Farewell Mom Blogs

Many of you who read this (all 3 of you) know that I've been a bit of a blog addict for a few years now. I kind of fell into the world of Mom blogs when I was on mat leave. I saw Nancy had a link to 5 Minutes For Mom on her blog, followed it, followed more links... went from bookmarking everything to discovering Google Reader... and so became an addict.

And it's been fun. Some blogs I just really enjoy how they are written. Some I found were like bad car accidents - I just couldn't look away. I started to drop blogs that I couldn't handle the whining any more (some people tend to always blame other people for all their problems). And heck, it is fun to win stuff online. I average about 1 thing a month or so - everything from shoes (favourite win ever from My Organized Chaos), fabric, books, baby clothes, make up, and more.

There are still a few Canadian Based blogs I follow, as I actually find the information I get from them is useful or interesting in my daily life - Natural Mommie, Feisty Frugal and Fabulous, Glimpse, and My Organized Chaos.

But other than that, I'm done. I've found a lot of Mom blogs have just turned into these big social media machines and all they are interested in is building readers without providing any actual useful content. It's all "follow these 150 blogs on twitter and you can win a Kindle", or "follow all these people on facebook and wine an amazon.com gift card". But they don't actually do proper reviews any more, and frankly I'm tired of them mucking up my inbox, and Reader feed.

And then Pinterest came along. Ahhh... Pinterest. Do you Pinterest? If no, well... it is a time suck, but a beautiful one. Find me at http://pinterest.com/carolejm/ . And if you need an invite, just let me know. Side note... how beautiful Pinterest is. Yesterday Duncan and I were hanging out and he wanted to do something. I asked if he wanted to bake something. Yep, I said let's see what I have pinned. While going to my "Sweets" board, he sees the "For my Son" board, and asks to see what's inside. One of the things I have pinned inside is a home made Angry Birds game made with birds and pigs made out of yarn pom poms. Well then he asked if we could make that instead. It's a weak spot. I love it when the kids want to do crafty stuff. Cordie loves crafts, but is too young yet to ask for specific stuff. But Duncan and I often will put our heads together and make up stuff on our own, or by following something we've found in a magazine or online. Anyhow, so off to Michael's for yarn (yay Michael's iphone app... 25% off purchase!), and back home. We've now made 4 birds, and 5 pigs, and make buildings out of plastic ups... we glued googly eyes and beaks and eyebrows  on to all the characters... A happy kid, a home made game... never would have thought of it on my own. So anyhow, yay pinterest. Find the craft idea at http://www.makeandtakes.com/crafting-with-angry-birds and hers look much better than mine.

Anyhow back to Mom blogs. I'm tired of it, find it boring, and I have unsubscribed from the majority of the Mom blogs I used to follow. So I thank you for a few years of entertainment, and time killing, but I don't feel a loss there.

However, I have replaced Mom blogs with what I have termed "Quilty Crafty" blogs. This year I am really trying to up my quilting, learning more, trying more, producing more - out of love for quilting. And there is so much inspiration out there!! I can't always be downstairs quilting. Since the new year in the evening Bill and I have been heading to our respective rooms (the Man Cave and Sewrenity) for creative endeavours (Bill is doing some writing), and I'm actually almost done the top of my 1st started in 2012 quilting project. I won't go into it too much here. I've started a quilting blog at mysewrenity.blogspot.com if you're interested. But it is all about quilting, and not much else.

Well I hope everyone is well. We are. Busy with life, but happy. Thanks for dropping by.

Datebook - Boxing Day

Well Merry Christmas! I was so bad, as usual, for getting cards sent out this year.

Today - is Boxing Day. Unless it's not. But it is here. We have one more big family dinner this afternoon - 40+ people over at Mom and Dads. It will be fun. I am bringing crockpot stuffing, green bean casserole, tortellini salad (been getting some good potluck mileage out of this one), and Better Then Sex cake for dessert.

Yesterday - was Christmas. It was a wonderful day. We had a lot of fun with the kids. Duncan was "upgraded" to the Thomas Trackmaster stuff, and our entire living room is the Island of Sodor right now. This is the motorized Thomas stuff. Cordie got some very musical gifts - a microphone, keyboard and mini drum kit and she just loves it. There were also books, puzzles, pjs and bath robes, and both kids got this huge pillow for their beds. Of course they were spoiled by the family - which was wonderful.

Tomorrow - well the rest of the week really - we need to gut both kid's rooms and go through everything that will now be passed on to other kids, or sold online, to make room for the new stuff. I find they let go of their old stuff a bit easier when they have new stuff. We're taking Duncan mini golfing tomorrow afternoon. Bill works on Wednesday. Thursday Cordie and I are going to take my friend for coffee for her birthday, and in the evening we're going to our new Pastor's house to game with them. Their youngest and Duncan have been getting on very well - they only moved here a month ago - so nice they get on. I went to College with both Tim and Andrea, so it's fun they are now here.

Outside - rainy and chilly. Typical Wet Coast Christmas.

Right now - I am drinking some tea. But the kids need a light lunch, and Cordie needs a nap. And I need to get on with cooking of things.

Where have I been hiding?

Peek-A-Boo! I see you!!

My Mom was bemoaning the fact that no one blogs any more... myself included. Well it's true. And I admit that even if you have blogged I have probably missed it b/c my blog roll goes unread a lot lately. Hey, that's how it is when real life wins out.

When I had my gall bladder out I admit it was fun pretty much sitting on the couch for 2 weeks with my laptop and catching up on the world of the internet. But it's just not a pace I can maintain when I work full time. And hey, I don't apologize, hanging with the kids should get priority.

So where have I been hiding? Well the biggest thing is that we all survived 6 house guests for over a week and a half. Bill's entire family came to stay with us, and yes it was insane. But it was also awesome for the kids to meet Auntie Kelly and Uncle Robbie, whom they hadn't met before, and their cousins Erik and Oskar. Duncan and Erik got on famously, and it was so awesome they could meet. Kelly and the kids came all the way from Sweden, and Grandpa Bob and Uncle Robbie and Uncle Frank came from Newfoundland. Uncle Robbie was totally won over by Cordie - not a big surprise - we knew that would happen! He took some great video of her dancing and singing, but unfortunately his camcorder was stolen on the way home, so he never got to share it :(

We're still trying to get the house back in order and get our garage functional for the car again. Yes, we actually like to park the car in the garage. It's given us (read: Bill, because honestly, he does all the work) a chance to move a bunch of stuff around, and we really like how it looks.

What else is going on... well still going to Weight Watchers - lost 30lbs so far. I was down to 33 gone, but I'm still recovering from Thanksgiving and visitors. I have not weighed in in about a month now due to company and other extenuating circumstances, but I still journal daily, and I walk my 10,000 steps a day, if not more. I plan on going to aquafit at least once a week again, but as something always gets in the way... Last night Bill went for his swimming lessons, and had just jumped in the pool when everyone was evacuated due to a chemical spill in the pool. Um... oops! And Duncan was supposed to have swimming tonight, but the pool is closed for an unknown length of time. So this also means no aquafit this week for me. No, I'm not so motivated I am willing to drive to PoCo or Langley to go :) I'll still with my walking thanks.

And that's a snapshot of life. We're all good. The kids are good - loving the new daycare. School is good for Duncan - loving Kindergarten, although he doesn't like the fire drills :) Cordie is Cordie - our free spirited princess who loves to dance. Bill is good - we're hoping to get away for a few nights in November if we can swing it.

And that's it!! How are you?

Sitting here with my feet up

Hello friends! It's Labour Day, and I am doing anything but labouring :) I am sitting on the couch with my feet up - and that's about it!

Recovery from surgery is getting better every day, but I had a bit of a complication this morning. Saturday I over did it a bit - I know that. Sunday I noticed I was quite sore and there was a lump near one of the incisions. Well this morning Duncan accidentally elbowed me in that spot and caused a bit of a set back.

I guess it goes to show how tricky it is when you're feeling 'better', over do it, and then have a set back. I don't doubt now that I need the rest of the week to really take it easy and continue my recovery. While it is nice to be sitting here reading, playing on the computer, watching tv, and have my wonderful husband take care of everything, it is kind of hard to not participate at all. I guess it is good to know I'm not inherently a lazy ass :)

So one more week off work. I just saw Nancy's Datebook entry and I thought oh maybe I should do one too, but realized I don't have much to say. Meal plans are whatever we're pulling together, no activities planned because I can't really go anywhere. Um...reading - oh I am reading the Dresden books by Jim Butcher. I am enjoying them as much as Bill said I would.

Oh, Bill wrote a book this weekend!! He actually finished it in 2 days, so is using this afternoon to clean it up a bit, but even if he were to send it off now, it is good enough! I'm really happy it worked out for him to do this.

Did I mention my addiction to Pinterest? Insane. Fun.

 I hope back to school goes well for everyone! I'll post pictures of Duncan dressed up for school on Thursday.

Until then, is a picture of Cordie in her fancy shoes, her fire fighter's hat, and purse in hand - ready to go to the store.

Farewell Ye Foul Gall Bladder

I had my gall bladder out this past Tuesday! Yay! I'm actually thrilled with how quickly it went from confirming the diagnosis to actual surgery. People complain about the Canadian Medical system, but as they had to wait until thing settled down prior to doing the surgery, this went about as quick as it could go. And they managed it laparoscopically. This is also good because I did not want to have to be recovering from major surgery with two small children in the house.

It is actually only right now that I realize behind the discomfort of recovering from surgery, I don't have any of those gall bladder pangs any more. Once again, Yay! Now, don't kid yourself, while you might recover from lap. surgery more quickly, it still hurts, and you still need to recover. Your body still feels like it has been beat up quite badly, it hurts to move, sleeping sucks (you can only sleep on your back, and that causes it's own share of back pain), and I can only walk around for 5-10 minutes before I need to sit down again. But hey, today I don't feel the need to fall asleep by noon, and I hope I might even be awake after 8 PM tonight.

Bill took yesterday off, and bless his company, they asked if he could use another day to help me out, and he said yes, so he is home again today. He is so sweet. He's always been hands on around the house, but he's doing awesome filling in on what has normally been Mommy duties - cooking, getting up with crying children in the middle of the night, etc... check out his blog post http://htwavcbh.blogspot.com/ about the experience.

Now what did I find out from my experience with my gall bladder? Well I read a lot about what could I eat and not eat. Here is what I found: I could eat boneless skinless chicken breast, veggie ground round (soy crumbles), and fish  - including water packed tuna which I threw on my salad every day. While the rule of thumb is anything with less than 5 g of fat is okay, that was not always true. I could not eat fat free ham. I could not eat bread. I found I could eat pitas (3 days before my surgery I figured that one out). I also ate routinely: oatmeal, fat free plain yoghurt, any fresh fruit, any vegetable except avocados. At first all bran bars were okay, not at the end. Salad for lunch daily. Tea, iced tea, water, skim milk, wine (yay!), and once in a while coffee. Dinner was usually some form of chicken and potatoes or rice or pasta mixed with some kind of vegetable. I like chicken well enough but Bill is sick of it!

As it has not been worth while for us to go out for dinner (why pay $15 for a grilled piece of chicken on a bed of lettuce) once I am better Bill and I are hoping to maybe take off for a few nights and make up for our anniversary and other date nights that simply haven't happened. We'll see.

Up next: Bill is doing a 3 day book writing challenge this weekend and I need to man handle children I can't even lift. That will be fun. school starts for Duncan next week - Kindergarten!! Eeps! My boy is growing up. In a month the Martin Clan descends on Maple Ridge and we have 6 extra house guests for close to 2 weeks said and done. And the kids starting new day care, and my birthday is in there somewhere... But first I recover. Time for some more HGTV (about all I have the mental capacity for right now).

One of the hardest things I've had to do

Last week I had to do one of the hardest things ever - break up with my daycare provider.

Anyone who knows me knows how much of a blessing Nikki has been to our family over the years. However, recently the opportunity arose to reduce our monthly daycare costs by almost $500/month. We couldn't say no.

It's such a tough thing to do especially since Nikki did nothing wrong. The kids love it there, and have always been loved and well cared for. I fretted and fretted over breaking the news. I am confident she will get new kids to watch quite quickly, however I also know a big chunk of their monthly income is from what we pay them. It was "you've done nothing wrong, but you're fired" and "It's me, not you - we're breaking up" all rolled into one. I'll admit I got teary when I told her.

She took it really well. I was just very honest with her, and she totally understands. That Saturday we were at a birthday party for two of her kids, and the family did not chase us away with shotguns, so I guess they took it well. Who knows, maybe they were looking to get rid of us and it was an answer to their prayers *grin*

However, we don't regret our decision. The kids will be attending the daycare run out of our church. I know the 2 ladies who run the place and they are so excited about the kids joining them. My Mom works in the same building, so Oma will be only one hall way away if the need ever arises.

I think Cordie will thrive there. Not that she's not loving Nikki's, but I think she's more wired to the routine a group daycare will provide. And love craft time, and story time and circle time etc...

Funny thing - we emailed the daycare to see about getting in. We had to apply for a variance to get Cordie in a few months before she turns 30 months old. Also we had to get Duncan into the out of school care. There is actually a waiting list 30 kids long into get into that program. However their policy is that people who have children in the full time daycare get priority. So we told them we were interested, and Duncan was at the top of the list for the next available spot. The very next day someone pulled their kid from the school care, and Duncan got the spot. The day after that, the lady called back again saying she changed her mind and they replied "sorry, it's already filled!". Oh, and there happened to be one spot left in the van going to his new school. Now we think that was the Lord having a helping hand a bit in our decision.

We expect Duncan might have a harder time adjusting than Cordie, but I think after a week or so he'll be loving it.

One of many things going on in our house right now!!!

It's getting closer! Christmas!

The other day in the car Duncan asks how much longer until Christmas. We are sort of Christmas addicts in this house, watching Christmas specials throughout the year, singing Christmas songs, and looking forward to it coming around again next year. Okay... "we" is a bit of a loose term... Cordie doesn't really get it yet, and Bill just shakes his head sadly at us :)

Several years ago I stumbled upon a blog from Jennifer Tankersley to help me plan for Christmas - 100 Days to Christmas. Subscribe to the email and every day you receiving another tip in your inbox to hopefully help get yourself organized for Christmas.   Last year I followed along again with my handy dandy Christmas binder.

This year Jennifer has released her 100 days plan into an e-book, and I am really happy to have the opportunity to review it for her. Jennifer realized some people might do a bit better having all the steps laid out for them in an easy reference. I actually prefer this as I quite like to skip a head a bit and get my head around what might be coming.

Several things I really do love about this e-book and plan:
1. A focus on handmade gifts. I'm a crafty person and I love to give hand made gifts every year I can (time permitting), and I think it is fantastic to encourage people to try it on for size.
2. Budgeting - a big focus is picking a budget, sticking to it, and acknowledging some tough economic times for many people.
3. Sundays are down time. It's time to spend time with your family and enjoy the fall and Christmas season!!
4. Focus on others  - like a challenge to donate to the food bank and Goodwill.
5. Cleaning week! It's like Spring cleaning for Christmas.

Now, the book is American centered - which is totally fine and makes sense - that is who the book is written for. Previous years I just pick out what applies to me as a Canadian, and use the extra time that I don't need to spend getting ready for US Thanksgiving to catch up or just take a day off. I don't follow all the daily suggestions to a T, but you don't need to. The whole point is to help you get organized and enjoy Christmas for what it is.

To make it a bit easier the e-book also includes links to some very convenience calendars, charts, and lists through the ListPlanIt website.

100 Days To Christmas is available on the Kindle for $4.99 through Amazon.com and Amazon.ca on August 25, 2011 - exactly 4 months until Christmas!

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