So I'm not usually one to wish for time to pass (I am way too sentimental about days passing too quickly), but I am looking forward to the end of May.
To say May has been crazy in my house would be the understatement of the year. All of it was fun stuff and I wouldn't change any of it, but I'm wishing I could have spread some of the festivities out a bit. First was my solo trip to Florida - I told you not to feel sorry for me :-)
I went to Fort Lauderdale to help my in-laws with their drive home. As a perk, I got to spend a week at the beach, do some fantastic shopping, and read. In fact, I got to read 13 books. I have never read 13 books in such a short amount of time. It's amazing what you can get through when you don't have to take care of anyone else! I was grateful to be there, but was happy to get home to my family too.
Then the fun began. The week I was back was filled with preparations for 2 wonderful events - that happened to be scheduled back to back.
Saturday I hosted a birthday party for my youngest. My baby was turning seven (insert sentimental gasp here) and I had 6 seven year olds over for a scrapbooking party. It was so much fun, and I loved seeing what the kids had come up with when they were done. It helped that I had a superb Creative Memories consultant (who is also a dear friend) over to run the party. This meant I could take pictures for my own scrapbook!
After everyone left, I had some crafting left to do to get ready for my little sister's baby shower - which we held on Sunday. It was so fun to watch all our friends and family gather to celebrate the fact that we are adding a new member to our family. My sister looked and felt great, and she got everything she will need for once the baby is born ( ha ha...so she thinks)!! There was a little added stress to the day - we discovered that my other sister's wedding venue had burned down the night before! She was a trooper and got through Sunday with a smile. Now the hunt is on for a new location!!
The month of May was a fantastic one, but I admit I'm looking forward to a quieter June. Then the fun starts again while we prep for my other sister's bridal shower and wedding!! Maybe I should be looking forward to September! LOL
Tuesday, 29 May, 2012
Sunday, 6 May, 2012
Perspective Can Suck It!
I'm the first to admit every once in awhile I need a good dose of reality. It keeps me grounded; it helps remind me of what is important in life; it makes me remember that the little things are just as important as the big ones.
What sucks is when I get slammed over the head with a dose of reality that makes me just want to curl up. This week I got one of those. A good friend of my parents passed away. She was an amazing lady with a contagious laugh, and she had a family that loved her to pieces. What made this one even harder is she went from healthy to gone in 6 months. 6 months. That's nothing...it's half a school year, it's two seasons. 6 months.
What it did for me is remind me how precious time is. How when all is said and done, I don't want to look back and realize I've wasted the gift of time.
The ironic part is this lesson came at a time when I needed it. I've caught myself working "just a few minutes later" every night - which means I have a few minutes less with hubby and kids. I'm saying more frequently "not right now" when my girls are trying to tell me something. I'm trying so hard to keep all the balls in the air that I'm forgetting to pay attention to all the things that keep the ground solid below me - family, friends, giggles and hugs.
How the perspective is doled out can really suck - hopefully the lesson is not lost in the delivery. For me, it will be about asking the 5 year question - in 5 years will I really remember the extra hours I put in at work? Probably not. I may remember the amazing walk to the park where the kids spun on the tire swing though. Perspective.
Thank you to an amazing lady who reminded me of how precious time is. R.I.P Heidi.
What sucks is when I get slammed over the head with a dose of reality that makes me just want to curl up. This week I got one of those. A good friend of my parents passed away. She was an amazing lady with a contagious laugh, and she had a family that loved her to pieces. What made this one even harder is she went from healthy to gone in 6 months. 6 months. That's nothing...it's half a school year, it's two seasons. 6 months.
What it did for me is remind me how precious time is. How when all is said and done, I don't want to look back and realize I've wasted the gift of time.
The ironic part is this lesson came at a time when I needed it. I've caught myself working "just a few minutes later" every night - which means I have a few minutes less with hubby and kids. I'm saying more frequently "not right now" when my girls are trying to tell me something. I'm trying so hard to keep all the balls in the air that I'm forgetting to pay attention to all the things that keep the ground solid below me - family, friends, giggles and hugs.
How the perspective is doled out can really suck - hopefully the lesson is not lost in the delivery. For me, it will be about asking the 5 year question - in 5 years will I really remember the extra hours I put in at work? Probably not. I may remember the amazing walk to the park where the kids spun on the tire swing though. Perspective.
Thank you to an amazing lady who reminded me of how precious time is. R.I.P Heidi.
Monday, 9 April, 2012
What if the Maid Went on Strike?
So I've never been obsessed with a clean house. While I was on maternity leave, I considered dust bunnies my pets, and didn't get hung up on keeping the house immaculate. Just good enough was ok with me. I do, however, like when things are tidied up.
In my perfect world, everything has its place, and it would get returned there after use so that when I went to look for it the next time, I would know exactly where it was. School days are a case in point. I stress the importance of the kids putting their hats, mitts, etc in their bins when they get home from school - that way when we are rushing in the morning to get out the door I can avoid the "Mom I can't find my mitts!". I like to have things organized...it keeps my mind peaceful.
These days, my mind is not so peaceful. As much as I try to organize the clutter in my house (and we do purge at least once a year), the "stuff" seems to overwhelm me. And I'm not sure when it became only my job to make sure that things got returned to their place. My kids will walk over a mound of stuff that is not put away and not bat an eye. And my hubby (who I love to no end) leaves a trail of stuff behind him when he comes home. And don't get me started on dishes left on the counter instead of the sink or in the dishwasher...
Most days, I just sigh and pick up the stuff that is in my way as I come in the door. But there are days (and today is one of them) where I just can't handle it. I look around and just see a mess - and I literally have to go hide in my craft room. I'm left wondering what I have to do to get them to help me keep my sanity. Maybe I should go on strike...would they notice when things didn't magically get put away? If I do this I would have to spend alot of time in my craft room away from the piles.
I'll keep trying to make them see - and if they don't then I will really consider going on strike. If that happens, I'll give you all warning - cause there would be no visitors allowed!
Off to tackle a pile...
In my perfect world, everything has its place, and it would get returned there after use so that when I went to look for it the next time, I would know exactly where it was. School days are a case in point. I stress the importance of the kids putting their hats, mitts, etc in their bins when they get home from school - that way when we are rushing in the morning to get out the door I can avoid the "Mom I can't find my mitts!". I like to have things organized...it keeps my mind peaceful.
These days, my mind is not so peaceful. As much as I try to organize the clutter in my house (and we do purge at least once a year), the "stuff" seems to overwhelm me. And I'm not sure when it became only my job to make sure that things got returned to their place. My kids will walk over a mound of stuff that is not put away and not bat an eye. And my hubby (who I love to no end) leaves a trail of stuff behind him when he comes home. And don't get me started on dishes left on the counter instead of the sink or in the dishwasher...
Most days, I just sigh and pick up the stuff that is in my way as I come in the door. But there are days (and today is one of them) where I just can't handle it. I look around and just see a mess - and I literally have to go hide in my craft room. I'm left wondering what I have to do to get them to help me keep my sanity. Maybe I should go on strike...would they notice when things didn't magically get put away? If I do this I would have to spend alot of time in my craft room away from the piles.
I'll keep trying to make them see - and if they don't then I will really consider going on strike. If that happens, I'll give you all warning - cause there would be no visitors allowed!
Off to tackle a pile...
Wednesday, 7 March, 2012
I'm a Control Freak
I've always told people I'm a type-A personality. I like things done right (usually means my way), and like to be the one giving directions. I'm realizing that "type-A" is just a nice way of calling someone a control freak.
Usually, all is ok. I can reign myself in before anyone finds it too annoying, and most times people seem to be alright just stepping back and letting me do it. And my family has grown to love this quirk about me (so they tell me!). Take "pot luck dinners" for example. Probably one of the most stressful things for me is to have someone say "just make it pot luck and and we'll all bring whatever". WHAT? No planned menu? How will I know all the bases are covered? What if we end up with only desserts? My usual response is "It's ok...I like doing this stuff) - to which I'm sure I get an eye roll.
I am getting better - I gave up a little control last year for my sister's wedding shower - although my family will say I did not (I did have a plan for how I was going to handle it if it turn out the way I wanted), all I promised was that I would try.
It also carries over into my parenting. I went to a seminar recently, and realized I'm what they call an "over-functioning parent". In a nutshell, I like to do everything for my kids, remind them of schedules, and their experience at school stresses me out more than it does them. Aren't all parents like that? I am making a conscious decision to allow them to make some of their own decisions and give them more responsibility around the house. Who cares if they don't clean the same way I do, right? And they should learn to accept the consequences if they don't do their homework, right?
I fully expect that it will take some time before I can let go and become "less type-A". I will try, but I will certainly have a checklist that will tell me if I am doing it right. And a plan to fix things if the checklist tells me I'm not. I wish I could heed Yoda's advice: "There is no try, just do". For now, all I can promise to do is try.
To my friends, feel free to call me out on it. I won't promise it won't generate a sigh or a look of daggers, but I will promise to take it in stride :-)
Usually, all is ok. I can reign myself in before anyone finds it too annoying, and most times people seem to be alright just stepping back and letting me do it. And my family has grown to love this quirk about me (so they tell me!). Take "pot luck dinners" for example. Probably one of the most stressful things for me is to have someone say "just make it pot luck and and we'll all bring whatever". WHAT? No planned menu? How will I know all the bases are covered? What if we end up with only desserts? My usual response is "It's ok...I like doing this stuff) - to which I'm sure I get an eye roll.
I am getting better - I gave up a little control last year for my sister's wedding shower - although my family will say I did not (I did have a plan for how I was going to handle it if it turn out the way I wanted), all I promised was that I would try.
It also carries over into my parenting. I went to a seminar recently, and realized I'm what they call an "over-functioning parent". In a nutshell, I like to do everything for my kids, remind them of schedules, and their experience at school stresses me out more than it does them. Aren't all parents like that? I am making a conscious decision to allow them to make some of their own decisions and give them more responsibility around the house. Who cares if they don't clean the same way I do, right? And they should learn to accept the consequences if they don't do their homework, right?
I fully expect that it will take some time before I can let go and become "less type-A". I will try, but I will certainly have a checklist that will tell me if I am doing it right. And a plan to fix things if the checklist tells me I'm not. I wish I could heed Yoda's advice: "There is no try, just do". For now, all I can promise to do is try.
To my friends, feel free to call me out on it. I won't promise it won't generate a sigh or a look of daggers, but I will promise to take it in stride :-)
Monday, 5 March, 2012
On the Road Again...
Wow...I can't believe its been a couple of weeks since I last posted. I seem to have a thousand ideas through the day of things that would make a great blog topic, but finding the time to sit and write them is becoming more and more scarce. I guess I have to resort to scheduling my "free time" where I plan to blog.
I wish the title of this post referred to me getting to travel, but the road I'm on again is of a different kind. I'm back on the road to trying to get healthy.
When I decided to start writing, I told myself that I would not turn this into a blog about weight - or more specifically about losing it. I have struggled with my weight...always. I have been on every fad diet imaginable and...well you know how the rest of this paragraph goes. It's a continuous yo-yo. The worst part is it is not rocket science - eat healthy, everything in moderation and exercise every day. So simple...yeah right. Life gets in the way of making the choices we know are the right ones.
So while I will not chronicle my journey here, every now and then I may rant a little (when my sugar cravings get the best of me), but the rants will pass. For now, I want to focus on making better choices so that I can chase my girls in a game of tag without my knees burning. Don't get me wrong - getting to wear cute clothes and hearing the compliments are a motivator too. And that may be how I keep my eye on the prize. In the end, though, the prize truly is feeling better.
Just wish I could get to the prize drinking wine and eating cheesecake. For now, I'll imagine my water tastes like chocolate :-).
So here is my first rant - I'm working with a system right now that will help to get rid of the toxins from my body. Sounds fabulous - BUT it means no caffeine. NO. CAFFEINE. I'm a sucker for punishment I know - I have already warned the people around me that I will not be pleasant over the next few days, and I apologized in advance. For anyone I missed, I'm sorry. You have my permission to tell me where to go - just don't mention Starbucks and no one gets hurt.
I wish the title of this post referred to me getting to travel, but the road I'm on again is of a different kind. I'm back on the road to trying to get healthy.
When I decided to start writing, I told myself that I would not turn this into a blog about weight - or more specifically about losing it. I have struggled with my weight...always. I have been on every fad diet imaginable and...well you know how the rest of this paragraph goes. It's a continuous yo-yo. The worst part is it is not rocket science - eat healthy, everything in moderation and exercise every day. So simple...yeah right. Life gets in the way of making the choices we know are the right ones.
So while I will not chronicle my journey here, every now and then I may rant a little (when my sugar cravings get the best of me), but the rants will pass. For now, I want to focus on making better choices so that I can chase my girls in a game of tag without my knees burning. Don't get me wrong - getting to wear cute clothes and hearing the compliments are a motivator too. And that may be how I keep my eye on the prize. In the end, though, the prize truly is feeling better.
Just wish I could get to the prize drinking wine and eating cheesecake. For now, I'll imagine my water tastes like chocolate :-).
So here is my first rant - I'm working with a system right now that will help to get rid of the toxins from my body. Sounds fabulous - BUT it means no caffeine. NO. CAFFEINE. I'm a sucker for punishment I know - I have already warned the people around me that I will not be pleasant over the next few days, and I apologized in advance. For anyone I missed, I'm sorry. You have my permission to tell me where to go - just don't mention Starbucks and no one gets hurt.
Tuesday, 21 February, 2012
Weekends Away
Recently I posted about what I would consider a perfect weekend. I mentioned sun and sand or trips to Paris, and concluded that even at home snuggles could constitute a great weekend. Last weekend I added another item to that list - a girls weekend away. And I don't mean with my little girls...with girls whose ages were in the double digits! And OMG it was so much fun!! I am big believer that sometimes to re-energize you need to just get the hell out of dodge...after this weekend I'm even more convinced!
Not only was I with 3 really amazing women, but I got to shop all weekend. Need I say more?? Although it may be hard to imagine, I *gasp* had never been to Watertown, Syracuse or Waterloo to do any shopping. Now that I know what I was missing, I will be returning. The deals were fantastic!
The shopping was awesome (the fact that we needed a van to bring our wares over the border is a testament to that), but truthfully the best part of the trip was hanging out with some pretty fantastic friends. I haven't met anyone that I have clicked with so well in a long time. I giggled so much my cheeks hurt (and it wasn't just because they introduced me to vodka and 7up as a drink), I discovered we have lots in common, and I was introduced to some new phrases (a few of which I will not post on my family oriented blog :-) ).
As the saying goes, good friends are hard to find - and I feel lucky to count this crew on my list of good friends. Needless to say I am already looking forward to the next one (I'm hoping for at least one per year). Hmmm...maybe I can convince them that girls weekends are even better when we are somewhere sunny. I'll work on it.
Not only was I with 3 really amazing women, but I got to shop all weekend. Need I say more?? Although it may be hard to imagine, I *gasp* had never been to Watertown, Syracuse or Waterloo to do any shopping. Now that I know what I was missing, I will be returning. The deals were fantastic!
The shopping was awesome (the fact that we needed a van to bring our wares over the border is a testament to that), but truthfully the best part of the trip was hanging out with some pretty fantastic friends. I haven't met anyone that I have clicked with so well in a long time. I giggled so much my cheeks hurt (and it wasn't just because they introduced me to vodka and 7up as a drink), I discovered we have lots in common, and I was introduced to some new phrases (a few of which I will not post on my family oriented blog :-) ).
As the saying goes, good friends are hard to find - and I feel lucky to count this crew on my list of good friends. Needless to say I am already looking forward to the next one (I'm hoping for at least one per year). Hmmm...maybe I can convince them that girls weekends are even better when we are somewhere sunny. I'll work on it.
Sunday, 12 February, 2012
Writing Prompts Rock!!
I recently discovered this awesome blogger who has this cool idea - every week there are writing prompts posted on her site. Essentially, there are a bunch of ideas/questions/issues that you can use to kick off a blog post. Why do I think is cool you ask? Because sometimes the creative juices are just not flowing - and these prompts help to get your mind focussed on an idea.
For anyone interested, the blog is called "Mama's Losin It" and you can get to the writing prompts at
http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/writers-workshop-directions/
Before I tackle this prompt, can I just say how much fun I am having discovering all the cool bloggers - who knew the world of blogging could keep my attention as much as a Twilight movie - well almost as much :-)
This prompt asked: Write a moment you felt truly relieved. Here goes...
I will admit there have been a few of these moments in my life. When I heard my dad had gone to the hospital, but the next sentence was he is fine. When my mom had a health scare that turned out to be pretty minor in the grand scheme of things. The first time I heard my healthy children let out a cry. If I had to pick one, though, it would be the one that centered around my first pregnancy.
Hubby and I were obviously over the moon when we discovered we were expecting. To say we were excited would have been an understatement. The "stomach falling through the floor" moment happened at one of my ultrasounds. Basically, the ultrasound technician told us there was an issue with our little girls' heart. Instant tears on my part. If there was a positive, it was that there are some pretty amazing doctors in Ottawa, and I got shipped off for a specialist to have a closer look.
The wait was agonizing. All I could do was pray that everything would be okay. The morning we headed to the specialist was bittersweet. I had convinced myself all was well with the world, but what if I was wrong? The thought paralyzed me.
We headed in to have the ultrasound. Here comes the moment where my relief exuded from me - the doc asked me what I was doing there. Huh???? He looked at my file and informed us that the previous tech had read the scan wrong. He walked us through all the parts that formed our little miracle, and everything was fine. Everything. Was. Fine.
Relief does not even start to describe how we felt walking out of that room. I think I actually asked the nurse if I could give her a hug! From that moment forward, I thanked my lucky stars every time she made me nauseous or kicked the heck out of my ribs...
Our little girl was healthy, and all was right with the world. My definition of relief was changed forever.
For anyone interested, the blog is called "Mama's Losin It" and you can get to the writing prompts at
http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/writers-workshop-directions/
Before I tackle this prompt, can I just say how much fun I am having discovering all the cool bloggers - who knew the world of blogging could keep my attention as much as a Twilight movie - well almost as much :-)
This prompt asked: Write a moment you felt truly relieved. Here goes...
I will admit there have been a few of these moments in my life. When I heard my dad had gone to the hospital, but the next sentence was he is fine. When my mom had a health scare that turned out to be pretty minor in the grand scheme of things. The first time I heard my healthy children let out a cry. If I had to pick one, though, it would be the one that centered around my first pregnancy.
Hubby and I were obviously over the moon when we discovered we were expecting. To say we were excited would have been an understatement. The "stomach falling through the floor" moment happened at one of my ultrasounds. Basically, the ultrasound technician told us there was an issue with our little girls' heart. Instant tears on my part. If there was a positive, it was that there are some pretty amazing doctors in Ottawa, and I got shipped off for a specialist to have a closer look.
The wait was agonizing. All I could do was pray that everything would be okay. The morning we headed to the specialist was bittersweet. I had convinced myself all was well with the world, but what if I was wrong? The thought paralyzed me.
We headed in to have the ultrasound. Here comes the moment where my relief exuded from me - the doc asked me what I was doing there. Huh???? He looked at my file and informed us that the previous tech had read the scan wrong. He walked us through all the parts that formed our little miracle, and everything was fine. Everything. Was. Fine.
Relief does not even start to describe how we felt walking out of that room. I think I actually asked the nurse if I could give her a hug! From that moment forward, I thanked my lucky stars every time she made me nauseous or kicked the heck out of my ribs...
Our little girl was healthy, and all was right with the world. My definition of relief was changed forever.
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