tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-945552610579912732024-03-18T21:45:02.100-07:00Doing Thirty in the Fast LaneUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-5241219224105670222009-07-13T17:21:00.000-07:002009-07-13T18:01:00.703-07:00New Years ResolutionsI thought this would be a good time to review my New Years Resolutions. Do you remember yours?<br /><br />Honestly, I had to look back at a forum that I frequent to check out what some of my resolutions were, lol. <br />Here is what they are and how I've done so far... (Marking scale is on even letters, no pluses or minuses for me. Just complicates things.)<br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Work on building skills such as sewing, baking and writing, that I've typically shoved to the end of the line of things to do. Mark: C</span><br /><br />I've done some sewing, a bunny for Alexander, curtains for our trailer, cushions for our bench on the porch, an apron for mom and some pillows. Except for the pillows, no patterns were used, and that was really what I was looking to work on in the first place, so while the sewing machine has actually been used (THAT should have been my resolution, lol), I've missed the point of the resolution totally. Ah well...<br /><br />Baking... what baking. What crazy person says she is going to bake bread to feed her family all year long, when during the summer months she is pregnant and hot already. What crazy person wants to heat her whole entire first floor with an oven for two hours. I started off strong, and as the temps went up, so did the grocery bill because I started buying our bread again. BUT, I buy it direct from the bakery so that saves on money! (maybe THAT should have been my resolution)<br /><br />Writing... well, we are half and half on this one. I have been writing more, mostly just in a scrap coil paper pad, ideas for stories, beginning of stories, thoughts etc. I've been making up a lot of stories with Alexander while we play, which he loves, but other than that, haven't really worked on this one at all. Fail. Eh, life goes on. I've got this blog and I've been doing well for the past two weeks, lol. Small steps, small steps...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Start making ornaments for Christmas that I can sell at the Christmas Bazaar my church holds each year. Mark: F</span><br /><br />Alright, not entirely my fault. Really, doing this with a toddler, not the easiest thing in the world, and while, yes he goes to bed at 7:30 now and I could easily do some work then, it is hard to focus when your eyes are cross-eyed because you are so tired yourself. Yes, I'm blaming my inability to follow through on a resolution on my toddler. Add my unborn child to that (you know, for sucking any extra energy that I might have had right out of the equation) and you have the recipe for someone who will not be nominated for mother of the year. That's ok with me, because it isn't one of my resolutions :D<br /><br />PLUS, making ornaments, no matter how good you are, takes inspiration. I'm just waiting for inspiration to strike...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Write an article for Today's Parent and the AECEO. Mark: B</span><br /><br />I've got both articles written, in my computer, edited and everything. Virtually perfect. The only thing that keeps this resolution from being an A is my total inability to remember to actually send them off to the editors. It involves so much, an envelope, an address, A STAMP! Usually one of which I don't have and can't find the time to get, or am just to lazy to get it. Maybe I'll get ahead of the game and keep sending it off as my first resolution of the new year :D<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. ( I save the best for last) Follow a healthy diet with the help of weightwatchers and exercise 30 minutes 5 times a week. Mark: C</span><br /><br />I thought about my resolutions way back in November so that I would be prepared for the New Year with a positive frame of mind. That was well before the stick turned pink and I was praying to the porcelain gods every day. While I have been sticking to a healthy diet, weightwatchers had to be put on hold because I can't follow it anyway while I'm pregnant and I couldn't exercise for the first three months of the year because I was totally exhausted from all the baby growing stuff and totally busy running to the bathroom to hurl all the healthy food I was eating. Well, hey there, we go, I was running. Exercise complete :D I'm happy to say that once the sickness ended, I did start walking everyday for at least 30 minutes, and am now up to a 30 minute DVD as well as walking 30 minutes, but it is hardly a workout as I can only go as fast as this baby will let me. I'm hoping that these habits will continue after the baby is born...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. See more of my friends. Mark: D</span><br /><br />Hard to do this when your bedtime typically falls before 9pm. (I'm blaming a lot of my inability to fulfull my resolutions on someone who hasn't even graced us with their presence. Not good. ) Also, people work, and I don't so that leaves us working on seperate schedules. Such is life. I do make it a goal to talk to my best friend on gmail chat at least once a week so I don't totally lose touch with her. That is going very well!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Read more. Mark: A</span><br /><br />If this includes chic lit and Hello Magazine, I'm rockin'!!!! If not, well, I make the resolution so I get to pick the material. Deal with it.<br /><br />So overall, not the greatest of achievements, but not the worst either. At least I'm still working on some of them (albeit, half of them I couldn't remember), and am leaving lots of room for improvement. After all, it is best not to be perfect in everything, or else you will have nothing to strive towards. I'm aiming low so that I don't have to reach too high :D I should have made one of them to get pregnant. That one I would have aced, lol.<br /><br />So.... How'd you do with your resolutions?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-50490946775014912332009-07-08T09:14:00.000-07:002009-07-08T09:29:17.868-07:00Wednesday RewindI was recently going through my computer, cleaning stuff out that I didn't need anymore and backing up those oh so precious pictures of Alexander when I came across a "lost" file of pictures. I must have stuck it in the wrong category and didn't notice as I don't remember ever seeing these pictures of Alexander before. It seems like so long ago that he was this small!<br /><br />The first two are from mid February, so he would have been about 6 weeks old:<br />Sleeping on Daddy while he watches TV. I totally forgot they used to sit like this, lol.<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_1099.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_1099.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />Pulling a Travolta pose from Saturday Night Live, while sleeping. Such a talented boy at such a young age, LOL.<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_1100.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_1100.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />These are from early April.<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_1736.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_1736.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_1737.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_1737.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />Looks like a face plant, but he must have been tired because he is rubbing the blanket under his nose, something he still does when he is tired.<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_1739.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_1739.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />I haven't looked at his baby pictures in such a long time! It makes me super excited about the new baby coming, just to see what it looks like and its personality. We were so blessed to have had Alexander, who was a super laid back and happy baby. Let's hope we can be blessed twice :D<br /><br />Thanks for looking!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-24257959354466475472009-07-06T12:06:00.000-07:002009-07-06T16:29:06.369-07:00Busy Busy WeekendWhile Canada Day landed on a Wednesday this year, we still got our long weekend in with Peter taking Friday off. He worked late all week so that we could have a long weekend together. Gotta love him for it :)<br />So anywho, we spent the weekend up at the park on our little piece of dilapidated paradise. Peter set up our trailer so we'd have somewhere to stay, and started tearing out the insides of the bunkie. We were so happy to see that the wood the bunkie is made of is in perfect condition. And when I mean perfect, I mean it looks like it just came off the shelf of home depot. We were very excited because we thought we'd have to replace most of the wood frame just to make it livable. Other than the floor, which is in good condition as well but the boards have shrunk so you can see the ground below, we won't need to replace any wood. And even the floor we are just going to slap some plywood down and stick some cheap flooring over top. <br /><br />We are super excited about getting some electricity as well. The inspector was there on Friday morning and we should be getting the report in the mail some time this week or early next week. Still no washroom (or water for that matter), but my parents property has two, so for now I'll just waddle my huge pregnant body down the road to use theirs. It's good exercise... although a bit annoying.<br /><br />Friday night was great. Alexander was pooped from running around like a bad man all day and dropped off to sleep at 7pm. Peter and I just chilled and talked about our plans for the property, and then settled in and watched Mama Mia and some HGTV until around 12am. A very late night for me, lol.<br /><br />Saturday Peter helped my Dad build a deck, which took pretty much all day, and they still aren't finished. The day was great for working outside as it was cool with a mix of sun and cloud. I thought Alexander would get underfoot the whole time but they set him up with some wood and various tools and he happily played off to the side. It helped that he wasn't too crazy about the sound of the saw, kept him a safe distance from all the main work. We had a great meal with my parents and then headed home. It was such a great weekend :)<br /><br />Well, here are some pictures of our property and our weekend. I hope you enjoy!<br /><br />CHEEEZZZ!<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_0618.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_0618.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />Our dog Abbey. Not the nature lover at all, spent most of the time sitting in the van, lol.<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_0620.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_0620.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />Playing in our trailer, which he calls his club house :)<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_0625.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_0625.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />The property<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_0586.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_0586.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />The bunkie. It is about 12 by 10 feet.<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_0587.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_0587.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />The shed/outhouse. Yes, the people before us created a multipurpose 4X6 room, combining shovels with sh*t. Totally grosses me out. I've not been in it, nor will I ever go in it. The nice thing is they hadn't used the property for about 8 years so the poop hole will be easy to clean and fill. It's just gross. Needless to say, its going.\<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_0588.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_0588.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />Alexander running around like a mad man:<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_0591.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_0591.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_0590.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_0590.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />A few years ago this would have been the PERFECT Christmas tree. It is way too big now, but it gave me the idea to plant and harvest our own trees. We are going to plant a bunch of them and then in a few years use them as Christmas trees. We just get small ones anyway so it shouldn't take too long before we can use them.<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_0633.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_0633.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />The view from the back of our property. It backs on to a farm and sometimes, if we are really lucky, the cows are in the field grazing. Alexander is totally fixated on the cows, and so am I.<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_0631.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_0631.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />Our wild strawberries. The property is covered in them. They are the sweetest and smallest strawberries I have ever had, and they are sooooooo yummy :) (We made sure they weren't poisonous before we ate them).<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_0624.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_0624.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />Just some random cuteness:<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_0612.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_0612.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />Thanks for looking!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-53338878767402189162009-06-30T12:09:00.000-07:002009-06-30T12:16:11.816-07:00Oh.. The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain!Or in Toronto as the case may be this week. ARG! It is only Tuesday, it has been raining since Sunday and we are already going stir crazy. Alexander and I are typically outside all morning until lunch, and then again after dinner until around 30 minutes before bed. We stay inside for the heat of the afternoon because both of us get hot, cranky and irritable when out in the heat. It isn't pretty, lol. <br /><br />Alexander has so much energy, and we only have so much space to run around inside. I'm all hockey'd, soccer'd and football'd out! And while the weather has cooled down quite a bit, I'm still feeling a bit warm so I don't want to bake anything for fear of making my house too hot. We do arts and crafts in the afternoons, but even that he is having problems concentrating on without his run outside in the mornings. <br /><br />I hope this isn't going to be an issue once he starts school...<br /><br />One funny thing that came out if it is Alexander is so excited when it hails because he thinks it is snow and thinks we can go out and shovel it, lol. You should have seen his eyes light up when he saw those white balls of ice on the ground. <br /><br />Try explaining hail to a toddler. <br /><br />Not easy :PUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-91808349199153627092009-06-29T15:31:00.000-07:002009-06-29T15:53:42.576-07:00It's been a while... againI have come to the conclusion that even with the best of intentions and scheduling and planning, I cannot commit to a blog full time, lol. I had the best of intentions of writing here twice a week about my homesteading experiences, but frankly, homesteading isn't something done quickly, and leaves me without much time to blog. I love that it takes time to make my home, but I think I need to switch gears. <br /><br />Up until now I've been focusing on making my blog about something specific. My views on society, or homesteading, or my life in general. I have learned that the only way to actually write here is to make it about everything, lol. So from this entry on you'll see things from all aspects of my life, pictures, stories, frustrations, laughs, everything that fills my life will fill this blog. I tend to throw myself in to things 289%, and have all the best intensions in the world, until I figure out that I don't have the time to do that anymore, not with a toddler, a home and a baby on the way to contend with. <br /><br />After all, I'm not just a homesteader, or a social analyst or a early childhood teacher. I'm a mom and a wife before all of these things and that is what drives my life. My kids. My family.<br /><br />So... The update.<br /><br />Things are going very well. My pregnancy is flying by, too quickly. Alexander is growing up at the same rate and it is just making my head spin! We've basically been spending our weekends up north, where he just runs a-muck, loving the freedom of it all. <br /><br />Speaking of up north, we ended up buying land. Not on the water, not even close to water. Heck, there isn't even a well on our property yet, so no washroom. And no electricity either. Good lord, this is depressing me, lol. Basically, we could afford the land and not much after that so everything else is coming in stages. I have pictures of our money pit I'll upload and post soon. I love it so much though, and my parents are just a quick minute walk down the street so we are currently using their facilities (well, really we use their everything, lol, the fridge, the washroom, the shower... their food, LOL). <br /><br />My garden in the city is just plugging away. The tomato plants are already so big, and the cucumbers have just started to really take off now that the nights are warmer. I've already harvested two radish harvests of about 20 radishes each, and have another harvest sprouting as we speak. My container veggies are thriving and we have fresh herbs and mini veggies from our garden each day. The only thing that is not going well are my peppers, and I'm honestly thinking of plucking them out and planting a harvest of fall peas in their place. Right now they aren't growing very tall and they are just taking up space. I told them yesterday that if something radical doesn't happen within the next week, they are out of here (yes, I talk to my plants. It helps them to grow, lol)<br /><br />I'm most impressed with my flowers though. I've never been much of a gardener, but my mom gave me the task of planting flowers in containers and in our front bed and everything has really grown nicely. I prune and deadhead obsessively and my work is rewarded with a garden full of tall blooms and thriving greens. I'm a happy camper. And so is my mom because she hasn't had to do a thing in her garden this year!<br /><br />Well, that is me in a nutshell. Alexander and I spend so much time outside these days we are barely in the house. I have been slacking big time on the picture taking. I really need to get back on top of that. I'm sure once the baby is here I'll be going camera crazy again, but I really want to get these last few months of us as a family of three on camera. After all, we'll never be this size again!<br /><br />Cheers,<br />MarinaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-15539875161742118302009-05-12T10:07:00.000-07:002009-05-12T10:57:12.014-07:00Eat WildWe are meat eaters. We don't eat a lot of meat, but we do have either chicken, pork or beef once a week each, leaving the other days for either leftovers or vegetarian meals. For those of you that are sensitive to the topic of someone shopping for meats, you might want to skip this entry.<br /><br />Lately, all the news on the effects of the antibiotics and growth hormones used on animals to make them bigger for butchering has me worried and looking for alternatives. Organic meat at the stores around here is crazy expensive and totally out of our reach, so I went on a search to buy whole sale from a local farmer or butcher who uses locally raised animals. As always, following my motto, better to buy local if I can't buy locally organic.<br /><br />While on a search to find where I could buy wholesale meats from a local farmer I found this great website <a href="http://www.eatwild.com/">www.eatwild.com</a>. Eat Wild has a directory of farmers that raise their animals the old fashioned way, pasture fed. These farmers do not treat their animals with hormones or put growth additives in their food. The animals are much healthier and rarely need to be treated with antibiotics or other drugs to cure ailments. Over all, very healthy animals, that taste better and are leaner then their "feedlot" companions. I couldn't have been happier! I found farmers in my province that sell wholesale and keep pasture fed, hormone free animals.<br /><br />Growing up, my parents bought all our beef and pork from a butcher out in Kitchener/Waterloo. This butcher used meat from his local farmers, most, if not all, practiced traditional farming techniques. We would go early one Saturday morning in the fall and package our meat while it was being cut. My mom loved the fact that she could very easily get her meat cut to her liking, and package it in ways the were convienent for cooking. After all our meat was packaged we'd head over to the farmers market to get two huge bags of yukon gold potatoes to last us the year and some fresh buns and cold cuts for lunch. I can still smell the fresh salami and bread when I think about it.<br /><br />My husband and I have recently started buying some of our meats in large quantities, not wholesale but still cheaper, and from a butcher that gets his meats from a local farmer. Our next step is to find a farm off this website that meets our needs.<br /><br />You can do the same for cold cuts and sandwich meats as well. Find a local butcher (not the one in your grocery store, unless you shop at a store that sells organic home grown sandwich meats. If you aren't sure ask) and ask them where they get their meats from. Most are very willing to give up the information because most do buy from local farmers.<br /><br />So where do you start? I just did a google search "buy meat locally" and came up with a bunch of great websites. Here are a few of them, for both Canada and the US.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.foodtv.ca/eatingwell/blog_post.aspx?sectionID=160&postID=41405&page_select=EatingLocal">Food TV</a> - great article on the movement toward local and organic meats, with links on the bottom of the page for specific provinces. Canadian information only.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/eatlocal/">Sustainable Table</a> Great site that explains a lot about sustainable eating and local buying. Links to US only markets and farmers, but has a ton of information that is good for everyone.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?pd=Home">Eat Well Guide</a> Good for Canada and the US, this allows you to search for restaurants, farms, markets and more that provide local, sustainable and or organic foods. The search consists of province/state, distance, postal code/zip code and or key word.<br /><br />Just a reminder, buying locally pasture fed meat is going to cost you a bit more because the farmers put more time and energy in to their farming in order to give you a healthier option of food, but the quality and taste will make up for the difference. Ways to get around the cost is to find a farmer that does orders custom to your needs, or share a side of meat with friends who are also conscious of what they are eating. Either way it is still cheaper then buying the organic meat in a grocery store because you cut out the middle man.<br /><br />I really hope this information helps some of you to find a farmer that is near you and can cater to your needs. When we support our farmers we support the local economy and the environment at the same time. And after all, while the world isn't as small as it used to be, isn't it worth helping the people in our immediate area to help keep life sustainable? I think it is.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-90967487819050496062009-05-01T11:23:00.000-07:002009-05-06T11:03:05.834-07:00Going Plastic Free for Seven DaysA few weeks ago I read in article in <a href="http://thestar.com/">The Toronto Star</a> about one writers challenge to go <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/620840">plastic free for seven days</a>. It was a very well written article about her life as a working mom and wife attempting to go without plastic for seven days, including plastic wrap on food items, attempting to convince her son to give up his plastic toys, and realizing her toothbrush and car had plastic components as well. She even found that organic food was often wrapped in plastic. <br /><br />During her week she did find some great alternatives, such as lunch boxes and cloth produce bags at <a href="http://www.kaikids.com">KaiKids.com</a>, a GREAT store that offers eco-friendly clothing and accessories for the family. Check it out for some great products to help you live more eco-friendly. She mentions a toy store that sells safe, educational and environmentally conscious toys. You can check out the store website at <a href="http://www.thetoyspace.com/">The Toy Space.<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></a><br />While over all it was a great article, I did have some issues with how it presented the "cause" so to speak. <br /><br />To totally go off plastic is a very very hard thing to do, as the writer points out. Plastic is such a part of our day to day lives that it is pretty much impossible to not run in to it eventually. Attempting to convince a four year old that his plastic toys are bad for the environment and that he should give them away is something that is way beyond the scope of a four year olds understanding. Choosing to use a styrofoam cup over a plastic water bottle while at a cafe has its own consequences. Going to specialty stores for organic foods and toys that are very expensive is not in the realm of the typical person's budget (nor that of the writers, as she bluntly points out while looking at the nice organic milk in the glass bottle).<br /><br />This type of article and all its frenzied veiws of attempting to live without plastic paints a picture that would totally discourage most people from even trying to make a difference, and that is where my issues land. There are so many other things, better things, that the writer could do to help the environment and in turn avoid excess use of plastic.<br /><br />The first very inexpensive thing you can do is to stop putting produce in plastic bags. If you have the extra money, <a href="http://www.grassrootsstore.com">Grassroots</a> has great weightless mesh bags that are reusable and cost only $1.50 for 10 bags. Much less than cotton bags, they don't need to be washed and are extreamly strong and durable (although I do want to point out that the great bags at KaiKids.com are made from organic cotton and are sweatshop free. If you have the extra cash they are a great investment. Grassroots doesn't comment on where their bags are made).<br /><br />Another way to help reduce plastic, bring your own waterbottle. And any reusable water bottle will do. While the stainless steel ones are best, a good old fashioned rubbermaid one works really well too, and they have some with sippy spouts for the younger kids. While it is still a plastic item, you are continually reusing it instead of buying a new bottle each time, cutting down on the use of plastic and emissions caused by bottled water.<br /><br />Where food type is concerned, I say buy local instead of organic. <br /><br />My friend recently bought an organic sweet pepper, not realizing until she got home that the pepper came all the way from Iran! Really isn't much point to that, now is there. <br /><br />Buy buying locally, you are not only contributing to the local economy, you are cutting emisions and helping local farmers to keep afloat. Buying locally has its own challenges though, especially for those of us living in a province/state with four seasons. The winter months can get a little tricky because of the lack of produce being grown. <br /><br />One thing I always look at is the price sign at the grocery store, or the stickers on the fruits and veggies. They'll tell you where it is from and give you the option of picking the fruit or veggie that has travelled the shortest distance. For instance, if there are two types of tomatoes out, and one is grown in Ontario, I'll get those, even if there is a price difference. First off, they taste better. Much better. And secondly, the cost at the check out is usually only a few cents difference because you don't need as many to get the good taste in your food. Some foods that are grown in a "Hot House" or greenhouse, which helps us get them fresh all year round. Tomatoes and cucumbers fall under that catagory. You can check out more produce availability on your provincial produce farmers website. For Ontario it is <a href="http://http://www.foodland.gov.on.ca/english/availability.html">Foodland Ontario</a>. <br /><br />Another great way to buy locally is through farmers or farmers markets. There are so many different alternatives to buying from farmers that it deserves its own page. You can read more about that on my next blog entry (link will be placed here once it is written).<br /><br />What is really great about the article is the writer does point out that she has become much more mindful of her shopping and eating habits:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />"Having to think so much about plastic has made me more mindful of what I buy and eat. Milk is a precious resource when it's $3.69 a litre.<br /><br />I realize that I shop like a robot in big grocery stores, mindlessly pushing a giant cart down giant aisles. I buy too much and schlep it all home in a dozen plastic bags."<br /><br /></span>She later points out that her son asks if certain things are plastic, and obvioulsy she has made an impact on his thinking as well. <br /><br />I think that is the best thing we can do. <br /><br />Do things in our lives mindfully and with purpose instead of running a muck not stopping to think about the long term consequences on our health and the earth.<br /><br /> Teach each other that there are better alternatives and attempt to work those alternatives in to our lives. <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span>And maybe grow a tomato or two :)<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-90756030659800215342009-04-22T11:23:00.001-07:002009-04-22T11:27:46.958-07:00Happy Earth Day!!!Happy Earth Day everyone! <br /><br />I have made my Earth Day resolution, have you? <br /><br />Mine was to buy these bags from Grassroots<br /><br />http://www.grassrootsstore.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=314<br /><br />They are re-usable fruit and veggie bags for grocery shopping, so you don't have to use plastic all the time. I'm very excited to get them, although I'll not be able to get down to the store until tomorrow (on the subway no less!). <br /><br />Tonight we are also going to have a dinner on the BBQ with candle light and no tv.<br /><br />I spent most of the afternoon planning out my garden and which vegetables were going where, and how many containers I need to find. <br /><br />Mini me is just waking up so this is going to be a short post. <br /><br />Happy Earth Day again!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-3360722257049903932009-04-20T19:10:00.000-07:002009-04-20T19:30:09.372-07:00Bread, butter and pest controlWell, I did it. I made my own butter. I did cheat a bit though. I used the Magic Bullet. Not exactly the self-sufficient homestead way to do it, but I needed to know what it would look like. I currently have a jar of cream sitting out over night so I can shake it up tomorrow, the non-electrical way. <br /><br />I was surprised how excited I felt when I made the butter. Even though I only made a small amount, it really felt good to make something of my own, with organic cream that came from a local Ontario farm. And because we don't use butter all that much, it is something that I can keep on doing without it getting over whelming. I've been experimenting with different types of cream to see which one works best. Once I find out which one produces the best butter, I'll post how I did it. My next attempts will be with whole milk (milk that hasn't been homogenized) and a high fat cream then I started out with. I'm excited to see which one works best.<br /><br />My next project this weekend was to make bread. I had made bread in my teen years quite often so I felt pretty safe taking this step. While we eat almost exclusively whole grain breads, I made a white bread because it was what I knew, and because I wanted to get back in the swing of kneeding without having to worry about the actual recipe, since I had followed it before. The bread turned out great, and it wasn't as time consuming as I remember it. I was able to make the actual dough in about 20 minutes, and then it is all about it sitting around to rise, so I did other things. Definitely something that I can continue to do with a toddler and a baby on the way. <br /><br />My pride and joy for the weekend, after Husband and Mini Me attacked it for dinner:<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_0555.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_0555.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />Feels so good to feel your family quality food :D<br /><br />Next thing on the agenda for this weekend was the vegetable garden, which used to be a flower garden. The entire thing is only three feet by eleven feet, but we will be transplanting the roses and tulips to take over that part of the garden as well. That will make it 20 feet long.<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_0549.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_0549.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />Unfortunately, the whole bed is totally over grown with Star of Bethlehem bulbs and sprouts. And most of the bulbs are only about 3-4mm wide. And yes, they look like little sperm. Millions and millions of little sperm. In my soon to be vegetable garden. Just lovely.<br /> <a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_0550.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_0550.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br />If I'm lucky, which only happened twice in two hours, I find clumps of them together, but it is pretty rare. They also mulitply like rabbits, so I know that I'm going to be pulling these out of the garden for years to come. I just hope it doesn't affect the veggies any. I guess we shall see.<br /><br />One more picture of my buddies, the worms. I saw tons of them, which made me so happy! Here is one that was crawling back in to the dark after I disturbed it while turning up some of the blasted bulbs.<br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_0554.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_0554.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-46562273627874418242009-04-15T10:56:00.001-07:002009-04-15T11:11:32.096-07:00I've been on another planetI have totally neglected my blog, but for good reason.<br /><br />Reason #1<br />Morning sickness. My baby fever ended up turning in to a pregnancy and from January until the middle of March I was so sick and exhausted that I couldn't even get two sentences together. But I'm so happy that I'm pregnant and everything is going well, so I an now focus on things other than keeping my breakfast down.<br /><br />Reason #2 <br />A need to find a simpler life. A lot of my posts before were about how I wish we lived in a world that would just slow down and really live and experience life. I was so focused on what was going on around me in society, that I started to feel overwhelmed. I took a step back and realized that just because I'm a member of this society, doesn't mean I need to take part in the craziness. I realized that the way to a more peaceful and simple life was by making changes to my own life, not by waiting for a whole society to change. <br /><br />I have been spending many an hour pouring over books and websites about a trend called "homesteading". Homesteading involves really getting back to basics and living a more self sufficient and sustainable life. While I am by no means planning on moving to the country to do this, I am making steps in my deep in the city dwelling to live a life where the world doesn't stop if the lights go out or the supermarket is closed. <br />Here is the Wiki definition if you are interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homesteading<br /><br />My first step is my vegetable garden. I have become totally enthralled in anything edible that I can grow in my garden, lol. I soak up every bit of information I can find about vegetables and herbs and am basically taking the hope for the best expect the worst stand point. I have no clue what type of soil I have, or if I already have vegetable crop killing insect infestation that is the result of previous planting of flowers or vegetables. All I have is a shovel, a few containers, some good quality soil, and lots of sun. Lets hope that is the equation for a good vegetable garden. <br /><br />I'm not a trendy person by any means. But this is a trend that I am very excited to experience as a way to give my children a sense of relationship with the land, the knowledge that food doesn't just magically end up at the grocery store, and to experience the stilling of the mind while digging out weeds or a crop. <br /><br />I plan to do this one step at a time, enjoying the experience, celebrating the triumps and learning from the downfalls. After all, isn't that how our ancestors lived?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-80715962939399741102008-12-20T11:11:00.000-08:002008-12-20T11:18:17.799-08:00Baby FeverI've got it big time. <br /><br />I just found myself searching baby names online at www.babynamewizard.com . GREAT website by the way. It rates names on a yearly basis on how popular they were, so if you are looking for a popular or unpopular name, it lets you know what the ranking was from the 1880's all the way up to 2007. <br /><br />Anywho,<br /><br /> We (the husband and I) have decided to let things happen if they happen, I am finding that is a plan that gives me no control and it is driving me nuts, lol. I liked TTC and everything that I did during that time. The charting, the planning, all that sex! It was a way for me to feel like I had some control over the whole baby making process. While, yes, it was probably a false sense of security, it helped me to keep from obsessing. <br /><br />Now I'm obessing.<br /><br />Am I, am I not? Did we catch ovulation or did we miss it by a few day? <br /><br />This is no fun for me. <br /><br />So in the mean time, it's the Baby Wizard and me, looking up possible names for the possible babies that may or may not come to us in the future. <br /><br />sigh<br /><br />Cheers!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-5225175914723445752008-12-19T12:56:00.000-08:002008-12-19T13:02:12.778-08:00It's a winter wonderland today!The snow is just coming down by the heapfuls today!!! I am loving every second of it now that Husband is home. He had to go to work today, which is a 75KM drive one way, but got off at noon (as per every Friday). He said the roads were crazy and the people driving were even crazier!<br /><br />JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A 4X4 SUV DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU CAN STILL DRIVE 130KM/H!!!!!!! <br /><br />It is crazy people like those people that cause the accidents and walk away unharmed while they leave a trail of detestation in their wake.<br /><br />Off my soap box now, lol. <br /><br />Here are some pictures of you winter wonderland from around 11am. <br /><br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_3156.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_3156.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_3154.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_3154.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/?action=view&current=IMG_3145.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/IMG_3145.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br /><br />I'd just like to say that there was no snow what so ever on the ground before this snow fell. I've got more picture from this afternoon, and you can really see the difference. I'll have to upload them. <br /><br />Enjoy the snow!!!<br /><br />Cheers!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-50519405465857690422008-12-17T11:45:00.000-08:002008-12-17T11:55:38.665-08:00It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!I am absolutely awe-struck that Christmas is next week. This past weekend put a wrench in my Christmas festivities as we couldn't go and cut down our tree, so we decided to just use the fake tree we typically have outside. <br /><br />I am a very sensory person. I need to smell Christmas, and part of that is the Christmas tree. I was really bummed about it for a while, especially since the tree is very cheap and leans to one side. Think of it as a big Charlie Brown Christmas tree, LOL. <br /><br />Well, MiniMe LOVES it, and his joy about it has put the spirit of Christmas back in to me. After all, Christmas isn't a tree. <br /><br />I really miss the pine smell though...<br /><br />So the tree is up early this year because of the change in plans. That is kind of nice because usually we put up our tree on the 21st. <br /><br />Also, it SNOWED last night. And I mean SNOWED. In less than an hour we had 3 cm on the ground. The weather today was beautiful so MiniMe and I stayed out all morning and shoveled and made snow castles. It was so much fun but I am utterly exhausted now. Whew! The fresh air kicked my butt :)<br /><br />We are expected to get more snow over the next week. I'm so happy and excited that it is going to be a white Christmas. <br /><br />Hmmm, MiniMe is still sleeping. He's working on hour three now. I guess the fresh air kicked his butt too, LOL. Best go get a head start on dinner because I'm sure he'll want to go back out in the snow again!<br /><br />Cheers!<br />MarinaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-74435784507318773712008-12-12T10:26:00.000-08:002008-12-12T11:08:42.307-08:00I'm a blog neglecter :(I have totally neglected the blog this week. Marks were due, a festive sweater had to be made and MiniMe has been up partying at 3am almost every day this week. I know, they all sound like excuses, and they are, but at least they are good ones :P<br /><br />For the first time since last weekend, I have some free time. I am so excited to be going to the hair dresser today, finally!! I am chopping it all off. I'm so tired of having nice long hair that no one sees because it is always up in a bun or pony tail. What's the point? So I'm chopping it back to "just above the shoulder" length. When it is curly, it should be up at my ears. <br /><br />I'll do before and after pictures when I get home.<br /><br />That is about as exciting as my life gets right now. I have spent all week marking and making a festive sweater for Husband, which I will show you later. It is part of a festive sweater party contest, so I don't want to reveal my creation before the judging, LOL.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-4944723994195136932008-12-05T10:40:00.000-08:002008-12-05T10:53:41.923-08:00I made a wreath!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5qAX-VCI4DU/STl1_MF6JFI/AAAAAAAAAAU/IjoGMCd9tM4/s1600-h/IMG_0141.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5qAX-VCI4DU/STl1_MF6JFI/AAAAAAAAAAU/IjoGMCd9tM4/s320/IMG_0141.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276378166879462482" border="0" /></a><br />I am so totally proud of myself, LOL. Every year we buy an advent wreath at the local florist. for those of you that don't know, an advent wreath is wreath with four candles in it, one for each Sunday of advent. You can find out more <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent_wreath">here</a> .<br /><br />Anywho, the prices of these wreaths have gone up so much over the past years (I'm talking 35-40 dollars for one small wreath) that I skipped it this year and was determined to make my own. Yes, I'm a week late, but we did light a candle last week. <br /><br />I'm so happy with the way it turned out! I think it looks great, albeit a wee bit square and not as circular as I'd have liked, but good none the less. My mom has asked me to make one for her next year because she liked it so much!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-34657562308815103752008-12-04T11:02:00.000-08:002008-12-04T11:23:15.803-08:00Max and RubyAre you familiar with the cartoon Max and Ruby. It started off as a book series by Rosemary Wells, and has been adapted for television. I love the stories, as does Alexander. What I love about them is the simplicity of life it portrays.<br /><br />Max and Ruby live in a world where children can walk to the park on their own, take the bus to go play at their friends house, go over the grandma's house through their back yard and have a hill they can sled down in the winter. <br /><br />Ruby spends much of her time talking to her dolls, writing stories, making music, baking, gardening and being a Bunny Scout earning her badges. Max plays with his toys, makes mud pies and like any other boy, gets in to lot so mischief. <br /><br />My husband gets very upset at the fact that there is never any parent supervision. Although there is a bunny scout leader and Grandma who are both grown ups, he is still extremely bothered by the fact that Ruby has to deal with Max all the time.<br /><br />I think it is really a look back in the times. Many of the things that Ruby does, my mother did as a young girl, minus the scouts. It was a time that was socially easier, people had more trust in the world around them and parents weren't over parenting. They allowed children to play and to discover things on their own. Children were allowed to be children. <br /><br />Just the other day I was at the park and a little boy wanted to badly to climb up the ladder to go down the slide and his mother repeatedly pulled him off because it was too dangerous. She wanted him to go down the slide that had the stairs leading up to it and that had a plastic slide. But that little boy was very persistent, and unfortunately it ended in tears with the mom taking him home for disobeying her.<br /><br />I felt horrible for the little boy because he really wanted to test his skill and to see if he could do something. In situations like this, I say let children explore, and make sure you help make it safe. Stay behind them on the ladder and hold their hand as they sit at the top. After a while of being told they can't do things because it is unsafe, children will stop trying to do things in all situations and will rely on you to tell them where to go or what to do. <br /><br />I understand that the times we live in now are very different than they were before. But I do think we can create a world for our children that is more simple and less focused on our needs and fears as parents. We need to focus on the needs of our children, things they should experience to grow and develop in as many areas as possible.<br /><br />Cheers!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-907498426457734442008-12-03T11:44:00.001-08:002008-12-03T11:46:27.140-08:00My Little Rock StarHere is the latest video of my little rock star. He loves to sing with the Wiggles, and will use anything and everything he can get his hands on as a guitar / microphone, lol. Enjoy!<br /><br /><embed width="448" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid191.photobucket.com/albums/z216/petersgirl_album/RockStar.flv"></embed><br /><br />MiniMe brings us so much joy and laughter it is hard to remember what the heck we did for entertainment before he was born :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-76957659402106874142008-12-02T08:31:00.000-08:002008-12-08T14:37:09.676-08:00Sily Monkeys Stories<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOaHVHQ_BOiMLDtQBo_d0qsHYbvpl-jqi62EXINwWya05u3WbhGPlXWwccrwNq-a8B0c9E4NJrLqngIEra8obFhpaKgQ4cN1IFDxclMmWnuyOLIdALdn7VTh5xO31Yb6xuqPbvOwDggk0/s200/SMStories2.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOaHVHQ_BOiMLDtQBo_d0qsHYbvpl-jqi62EXINwWya05u3WbhGPlXWwccrwNq-a8B0c9E4NJrLqngIEra8obFhpaKgQ4cN1IFDxclMmWnuyOLIdALdn7VTh5xO31Yb6xuqPbvOwDggk0/s200/SMStories2.jpeg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5qAX-VCI4DU/STVkJh06MpI/AAAAAAAAAAM/x6EyFHUWO5Q/s1600-h/IMG_0131.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5qAX-VCI4DU/STVkJh06MpI/AAAAAAAAAAM/x6EyFHUWO5Q/s320/IMG_0131.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275232653396292242" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'm excited to join Karen's Silly Monkeys meme! Here is a picture, that to me, needs no words :)<br /><br />Visit Karen's Blog <a href="http://3garnetsn2sapphires.blogspot.com/2008/05/silly-monkey-stories-tuesday-meme.html">3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires</a> for information on how to add your Silly Monkey Story!<br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204);"><strong><span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);"></span></strong></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-49409114627904080302008-12-01T19:00:00.000-08:002008-12-01T19:07:43.464-08:00Christmas PicturesI took Christmas pictures of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">MiniMe</span> this evening. I do them at home, create my own set and everything. All I need is a child that will sit in my set, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">LOL</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">MiniMe</span> was all over the place. Last year I stuck him in a Christmas box and that made things a whole lot easier. But this year I had bigger plans. I wanted a picture of him beside a beautiful <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Christmas</span> tree decorated with lights and ornaments.<br /><br />Not under the tree.<br /><br />Not hugging the tree.<br /><br />Not throwing ornaments at the tree.<br /><br />Not kissing the tree.<br /><br />BESIDE the tree.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Unfortunately, he had other plans. <br /><br />It went really well considering, and I'm pretty patient because lets face it, when we as parents get restless because our toddlers aren't doing what we want them to do, they just do more of what we don't want them to.<br /><br />So I improvised.<br /><br /><br />I got a chair.<br /><br /><br />And chocolate.<br /><br /><br />And got the best pictures of him EVER! I am very happy with them, even if I had to resort to "carrot in front of the horse" tactics. He is looking at the camera (thank you chocolate!), he is beside the tree (ok, in front of a tree, but really, who cares)</span> he is smiling and he is happy.<br /><br />What more could you want out of a Christmas picture :)<br /><br />Cheers!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-8635610539262113132008-11-30T12:00:00.000-08:002008-11-30T12:15:49.648-08:00Snow Storm Approaching!!!!!I love love LOVE snow storms! And there is a good one on the way right now :) Husband feels otherwise but he is letting me enjoy it for the time being. Then when we get ready to go to bed tonight, I start worrying because he has to drive in it tomorrow morning to get to work. All those crazy drivers out there make me very nervous. <br /><br />But the snow storm is coming! I already have all of MiniMe's snow gear out so we can go for a walk in it after dinner. I'm happy to report that he loves the bad weather as much as I do.<br /><br />It has been a nice day today. Husband and I did some cleaning while MiniMe puttered around the house with his tool box, hand broom, swiffer and a damp cloth cleaning things he felt needed cleaning and fixing things he felt needed fixing. <br /><br />I love days like today. Those days when you reflect back on them and you thing "Wow, that was a perfect day. Everyone got along and functioned so well in the same space." I hope it ends as nicely. <br /><br />We have a fun filled evening planned tonight. It is the first Sunday of Advent, and this is the first year that MiniMe will semi understand the process. We will light a candle on the wreath, turn on some randomly placed Christmas lights for him (which isn't a part of the ritual but he loves the lights) and watch a Christmas movie/cartoon eating roasted chestnuts (although this week, I couldn't find any so we are going to have peanut butter on toast, lol) . It is something that my family did for as far back as I can remember, and it is a tradition that I can't wait to continue with MiniMe. <br /><br />It seems as if everyone is very busy around this time of year and too caught up in the go go go. I feel that everyone forgets that the season should be about spending time with family and friends, making memories and forming traditions to be carried on with the next generation. Children very rarely remember the toys they get for Christmas, but most can recall a memorable moment with the family. I think it is those moments that count the most, and I hope to create a whole book full for MiniMe and our family.<br /><br />Off to go dig out the candles!<br /><br />Cheers!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-7233893649577024092008-11-29T07:25:00.000-08:002008-11-29T07:39:46.302-08:00Jumping Off the SoapboxToday, I'm jumping off the soap box and relishing in the fact that I was able to clean the whole house before 10:30am!!!!! It may seem like a small accomplishment to some, but lord, it feels like the Maple Leafs won the dang Stanley Cup for me :) My husband is out at his parents with Mini Me and I didn't have my usual helper as I trudged through the house. I forgot how efficient I could be without a toddler linked to my leg :)<br /><br />It is amazing how much of your life changes when you don't even realize it. I got dressed to take the dog for a walk in less then 5 minutes. I was fully dress and out the door in under 5 minutes!! It felt liberating and oddly wrong, lol. It has become second nature getting ready to leave the house ten to fifteen minutes before I actually have to leave the house. Chasing MiniMe around the hallway as he investigates every nook and cranny for the ten thousandth time in his short little life has become a sort of daily Olympics. With mulitple reruns of me sittng him on the step and getting one boot on before he is off the step again grabbing his runners and attempting to put them on top of the boot or grabbing the clump of dog fur that just fell out of our Sheppard and needing to put it in the garbage can, and the realizing that the green bin is not locked properly and uh oh Mama, Sheppard has no water etc etc.<br /><br />I know that some of you may think that I'm letting him run rampant and I should enforce that this is a time to put on your boots and that is it. But really, we are very rarely on a schedule that needs us to be out the door at a certain time, and I love to watch how his little Toddler ADD mind works, because he links things together so brilliantly (in my opinion) and I really enjoy watching it. When we are on a tight schedule, he will sit and put his boots on like a good little soldier, but for most days, we are good just puttering around the house, investigating every corner for something new to discover.<br /><br />For now though, I'm going to live in the 2 hours of bliss I have left and look at my newly clean and crisp house from the couch, watching reruns of John and Kate plus 8, drinking my cup of tea and waiting for MiniMe and Husband to come home to me again.<br /><br />Cheers!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-68037150355905649862008-11-28T10:52:00.000-08:002008-11-28T11:08:39.853-08:00The Stay at Home Momhttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/article1139839.ece<br /><br />This is an AMAZING article about the stigma attached to women who decide to stay at home with their child and drop their career goals. While there are areas of the article that I don't agree with, I think it really hits the nail on the head when it comes to how I feel I am perceived as a house wife. <br /><br />When out and about, either teaching or at a group with my son, I always come across the question, "what do you do?". I love to answer back that I stay home with my son, and teach on the side, occasionally to help with the bills. Most of the people I meet balk at me, asking how I do it; don't I get bored; don't I feel that money is tight; do I feel guilty for not being able to get what I want, when I want it? <br /><br />I am always the first to tell people that we had to make a lot of cuts for me to be able to stay home. And while I miss going out to dinner on a weekly basis, going to the movies regularly, using the car without thinking about the price of gas, going out with friends and running a tab and I really REALLY miss Rogers Digital Cable, every time I look at my son and the daily quirks and quandaries that I am able to see each day, I know that it is well worth the sacrifice. And really, our lives are better for it! <br /><br />We spend more time walking, reading and cooking than we ever did before, and we have managed to make even the simplest errand in to a family affair. It is a simpler life that doesn't focus so much on the "haves" and "wants", but on the experiences that we create as a family.<br /><br />More on this later. I've got to get the chicken in the oven :DUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-18125061253948152702008-11-28T10:37:00.000-08:002008-11-28T10:47:20.631-08:00A Time to GiveThanksTo my American friends, belated Thanksgiving Day Wishes! (For my Canadian friends, I would have posted about Canadian Thanksgiving, had the blog been around then, lol)<br /><br />I think that in the hard times we face, it can be very difficult to find things to be thankful for. But when you go back to the basics, we are all so lucky to have what we have.<br /><br />My family has been through its tough times, yet we have always had a roof over our heads, warm beds to sleep in, and plenty of food on the table. We also have love for each other and others, and that can get you through a lot. I know, it sounds incredibly hoaky but really, love means a lot and generally is something that you can continue to give even when you have nothing else.<br /><br />I hope that everyone had a great holiday and is enjoying the long weekend with friends and family.<br /><br />Cheers!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-30194022435884907342008-11-20T12:06:00.001-08:002008-11-20T12:33:48.992-08:00The Costco ShoppersThey are a species of their own. And they drive me batty! <br /><br />Never in my life have I had to shop with people who are so self absorbed, like children in a candy store, that they have no consideration or awareness of the other shoppers around them. I don't know if it is just because they are so amazed at all the stuff that is there, but they consistently stop in the middle of aisles with eyes glazed over looking at the objects around them. They then abandon their shopping cart (which is still in the middle of the aisle) and go over to look at the treasure that costco holds for them. They don't pull over, they don't check to see if there are people around them who might want to walk past, they just drift off, leaving a road block in an already hectic store. And I know I'm not the only one who feels this way because I have heard many people mumbling the same thing and have friends who have had the same experiences.<br /><br />Now, anyone who knows me knows I don't shop well. I don't like crowds, I don't like all the noise, I like to get in and then get out. But I do understand that others (like my husband) like to peruse the products, savor the deals, make lists for the future. And I can live with these people in my world. What I find it very hard to live with are the people who road block, and after several attempts of me saying "excuse me... excuse me could you please move your cart over?" , these people bet mad at ME when I move their cart over for them!<br /><br />Just like toddlers.<br /><br />And I know, because I have one at home. I understand how toddlers get totally absorbed in the new thing they are investigating. I totally understand that it is hard for them to hear when others speak to them because they can really only concentrate on one thing at a time.<br /><br />I can understand when my son stops in his tracks to look at the latest bug, fluff, leaf, clump of dog fur, toy car, piece of paper etc in his path and trip me up, because he doesn't understand the space he takes up, or that he can actually make mom drop all her nicely folded towels by stopping in HER path to pick up that sticker he couldn't find last night, but has spotted from ten feet away today.<br /><br />He doesn't understand that because he can't understand that. Developmentally, toddlers haven't yet learned how to judge the space around them and how much room they take up in it. So I can understand that behaviour from a toddler.<br /><br />But not from an adult.<br /><br />I know that sometimes, it just happens, and people graciously move their cart and apologize for the inconvenience. And to those people I smile and say no problem! I know that not everyone is totally self absorbed. But to get angry at me and tell me to go down another aisle because you can't take the two seconds to move your cart over? That's just poor social skills and a lack of common courtesy. And I really feel that this is a reflection of society today.<br /><br />What are we teaching our children and young people when they see others respond in this manner? It used to be that we set good examples when out in public so that our behaviour could be a model for others (or at least keep us from looking like total and complete asses! ). But now we are all about us. Me, me, me. And I worry about the children, because I see so much of this type of lack of respect and courtesy for others already in the youth today. It makes me sad, it truely does.<br /><br />We as a society are too self absorbed for our own good. And it is glaringly evident in Costco.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94555261057991273.post-57034407235585163482008-11-18T11:50:00.000-08:002008-12-01T19:09:19.383-08:00A Place to Slow DownThe start of the Christmas season is upon us. I guess to be politically correct, I should say holiday season. Either way, the rush is on. I have received my copies of all the December editions of my magazine subscriptions and one underlying topic blared across each page in every magazine. Apparently, people are stressed, have no time, no patience, a full calendar, are accumulating holiday dept by the second, and feel that that the Christmas season (uh, holiday season) is the most stressful time of the whole year. What a shame!<br /><br />These articles go hand in hand with articles in every parenting and lifestyle magazine where they depict (mostly) mothers as being harried, over extended, cab drivers attempting to live their life with children as they lived their life before children. Articles about how to decorate your house so that it is chic and or funky and provides no evidence of children (One headline actually said "Your home: It doesn't have to look like kids live there!"), how to create a family schedule that is easy to follow so that you don't forget to pick up your children and how to save minutes on every task so that you have an extra ten minutes to play with your child.<br /><br />I'm a pretty old school parent and a traditionalist at heart. I believe in a society that focuses on the goodness of people and the challenges they can face when they work together. I also believe that we are losing a lot of the precious minutes/hours/days of life as we live our lives as those people depicted in all those magazines. And while I don't think there are many of me around in this day and age, I do believe that we are a breed that is rising again. We aren't perfect, we aren't always beautifully put together, be we are in fact real.<br /><br />This blog will be dedicated to my thoughts on the fast lane that society is seemingly obsessed about, from the slow lane that I tend to live my life in. It will be about the rewards of my life as a mom, wife and as an individual of society who really just wants things to be easy again.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0