice slides. There were three of them. One of the slides were a little smaller, than bigger and the largest, actually carried the rider down on a tube. Man, did those riders fly. There was also a show with past, present and future olimpians of tramopline, skiing and snowboarding that did a show to music. There was also nightly fireworks and tons of storybook characters around to greet the children. One end also included a basketball area and an outdoor playground with climbing wall. Imagaine all that fun, just at one venue.
The second venue was at a near by mall. The mall enclosed a science show, children's musican, a dance room, a princess dress up room and a super hero training camp. Wow, my fingers are getting tired.
The last venue was at a civic center. This venue had several live shows going on several times each day. The shows were: the backyardagins and some enviromental super heros. There was also a indoor playground. This area was huge and resembled a small fair. There were several rides, games and consession stands. They even had a place for the kids to play guitar hero. The younger kids really enjoyed the petting zoo and pony rides. Yep, I even said pony rides. We could have spent the weekend in this place alone.
It was a little cold on Friday night but Saturday was perfect. The tickets were bought with Christmas money from dear old Grammie. Thanks so much Grammie for an amazing and memorable weekend.

Thank you Santa

2009-02-11T20:18:00.003-05:00

I am writing to share and not brag! Really, I am. This past Christmas, Santa brought me a Kitchen Aid. The one just like this picture. I was so thrilled and excited. I knew that we would become great friends. I had wanted one for many years. My family loves homemade bread and other homemade bake goods. As the family has grown in numbers over the years, they have also grown in appetites. I am soon learning that when your family is this size, that some higher quality tools need to be used. We seem to be able to break or wear out a lot of stuff as it is used more in our house than in most. Like for today for example. I made five loaves of homemade bread, a pan of rolls, four dozen peanut butter cookies and two dozen sugar cookies. I won't even tell you how fast that will go. I am very grateful that Santa knew just what I needed. Boy, he is a know all and see all kind of guy.

Gaining and Losing

2009-02-05T08:50:00.003-05:00

I was just over at Jen and Barb's Mom life, http://www.jenandbarbmomlife.com/ and watched a great little video clip. It was entitled, " Can't seem to get your act together?" What a great little piece. The life coach that they had on seemed to have the right personal experience to speak on the issue. I love the advise that she gave at the end of the segment. First, the segment was on being a new mom and finding it difficult to get out of the mommy rut. Man, I sure could have used a hour on the shrink couch for this one, I enjoyed the last comment. She said to remember that this is temporary. I know that she is right. My oldest now 19 years old has shown me how quickly they move out of that dependent stage. My youngest is only 15 months, I know there is a huge span, but don't forget that there is six more children in between those two, has already seemed to be developing so fast. I look forward to the day that I will have more time to take care of other things but I am also enjoying my time with my two little ones still at home. I agree that we all need to be careful as it is so easy to fall in the mommy rut but we can do little things that will help this:
1. Spend some time we other adults, even with your children there too.
2. Set a time, even if it is short for a hobby, this time will continue to grow as your children grow.
3. Take time to organize and beautify your home while your there.
4. Take good care of your health; sleeping, eating, and exercising.
5. Remember this is temporary.
I hope that these tips can help you to get yourself out of the mommy rut when you happen to fall in. Remember also, that you are not alone. There are many other mothers out there right now in the same situation, that is why it is so good to get together.

Flu Boo Whoo!

2009-01-23T12:56:00.003-05:00

My family has taken a direct hit by the flu bug. It all started with DH, last Saturday. I should have known we were in trouble when it knocked a pretty healthy guy out flat. So he went down on Saturday. Monday morning at about 1am, number 7 was taken down and a hour or so later,yep, number 8 was joining in the night time activity. She follows number 7 doing everything else, so why not this. On Tuesday we lost number number 4 in the typical night time thrill. Number 3 not to be out done joined the ever increasing group on Wednesday evening. At what point do we declare an epidemic? So, if your counting that leave number1, who is currently out of the province, numbers 2,5,6 and of course the all powerful super mom. I don't know what the kids are doing to warn off the flu bug but super mom here is washing and disinfecting her hands so much that they are red and sore at present, but no illness yet. Wish us luck and nice weather that we may be able to open a window or something.

News from the mission

2009-01-21T10:44:00.003-05:00

Well, in November when I was ignoring my blog completely,sorry. My oldest son left to sever a two year mission for The Chruch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is the picture of us at the airport seeing him off. We look pretty bad but considering that it was at 5:00 am and we were saying good bye to Cory for two years, I think we look beautiful. He is now serving in Montreal, Canada and is doing fantastic. He loves to sever but is finding the weather very chilly. So if you happen to get missionaries at your door, please let them in. You don't have to join the church, but remember that they are some ones children. Listen to what they have to say and most importantly be NICE. Some parents are really missing them and praying that they will be taken care of and will not be used as someone's "anger vent".

Sorry, Sorry, Sorry,

2009-01-21T10:36:00.005-05:00

I am so sorry that I have neglected my blog so badly. I have a serious problem neglecting things that are only important to me. I really want to change this about me. Maybe this will be the year to take better care of me. I know that I would be happier and have more energy and happiness to share with others and mainly my family. I always get so excited about a new year. A new year is clean and full of great possibilities but than so is a new month, week or day. I can get so motivated by thinking in such a way. Now only if I can get motivated to clean and paint my house. LOL. So for what it is worth, I am BACK!!!

"Bride Wars"

2009-01-21T09:50:00.003-05:00

Last night two friends of mine and one of their daughters and myself went to see "Bride Wars". Thanks girls, I always love your company!! What a funny show. I really enjoyed it and hope that others do to. There was one part that was a bit sketchy( a bachelorette party) but other than that it was a clean and funny movie. My favorite kind. There is something I love in watching a good chick flick. I can always see myself in one of the characters and sometimes can even see things I need to change about myself. I mean really, how does one relate to a sci fi or a horror movie ( sure hope not). I really like to be able to see myself in it all. I love to imagine me as one of the characters and wonder how I would handle the issues at hand. I have to say, that this one is going to be right up there with my top picks.
While I am on the topic of movies. I would like to save you some time and money and warn you not to see "Benjamin Button". Cute name but a serious waste of time and time. In my opinion of course. I mean, there was lots of trash and such an unlikely event, why bother. I could have watched "Bride Wars" twice almost in that time. LoL. I hope to be able to take my sweet 16 daughter out to watch it with me on Saturday. Hey, I am so excited maybe I will throw in some supper too.

The purge

2008-07-25T08:00:00.003-04:00

In a life of consumerism and instant gratification, the purge holds a necessary spot in our lives. We are constantly bombarded with flyers, commercials, radio ads, etc... All telling us, we absolutely need this, that, or the other thing. We are encourage to shop for a good feeling, we" Deserve" it. We are even loan money to shop with, so the old saying," Sorry, I have no money right now", is no longer necessary. We now have stores where we can buy almost every thing. You go in for a jug of milk and your eye can be drawn to many other things from clothes, furniture to small appliances. If you are tired from a long day, you don't even have to leave your own home now to shop. You can shop online. You can have the purchase shipped right to your door, I mean how convenient is that.
With the convenience of shopping now and the ease of getting credit, it is very easy to find ourselves buried under things in our home. If you are like me and have a large family, that is easily multiplied by each member. The stuff will soon start to take over if we allow it. We will soon be controlled by our stuff, if we don't control it. Possessions make us work for them. We work to buy it, work to shop for it, work to clean it, work to keep it in good repair and we work to move it with us. We need to make sure that we are not working for things, that are not important to us. If we only have twenty four hours a day, let not waste it doing something as foolish as working for an item that is not of great worth to us.
I think that we need to ask ourselves why we have certain things in our home. Do you love it, Do you use it ( at least in the last year) or is it a keepsake. If the item does not fall into these categories, than why do you have it? It just maybe time to pass it along to someone else. There is a great feeling that goes with giving too?
I sent three garbage bags out of the house yesterday and I hope to at least meet that challenge again today or maybe pass it. I extend the challenge to you, if you will except.

Friends

2008-07-21T08:35:00.003-04:00

Life is interesting as it goes by. Many times it takes you down roads far from where you are use to being. Sometimes it takes you to places you never thought you would visit. But most of the time it just takes you really fast to somewhere out there. I find that if you are not consistently at the wheel steering and giving your full attention to where you want to go, you find yourself wandering out there. Life can get pretty busy for me and many times I will throw the survival button on. I will just coast and keep my head above the water. This has gotten me through some tough times in my life, however, it has it's pitfalls as well. You see, when you are just keeping your head above the water, you are not high enough to enjoy the journey. I have missed many sites along the way. I also don't take time to connect with my friends. This is bad for the friendship area. I have had many friends out there that I have lost touch with because of this silly survival tactic. I am sure that I also have missed meeting many new friends along the journey because I couldn't lift my head high enough to see.
With age, comes some pretty intense self examination. I have decided that the journey this far would have been nicer if I had somehow kept my friends with me.
Recently, I have reconnected with a friend from high school. We were not always with each other but we spoke often and I think somehow found comfort in each other. Our friendship, though girl/guy, was not complicated. I think that our values were very similar and we sat beside each other in class. It was like a safe relationship, if you will. I don't think that we were looking for anything else, other than a friend in each other. This seemed to bring a breath of fresh air to me. I wasn't worried about impressing or putting on a show. He really saw me, at my best and worst(poor him) and that was ok. Now that is a friend. It seemed a little awkward at first because now I am married and somehow I feel funny with a guy friend. But, I am grateful for a chance to share this comfortable friendship again. Thanks, for being the same old friend even after twenty years. I wonder if I might be able to rekindle a few more after this Saturday's reunion. Friends can sure make the path nicer. I need to remember to make time for my friendships to grow.

Training trips for Mothers

2008-07-11T09:28:00.002-04:00

For the next week or so, my sweetheart is gone on a business trip. He will be working longish hours but none the less, he is away to a foreign country. Thus having the opportunities to experience different cultures and have some personal time. Do I sound a little jealous yet? Well, I guess, I kind of am. You see, he has been able to attend business trips before, usually without me tagging along. On the other hand, I have not been so blessed. You see, as Stay at home moms, we are not given this opportunity. I have been thinking of this lately. I have come to the decision that, I have a very demanding career and to have business/ training trips, would be very wise. You see, as mothers we are expected to cover such a vast amount of knowledge in our everyday living, that no one person can possess all this talent. Therefore, that is where the learning and training comes in. Imagine, attending cooking classes in Europe, attending healthy living classes in Australia, or parenting classes in the B.C. mountains. Wow, we could be learning a lot of useful information, having some personal time and meeting other awesome moms. I think I need to start a business that caters to mom's who want to develop their skills to a higher level. I think that to have knowledge to share with your family is very important. We are usually home so there is lots of opportunities for teaching our families, these wonderful skills. Just a thought for now but maybe someday, my second career.

Keeping your mind alive

2008-07-08T14:04:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I wonder what other, stay at home, mothers do to keep their minds alive. I have been home longer than most. I have been pretty much home now for 13 years, raising my clan and will still be home for a while longer. My youngest still needs her mommy close by. I realize that parenting requires lots of thinking, sometimes too much. I also understand that being a homemaker does as well; however, I still find myself loosing some of my brain power. I can feel it is a little different. I try to read and write as often as I can but I just don't have as much time now as I did before. I am thinking of taking a course or somethings soon. I just love to learn and think that as Mothers, the more we learn, the more we have to share with our families.
Just some thoughts, this beautiful summer day.

A few of my favorite things

2008-07-08T13:38:00.002-04:00

Today, I have chosen to be total selfish and talk all about me. I hope that this is not always the case, but for today, it is all about me. There are many, many things that I enjoy. I have to mention my family and friends. The first thing that comes to mind is the sun. I love the sun, it doesn't have to be really hot, but it does have to be bright. The next two things on my list kind of go together. They are flowers and balloons. I love color. Lots of it. I also love to teach. I taught kindergarten for five years and have taught in various positions in my church for the last twenty years. Yikes, that makes me feel really old. I love to exercise, I know it may sound silly, but I do. I am not as fit as I would like to be, but it isn't because I don't like to exercise. My favorite is to just walk. I love to walk alone or with a friend, all is good with me. What else, Hmmm... I love to get dressed up and go out. Unfortunately, where I live there is not a lot of places to go that are not bars. I don't do the drinking thing and therefore, feel a little uncomfortable when people start falling all over the place. I love chocolate: sorry body, now you know the problem. I also love, Fresh Fruit!!! yum. This is what keeps me from getting huge.
In the way of doing things, I love to read, to dance,(don't get much chances for that anymore) to watch romantic comedies or better known as the chick flick. I like to just go for drives. I like to decorate cakes too. I have made almost every birthday cake for my children's birthdays. Just curious, that is roughly 74 birthday cakes through the last 18 years. Wow! That doesn't include the cakes that I have made for others. Maybe I should have been a baker.
O' k, what else: the number 11, every holiday, pretty aprons, girls nights out (what are they???),traveling for no reason, the smell and taste of cooked apples and the thrill of finishing a project. Well that is pretty much all I can think of except two. A smile and a <>
Have a great day

Stinky Self Esteem

2008-07-05T09:01:00.002-04:00

Isn't it interesting how you can look so forward to seeing old friends but as the time draws closer, you start to have your doubts. I am being totally honest here, so don't laugh. I am approaching my 20th high school reunion. I have been looking so forward to this event. But as it is now only a couple of weeks away, I am getting cold feet.
I really enjoyed high school. I hung out with a lot of different people and tried to be nice to everyone; therefore, I think that I was liked by most people that knew me. I was not popular by any stretch of the imagination but I think that I managed not to tick too many people off. I have fond memories of high school and those that I spent some time with along the way.
But the thought of meeting those people again, after so long, kind of makes me nervous. Most of the people I knew back than are now working with small families and many still stay in touch with each other. I on the other hand, am a stay at home mom with a very large family and have not have time over the years to do to much at all. Of course I look older and am not exactly the same size either. Don't get me wrong, I am not an "old fatty" but not exactly what I would like. I have those high school fears of walking into the room and no one talking to me. I will be taking my husband with me, so to be honest, I don't want to look lame in front of him either.
I have said that I would go, so I won't back out, but I sure hope this is a positive experience for me and that I might even rekindle some old friendships. I think that I would enjoy some" girl time". Anyway, just my thoughts as I listen to some great "80's" music.

Day Trip

2008-07-04T22:00:00.002-04:00

Today my husband had to take a trip to renew his passport. The driving time was about seven hours there and back. That is a long old trip for one day. However, I had a very good reason for tagging along. Our oldest son is living there and I am missing him more than I could ever express. We decided that we would meet him at work and take him out for lunch and have a quick visit. Our whole visit lasted about forty-five minutes long. Not long enough!!! However, one takes whatever one can, at this point. So, I wonder how many of you would drive seven hours for a forty-five minute visit with an awesome son. I sure would! In fact, I would do it again, given an opportunity. Boy, I miss my children when they are not at home. His time with me seems so short now as I look back at it. He was and is a good boy, one who would always make his mom proud.

Life is Living

2008-07-03T14:13:00.003-04:00

Sorry, that I have been gone so long without posting but life is living. I have been kept fairly busy with my family and a few other things. School is out now and with so many people in the house, times can be lively. Not always the kind of lively I like, but lively no less. I really want to get my family back into some kind of routine. We seem to have fallen out of our routine already. I seem to be running around in circles and not really accomplishing my goals. I will definitely be working on this.
We have moved our sandbox in front of my kitchen window and I am really enjoying watching my two littlest boys play in the sand. We have also set up our on-ground pool for the summer. The children are finding their warm weather a lot more bearable now. They have so much fun in there, they stay in until they are shivering cold. Buying that pool last summer was a good investment, I declare.
Well, July 1st, found us having a nice supper of: Corn on the cob, hamburgers, potato salad. It was well eaten up. Later that night we enjoyed some ice cream cones and fireworks that are put on by the city. The weather was picture perfect, too.

"Happy Birthday Canada"

High heels

2008-06-11T15:31:00.002-04:00

I have had a lot of opportunities to be having fun with my kiddos lately. But I have not had many opportunities for the big girl, high heels. I did wear a pair the other night when my sweetheart and I took our sweet sixteen daughter out for a special supper. It was very nice and both I and my daughter dressed up. I LOVE it!! I like the feel of being all done up. I feel like a lady and I enjoy it. Spit up has it place, but sometimes a girl just needs her high heels.

Summer is in the Air

2008-06-11T15:10:00.003-04:00

There are certain key events that occur each year just before the summer hits. The weather is obviously one of them. As the days start to get longer and warmer, my mind turns to summer ideas and I know that I have made it through another winter. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy winter for a little while but winter last longer than my enjoyment of it. I enjoy each season for awhile but eventually get bored of it. Another key event is that of the end of the school year. My high schooler finished today. She just finished her grade ten year. Wow, I can't believe she is growing up so fast, we all know what that means for me.(older still) My others will be finishing in just ten days. I will now be thinking of how to keep them busy and me sane this summer. I will be assigning some reading this summer to keep a couple of my boys in semi-school mode. But I still need some ideas that will be fun for them and not kill me or my pocketbook. Any ideas, please let me know.

Time

2008-06-08T16:40:00.002-04:00

Isn't time an interesting thing. Sometimes, time seems to stand still and at other times it seems to fly by. My mother told me, when I was little, that when I got older, time would move faster. I must admit that, that seems to be the case. With each passing year, I find my time soaring pass me. The magic slow down of time, is to be waiting for something. Man, it seems like time actually stands still. I am not the most impatient person, but even I have a hard time with that one. I guess we actually have the control of our time, to a degree. In fact, it is the same each day, each of us get the same twenty-four hours a day and we decide what we are going to do with it. Often, we feel like we have to do certain things and they are taking up our time. However, in reality, we allow others to assign us tasks or job, etc... A good example of this would be our jobs. We say the boss is making us work "X" amount of hours, when in fact, we are the ones who decided to take that job. We are often guilty of giving away our time and blaming others. We also fall guilty of "time wasters". A "time waster", could be somethings like tv, computers, phone calls, anyway you get the picture. This whole "time" thing has just been on my mind. I guess I have been amazed at the difference. You see as I watch my baby grow, I am reminded of how fast time can fly but as I wait for one of my children to do a chore, I am reminded of how time can actually stand still.

Knowing what you Want!!

2008-06-06T09:36:00.002-04:00

How can one be happy if one doesn't know what she wants? I have spent many years taking care of others, which is a wonderful service. However, one must always take care of themselves as well. I seem to have forgotten this little detail. You may ask, why is this so important. Think of the last time you traveled by plane. When the flight attendant speaks to the passengers at the beginning of the flight, she instructs the passengers on emergency procedures. One of those instructions are to place the oxygen mask on your own face first before helping others you are traveling with. We must realize that in order to lift others we must be on higher ground so to speak. If we are not taking enough time to fulfill our own needs, eventually we may not be of help to our love ones either. We must be well in a whole sense. We need to take time for our physical bodies as well as mental, emotional, etc... This is hard, as I struggle with it often, myself. Others are not usually going to freely give you opportunities to do this, many times you will need to be strong, not greedy, just strong. We need to remember ourselves as a person with dreams, needs and wants too. We really need to take some time to keep these alive and in turn, keep ourselves alive and complete. These things make us better people, better wives and better mothers. Find some time today and start taking care of someone special, someone like YOU!

What do butterflies eat?

2008-06-04T08:11:00.003-04:00

The other day I was on a walk with my now six year old. As we were walking he spotted a butterflies flying by. He said that he wanted to catch it. I asked him what he would do with it. He told me that he would feed it. So I thought the next logical question was, what do butterflies eat. Well, I am afraid that I had shown my son, my lack of intelligence, as he threw his hands down in disbelief. He than went on to say," Mom, they eat butter, you know that they are called butterflies!
If only life was so simple and things actually were as they appeared.

Sweet Sixteen

2008-06-04T08:07:00.002-04:00

My oldest daughter turned sixteen this week. I tried to make it special for her but there is no way I could show her by material possessions how special she is to me. I am so thankful for her and her sweet spirit. She is turning into such a wonderful young lady.
Happy Birthday, Sweetie!
And I know that you will want to get your license now and yes, start dating.

Kids = laughs

2008-05-27T16:30:00.002-04:00

Well, I just needed to posted this funny little experience we had today. I was a waiting a phone call from a family member coming to visit from out of province. I was working in the kitchen with my older daughter when the phone rang. The problem was we were unable to find the phone. We could here it but couldn't find the silly thing. I, being a great finder, found the phone, but you could never guess where! In the potato bag, yes, you heard right. The phone was in the potato bag. The funniest part was that no one seemed to put it there. Funny how that happens, isn't it? Good thing that Mom's take the course, "Finding things,101"

Spanking or No Spanking ?

2008-05-27T13:16:00.001-04:00

I was reading a blog and found this quote about spanking our children and some of the effects that can come from it.

"Researchers at Columbia University looked at 88 corporal punishment studies and found a definite connection between spanking and 10 negative outcomes, including damaged parent-child relationships, increased potential for aggression, lying, cheating, bullying and depression, as well as a greater chance that the spanked child will physically abuse his or her own children.'

Armin Brott, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Weekend Blessings

2008-05-26T09:02:00.002-04:00

What a wonderful weekend I had. On Saturday morning my family and I went to Nova Scotia to attend a church Conference which was very uplifting and inspiring. We also had a little Seminary Graduation for those youth who had completed the assigned work for the year and for some the whole program. It is a youth program to help them learn the scriptures. I was very proud of my daughter as she has worked hard and did all that was required. She received her certificate. That is two years down for her and two more to go. It is a four year program. We had a nice dinner afterwards and a family dance. I love to dance and at times was the only person up there so I took my baby with me. She loved the music. It was great.
On Sunday we went to Church in Halifax with Cory. Wow, I sure am proud of him. It is amazing how I can have such great kiddos. He is doing wonderful and is doing good getting ready for his mission. He is also heeding other counsel given to him by his leaders. His obedience is a blessing to his mother, that is for sure. I drove all weekend as we needed to take two cars. I was so proud of myself, as I don't usually drive so much. Rob usually takes care of that. But this weekend I did it. Over all, I just had a great weekend. The weather was really nice too. This was great as we were also out on a ferry twice. I hope I can continue with all these good feelings for the rest of the week.

Be Careful, Very, Very Careful

2008-05-23T19:16:00.002-04:00

My last post was on our voices and finding them. I just thought I better attach this warning with it. The warning is that sometimes when you use your voice you may wish that you had lost it. Our voices can sometimes get us into big trouble. Trouble that can hurt others and ourselves. I really have experienced this recently. I have spent a long time biting my lip and recently wanted to stop. Well, lets just say I picked the wrong time to stop biting my lip and start running off at the mouth. Please always remember to be respectful when speaking to others. If you can't be respectful, learn from my lesson and bite the lip. I guess another lesson taught to me. To speak is a good thing but only when you can be respectful.

Voices

2008-05-22T14:41:00.002-04:00

What a beautiful day I have today. The temperatures are nice and the sun is out and shining beautifully. When I awoke this morning at 6:00am, the sun was out and I could hear the birds singing. Now that is my way of waking up. Today I thought I would like to blog about our voice. I have been thinking about my voice lately. The tone I use, who I have been talking to, what I have been talking about, and of course when to speak and when not to. This last part is the one that has been throwing me lately. When I was younger, my mother told me that, I should be a lawyer as I had the mouth for it. I was very opinionated as a child and loved the chance to debate. I truly thought that I was right and loved the opportunity to show the other person the light, so to speak. I somehow had great confidence in my knowledge and abilities. Somehow over the years, I have lost a lot of the confidence and in turn seemed to have lost a lot of my voice also. It is interesting how they seem to go hand in hand. Now to have an opinion takes a lot of energy and time and to actually be willing to discuss it at length seems exhausting, so often I don't bother. I seem to let things go, or not see them through as I would have in the past. I think that there must be a middle ground in this problem. I am working to find it, not to far either way. Voices can be interesting, educating and even beautiful. I am looking for mind.

Chocolate cake for my Kiddos

2008-05-21T13:50:00.002-04:00

Today I had a great day. I accomplished a lot and am very happy with my results; however the best part of the day was the chocolate cake. I wanted to make a chocolate cake for after school snack time today. The cake turned out tasty but it stuck terribly to the pan. Arrg! Of course that fact did not have any effect on my little ones. They don't really care as long as they can eat the cake. Today my 7th kiddo asked me,
"Why did you make a cake?"
I said," I made you a cake because I love you."
" But why," he asked again.
I said," I made you a cake because I thought you might like one."
His reply," And I very, very do!"
I so love my kiddos. They are so cute and indeed a wonderful blessing to me.

Husband's Career Path

2008-05-20T14:21:00.002-04:00

The big change that I was talking about last week was about my husband changing accounting firms. He has been hired by another firm. He starts in two weeks. He has found a better fit, one might say. This new firm, sounds so much more like his style and he is getting excited to start. He just has a few little jobs to finish at his current firm before moving on. I wish my sweetie best of luck and would like to tell his new firm how lucky they are to have him. He is truly a great worker and very good at what he does. Changes, Changes, always changes!!!

Working from Home

2008-05-20T13:57:00.002-04:00

A large family is a wonderful blessing but it does come with a few hitches, one might say. One of those hitches is income. Almost everything in this life has a price tag. Those price tags are finding their place in front of my eyes a lot lately. I have a child who is planing and working now to go on a mission for our church this fall. I would really like to help him out financially as he has such a worthy and wonderful goal. I also have numerous children who have all sorts of desires to do special things. I also have a mouth that requires much dental work. All of these things are good and not really extras. I am very grateful for all the hard work that my husband does for our family. He works hard to bring home a good income but with the size of our family, the income needs to be a little larger than it is right now. His income will be larger in a few years but we need to pay the price, as the saying goes. For now though, I have a slight problem. I really need to make some extra money. I am planning on babysitting some extra children this fall, but I really wish that I could do something else maybe. Don't get me wrong, I love children. I just think, right now with other responsibilities, this is maybe a little much. I am hoping to find a way to make money from home. With the price of gas and my two little ones still at home, this is really the only way. Wish me luck and if you know of any thing, please let me know.

Playtime on Rainy Days

2008-05-16T12:53:00.002-04:00

Today the weather is not very nice. It is cool and wet, not very good for sandbox play. My second youngest really enjoys his outside time and could live in his sandbox. Well today I decided to take the boys to McD's for a slow, long lunch and playtime. We were there for about two hours. The boys had a great time. The second youngest even found some friends that he had met before. I almost enjoyed myself also. I met several people that I knew and enjoyed a short chat. When it came time to leave the boys were sad about leaving but didn't give me any trouble about going. I couldn't believe it. They usually give me a very hard time often filled with tears and all. As I thought about this as I drove home, the thought occurred to me that I was always rushing them. We have never spent that long there before. I think that today, the difference was that they had enough time to really have fun and get a little energy out. The little ones can now be found curled up on the couch watching Franklin the turtle for quiet time. Ah, over all not a bad day at all.

Changes

2008-05-16T08:57:00.002-04:00

I belief the saying goes, " the only things certain in life, is death and taxes." Well, this sure seems to be true in my life. There is always something changing. Sometimes I like change as it keeps life from becoming boring. However, I find change a little stressful, even if it is a good change. I can't share the changes yet, but stay tune and I will share when I can. Sometimes in life, you go with your heart and sometimes you go with your head, but you must always take the walk with Christ at your side. I have personally found that if I partner with Jesus, I am always on the right path.

Photos

2008-05-16T08:55:00.003-04:00

I am learning how to use photos and clip art to make my blog more eye catching. Please bear with me as I keep trying to find little bits of time to further my knowledge.

A Late Mother's Day Post

2008-05-16T08:22:00.002-04:00

Even though Mother's day is all over for another year, I really wanted to take this opportunity to thank my husband and kids. They really made it wonderful. It actually started on Thursday and went to Sunday night, goodies along the way. I just felt wonderful. I liked and appreciated my gifts and breakfast in bed but a few things were very special to me. I really liked the fact that my 12 year old made me eggs for breakfast. He is just learning how to cook. I was really impressed. I also really enjoyed my phone call from my oldest who is living in another province right now. Oh! how I miss him. Something that may sound funny but my husband's voice or tone it was so full of love whenever he spoke to me. I just felt so loved by my whole family on Sunday. Thanks again, family. I really love being your Mom and wife.

I also had a chance to drop off a gift and spend a few moments with my own mother. She is not well and is finding life very difficult. It was nice to spend some time with her. I do get to see her often as she needs a lot of help to accomplish her daily needs. But at this point, I know to enjoy every opportunity given to me.

Happy belated Mother's Day to all mothers and future mothers.

Mommy Moment!!

2008-05-16T08:20:00.002-04:00

I am sorry that it has been so long since I posted but I have a confession to make. I couldn't remember my password. Do you believe that I had a total mommy moment where I just totally could not remember the information that I needed to get on to my blog. I really think I need some time to take it easy.

Saving Money

2008-05-06T10:04:00.002-04:00

I just had my daily dose of the sparrowsnest blog. The address is as follows. http://www.thesparrowsnest.typepad.com I just love Mrs.Wilt and have read her blog for a long time. This month she is doing a theme on being Frugal. I for one, can sure use this. I encourage you all, to take a minute and drop by and she what she is sharing. It is nice when you are a stay at home mom to try to save money, it is kind of like making it. Some things that I do is : make bread and other bake goods, try to limit junk food and try to combine my trips to save on gas. Who can't appreciate a little less money going into the tank of the car. Well, here is a pat on the back for everyone who saves a few pennies or more today!!!

I'm Back !!

2008-05-06T09:49:00.002-04:00

HI, I am finally back and trying to recommit to this blog. I love the idea of writing but to make the time to do it can be the challenge. I am looking to be doing a lot of work around our house soon, I hope that I can keep up with the blog also.

I am also looking to do some soul searching. There are a few things that I need to think about and with family commitments, finding that time is very difficult for me. Do you ever think that you are just loosing yourself. It says in the Bible that if you loose yourself in serving others, you will find yourself. I guess I may missing something because I am not finding me. I still seem to be lost out in the abyss of time. I need to either find me again or reinvent me. Hey the reinventing sounds kind of neat. I wonder if I can reinvent a new body while I am at it! LOL

Time is Flying By

2008-04-17T14:40:00.002-04:00

Well, time keeps flying by. We have been and still are not all up to par. I am not well, either. I just thought I would post to let you know that we are still all here. I look forward to posting about number #4's History fair project and #5's Drama festival experience. Please stay tuned!

Birthday Craz'

2008-04-11T13:13:00.003-04:00

Wow, what a busy month. We have three birthdays this month. My Husband will be 36, James turns 4 on Saturday and Christopher will be 6 on the 16th. Wow, am I busy. That is a lot of cake, parties and presents. I hope they all have a wonderful time on their special days because they are all special to me.

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart

2008-04-11T13:09:00.002-04:00

Here is my birthday man. He hardly looks a year older. Just as handsome as always!

Lost in Action

2008-04-05T09:18:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the time lapse but life sometimes hits hard. This has been one of those times as many round me are sick and require special attention. My mother who is very, very ill also came down with a virus which has put her in the hospital and to the emergency room. This virus, maybe just a normal virus for most of us but to those with serious illnesses, this is dangerous stuff. I am very worry as I see her breathing worsen and her spirit sink down. She is a stubborn lady and I think that , that is what has kept her alive this long. I love my mom and as it has only been her and I for quite some time now, I worry how I will ever take her passing. I know that it has got to happen sometime. She is making comments about her pending death and that it is just a slow one. These comments worry me. It is like she is giving up or something. I hope that she is strong enough to overcome this one. I just want as much time with her as I can get, call me greedy. Well, on a much happier note, we had a great day outside yesterday. The temperature went to eight and we went out for James to ride on his bike. He is doing such as great job. I am hopeful that spring weather maybe here to stay soon, very soon.

Happy April Fool's Day!

2008-04-01T21:16:00.002-04:00

The best thing about April fool's day, is that it is over again for another year. I really love holidays but not this one. Maybe some year I will change my mind but for now,no way!

Teenagers

2008-04-01T21:03:00.005-04:00

Teenagers are bad news right. Full of themselves, mean and crazy. Right?
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong, so wrong
I have two teenagers and will soon have three and I think that they are so wonderful. I can think of so many situations where they have truly risen to the occasion, so to speak. They are not perfect, but than neither am I. They have their share of problems but than again so do I. I want to share with you a simple example. I was going to the hospital to check on a friend, who is in with her little girl. With me not being home that meant that one of my teens and the soon to be teen had to babysit. There were no complains and the teenager insisted that I took the rest of the homemade chocolate chip cookies that she made the night before. Little did my teen know that the little girl was not eating or drinking and the nurses and Mom were concerned. When the little one saw the cookies, she just started eating them like there was no problem at all, then she started on a banana. Hurray! Hurray for my friend's little one and Hurray for my teen. I think that without the doubt I have had the privilege to meet so many amazing teens.

Unplanned Dental Trip

2008-03-31T21:11:00.002-04:00

Well, the nightmare happened again. I had to go to the dentist. Don't get me wrong, I really like my dentist. He is a very nice man and tries very hard to do the impossible, make me comfortable. He has a great office, very modern and up-to-date equipment. He works with his wife, so it is very calm yet professional , at least as far as they go. I, on the other hand am not calm. I start feeling anxious on the trip there and as I walk into the room with the banana shape chair my legs turn to jello. I am not normally such a wimp, after all eight births with no drugs is nothing to take lightly,but somehow this is different.
Well, with a lot of prayer and some wiggling in my seat, I made it through once again. I thought hurray, I did it. That changed suddenly as I was given the bill. I had to have a x-ray and some work on on three teeth as one cavity had spread to the tooth beside it( bad spacing). Well I was so surprised to see the bill, I had to look twice. I almost had to ask the lady at the desk to confirm the amount. Unfortunately for me, the amount was correct. $583.00. I still think I want to cry. I just can't help but think of all the things I could have bought for that much money. Well, no new make up, spring clothes,etc... for a few more paydays.

Be Prepared

2008-03-30T20:35:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I attended a preparedness workshop given by our church. There were several displays set up along with a presentation by our local Red Cross Emergency Response Team. What an interesting meeting. Of course like all good things, there were few in attendance, which was disappointing. There were displays on: the Red Cross, 72 hour emergency kits, generators, food storage and I think there was one more which I am unsure of. I helped out with the food storage table. We displayed different ways to preserve food. For an example, we had a dehydrator, foil sealing bags, mason jars, and the number ten size cans. We had a lady ( Thanks Marie!) running the sealer for all to see. This is a new way for us, so we are all just learning how to use it. It is amazing the ways we have to store and keep our food safe. I really believe that if we are prepared we will not fear and are also less likely to become a victim ourselves. At home, we are trying to put together a 72 hour kit for our family. This is something that will be a continually job for a little while. I hope others will take the opportunity to get prepared for whatever may come their way. Preparedness needs to happened before the event starts. If we wait until something bad happens, it will be too late. Remember, if Noah waited to build his ark until the rain started, He would have been in trouble. Let's not be caught unprepared.

Costochondritis

2008-03-29T10:26:00.002-04:00

Who would have thought that my news years resolution was going to injury me. One of my resolutions for 2008 was just 15 minutes of exercise each day. It doesn't sound like a lot but I have started to see results, Hurray! I recently added a resistance band to my routines. Oh boy, was it a workout. It was doing really well hitting a specific trouble area for me (my arms); however, it was also causing a new problem to my body. It is called costochondritis. It is swelling in the chest area. Actually in the rib and lung area. It causes pain when one breaths in or out. Since breathing is kind of necessary, I took a trip to the doctors today. I am thankful that it was amazing quick and now I am back on my way to recovery. I will need to alter my exercise routines just a little to allow this to heal. I will still be exercising though. I really need it and really do enjoy it, too. I think that most of us can give 15 minutes a day, to our bodies since we are expecting many, many years in return.

Afterschool Bliss or Nightmare?

2008-03-28T15:31:00.001-04:00

We all know what happens to those wonderful little angels about an hour after arriving home from school. First, we here all the intriguing news of the day, then the snack(which usually ends up being a meal), then the homework. By now, something is happening, something not too pretty, I might add. Those little angels are morphing, morphing into some kind of monster. This is the monster who cannot sit in the same room as his/her sibling. It cannot carrying on a civil conversation, heck, they can't even breath the same air as another family member. Does this event happen in your home each week night? I have only two tips for you:

1. Feed them as soon as they come in.

2. Send them outside to play. The environment is bigger and perhaps, just maybe there is enough air out there for more than one.

Now, if this doesn't work. There is only one option left. Yes ladies, strap on those heels, call a babysitter and head to somewhere quiet and blissful.

Up And Running

2008-03-28T11:28:00.000-04:00

Well, here I am in the blog world. I have been reading other blogs for quite sometime now and thought I really needed to take the leap. I have spent many years dealing with the rubber boots (and still have a few more to go) but now I am dusting off the high heels. I look forward to sharing some thoughts, ideas and well, who knows what else. The Journey has begun. I am so excited!!!