We love Kijiji at our house. We have found some real gems on there and we use it often. I post ads to rent rooms at our rental house in Barrie, it has been very successful for us. I'm don't often have time to sit at the computer and check emails so I make it clear in the ad to please call with any questions and to set up showings of the rooms. It's easier then going back and forth with people all the time on email and my husband can deal with the phone calls while he is on the road during the day. Even with that in the ad I still get emails all the time. Sometimes I email them back and ask them to call us. What's interesting is that they never call. It's like they would rather keep looking for rooms elsewhere then actually pick up the phone and have to speak to another human being.
We have also posted ads for my husbands business looking for an employee once in awhile. We hear a lot from young people either still in trade school or just finished. Again in the ad we ask that they call to talk about the position and set up an interview. And again we still get lots of emails. One guy emailed and I never answered him because we said no emails. He went on to find our website and send a message through the website saying that he knows we said no emails but he was interested in the job and asked for us to call him to talk about it. Well young man we won't be calling you and here's why. First the ad said no emails please call us, you couldn't follow that simple instruction so what does that say about you. Second we have what you want...a job, we don't want to chase you, if you are really that interested in employment then pick up the phone. And last, you are applying for a job in the service/trade industry. You will be talking and interacting with customers everyday, you can't hide behind your emails and your texts, you will have to make contact with other people.
This next generation is so caught up in their tech world will they be lacking personality/social skills because they don't have to interact with anyone? I remember when I was younger sitting on the phone gabbing with my girlfriends for hours, does anyone do that anymore or are they suffering from carpal tunnel because they text or IM for hours instead? I hope things are different for my girls as they grow up but I think it starts with me and what will be allowed and at what age. They might seem uncool to their friends because they don't have a cell phone at 8 years old but they will probably thank me for it later.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Pinterest Gone Wrong
When I cruise Pinterest I usually only pick things that I know are the realm of my ability and a lot of kids crafts. They always have great Christmas idea and some pretty easy ones that I think to myself..."how could I possibly mess this up!" Well I can.
The first craft was a Christmas tree and the tree is Mia's hand prints and the lights are her finger prints. All I had to do was paint the trunk and a star at the top. Seems easy enough until Mia went right to the top with her hand prints leaving me no room for a star. I tried to paint one over her green hand print which was a big flop.
The first craft was a Christmas tree and the tree is Mia's hand prints and the lights are her finger prints. All I had to do was paint the trunk and a star at the top. Seems easy enough until Mia went right to the top with her hand prints leaving me no room for a star. I tried to paint one over her green hand print which was a big flop.
The second seemed easy enough too. Each of the girls foot prints, a simple boarder, some dots and write Mistletoes. Mia's foot print went great, Melody was not a fan of the paint on her foot so getting her to do a nice print was a task, and she started to slide around in the process making it not much of a print at all but I pressed on. My dots got smudged and after I wrote Mistletoes I dropped water on the canvas running some of the letters which you can't see as much in the picture.
I was all stressed over the "imperfection" of the projects and kept trying to think of ways to fix it. But then I had to straighten myself out and realize the point here. Did my kids have fun? Yes! Then that's all that matters. They are cute decorations we can put out each year or do new ones each year as they get bigger. I could be the hovering mom who makes sure the crafts are perfect so they are "pin worthy" or Facebook worthy to brag about your kids. But i'm not going to be.
Here are our Christmas crafts in all their glory and smudges. We had fun and made a huge mess and that's the point of it all!
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Awkward mommy run-ins
To keep my girls busy through this cold season we got to a lot of play groups locally. It's great interaction for the girls with other kids, but it can get a little awkward when there is a disagreement between kids and all the moms are there. I'm trying not to hover over Mia all the time and if she and another little kid are having an issue over a toy or whatever I want her to work it out. If there is pushing etc. then yes I get involved only if she is at fault and needs to apologize.
We were at a play group and this little girl had something and put it down and moved on to something else and Mia picked it up. The little girl was upset and went to her mommy and said that Mia took it. I could see the mom looking at me wondering if I was going to step in. She said very loudly "oh i'm sorry she took it (looking at me)". The mom even asked Mia to give it back, which didn't happen. I chose not to get involved. I saw what happened and Mia didn't take it from her so there was no issue as far as I was concerned. But this little girl or her mother were not letting it go and thankfully the activity ended and all the kids moved on to something else before I had to say something to the mom.
Sometimes we have to just let kids figure it out and work it out instead of directing them all the time as to what to do. Of course we have to correct them so they learn right from wrong and believe me I do tons of that at home between my two girls.
I am pretty sure I was getting a glare from the mom the rest of the time, but to each mom their own on how they want to handle things.
We were at a play group and this little girl had something and put it down and moved on to something else and Mia picked it up. The little girl was upset and went to her mommy and said that Mia took it. I could see the mom looking at me wondering if I was going to step in. She said very loudly "oh i'm sorry she took it (looking at me)". The mom even asked Mia to give it back, which didn't happen. I chose not to get involved. I saw what happened and Mia didn't take it from her so there was no issue as far as I was concerned. But this little girl or her mother were not letting it go and thankfully the activity ended and all the kids moved on to something else before I had to say something to the mom.
Sometimes we have to just let kids figure it out and work it out instead of directing them all the time as to what to do. Of course we have to correct them so they learn right from wrong and believe me I do tons of that at home between my two girls.
I am pretty sure I was getting a glare from the mom the rest of the time, but to each mom their own on how they want to handle things.
Friday, November 14, 2014
A blog within a blog
A lot of times I find myself dreaming of life before kids...what seemed like a simpler, carefree time. Then I realize what a blessing my little ones are and I wouldn't want my life without them. This mom nailed it on the head with her blog......
http://www.scarymommy.com/every-day-im-a-mother/#sthash.YpgMVN5u.gbpl
http://www.scarymommy.com/every-day-im-a-mother/#sthash.YpgMVN5u.gbpl
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Cars for a good cause
This past weekend we went to a Classic Car Auction. My father-in-law has a little collection and he was selling a few of them at the auction so my husband went to help and I went for something to do with the girls. Mia loves car shows so she fits right in. There were beautiful cars going through for sale and for a lot of money. One corvette went for $190,000...that's what I paid for my house!
Towards the end of the day the Pink Slips, which is a ladies car club, were auctioning off a Hummer electric kids car for a young family with an 18 month old daughter. Little Dakota started having seizures at just 2 weeks old and was diagnosed with a rare brain inflammation caused by a virus. Recently tests showed that this virus had destroyed 80% of her brain function. Doctors say she will likely never walk or talk. The family moved closer to Sick Kids where they spend a lot of time and obviously have years and years of therapy ahead for her, wheelchairs, braces to help her move around and they will need a wheelchair accessible van.
My husband wanted to stay and watch the kids car get auctioned off, he thought it would be quite exciting to watch all these people bid and raise a lot of money for this family. Our kids were tired so I went out to the car to get them loaded in. When he came to the van what he told me was surprising. The kids car went up for auction, the family and the little girl were even there on stage. The auctioneer started and the crowd was silent.....no one was bidding. These were people who were spending thousands of dollars on cars but not one could bid for this family? It wasn't even about the little electric car it was about this family standing in front of everyone who need help. So my husband started bidding and another guy got into it so they bid back and forth and we are now the owners of kids electric car :)
My husband was so happy that we could help, but sad at the same time that all those people did nothing. God has blessed our business and we are blessed with 2 healthy little girls so how could we not help. I just had to picture ourselves in their position and life can change so quickly if someone in your family gets sick, and as we are blessed with OHIP it certainly doesn't cover everything.
God calls on us to help others around us who are in need without question and without expecting anything in return. We don't need the little electric car, that's not why we did it, and we are going to find a way to pay it forward and use it to bless someone else.
The Pink Slips are a group of great women who use their car club to raise money for lots of families in need, if you want to learn more about them and baby Dakota go to http://www.pinkslipscarclub.com/2012/charity.php
Towards the end of the day the Pink Slips, which is a ladies car club, were auctioning off a Hummer electric kids car for a young family with an 18 month old daughter. Little Dakota started having seizures at just 2 weeks old and was diagnosed with a rare brain inflammation caused by a virus. Recently tests showed that this virus had destroyed 80% of her brain function. Doctors say she will likely never walk or talk. The family moved closer to Sick Kids where they spend a lot of time and obviously have years and years of therapy ahead for her, wheelchairs, braces to help her move around and they will need a wheelchair accessible van.
My husband wanted to stay and watch the kids car get auctioned off, he thought it would be quite exciting to watch all these people bid and raise a lot of money for this family. Our kids were tired so I went out to the car to get them loaded in. When he came to the van what he told me was surprising. The kids car went up for auction, the family and the little girl were even there on stage. The auctioneer started and the crowd was silent.....no one was bidding. These were people who were spending thousands of dollars on cars but not one could bid for this family? It wasn't even about the little electric car it was about this family standing in front of everyone who need help. So my husband started bidding and another guy got into it so they bid back and forth and we are now the owners of kids electric car :)
My husband was so happy that we could help, but sad at the same time that all those people did nothing. God has blessed our business and we are blessed with 2 healthy little girls so how could we not help. I just had to picture ourselves in their position and life can change so quickly if someone in your family gets sick, and as we are blessed with OHIP it certainly doesn't cover everything.
God calls on us to help others around us who are in need without question and without expecting anything in return. We don't need the little electric car, that's not why we did it, and we are going to find a way to pay it forward and use it to bless someone else.
The Pink Slips are a group of great women who use their car club to raise money for lots of families in need, if you want to learn more about them and baby Dakota go to http://www.pinkslipscarclub.com/2012/charity.php
Thursday, October 23, 2014
We don't have to be silent after a miscarriage.
Last week I talked on my show about miscarriage and the church. Encouragement to our churches to help women and couples who have gone through a miscarriage. It seems to be this silent subject that we even as women just keep tight lipped about but it is a devastating loss and we need to be able to grieve.
Before having Mia I had 2 miscarriages so I understand that loss. The minute a woman finds out she is pregnant we are off and running with all the thoughts and excitement about having a baby. Will it be a boy or girl? What names do we like? How should I decorate the nursery? When I found out I was pregnant the first time I took about 3 tests to make sure because I was just so excited. I really wanted to totally surprise Phil because we had been trying for months and like most people we thought it would happen right away. I snuck to the doctors office for a blood test and had to wait until the next day for the result and I was just busting to tell Phil but I wanted that 100% answer. When I got the yes I went and bought a baby bib that said "I love daddy". That night at dinner I handed to Phil. We both just burst into tears and laughing and hugging. We called both our parents to tell them the news and we told a few close friends and kept it at that for now. Even thought you never think a miscarriage is going to happen to you in your mind you still want to wait until you get to the "safe zone" before you start shouting from the roof tops.
A few weeks into the pregnancy I started to have complications and spotting. The helpless part of this is that your pregnancy is so early there is really nothing you or any doctor can do to stop what is happening. Even though I was spotting my ultra sound showed a little flutter of heart beat so I was told everything was ok and just take it easy. The spotting went off and on for a few more weeks but I just kept telling myself everything was fine. At my 10 week appointment we were expecting to hear the heart beat for the first time. Phil was out in the waiting room and the tech starts with me to do the preliminary work and measuring the baby and then dad gets called in to see the baby. My tech was really quiet and I asked when my husband could come in. She said that he couldn't come in today and that the doctor would call me to discuss the ultra sound. Well right then I knew this was not good. I know that the tech is not allowed to tell me there is no heart beat, and as angry as I was I know it's a horrible position for them to be in as well. I went back to work for the afternoon and just prayed that there was a mistake and the baby was fine. When I got home I saw it all over Phil's face. Our family doctor had called and confirmed that there was no heartbeat, our baby was dead.
I think we both cried all night. I called in sick to work the next day and went to see the doctor to find out what happens next. I didn't want a procedure, I wanted my body to do this on it's own. That's the other part of this that is horrible to experience. We grieved finding out there was no heartbeat but then I still had to go through the physical aspect of it. I went back to work for the rest of the week and I was just waiting, and praying it wouldn't happen while I was at work. Over the weekend the physical part of the miscarriage started. It's devastating and extremely painful. I went to work the next day and went on with life, told no one.
For months I cried everyday over this loss. I never felt the baby move yet, yes it was early in the pregnancy but it is still a death and a loss and we need to grieve that loss. I felt like a failure, why did my body fail me? What if I can't have a baby? Not talking to anyone or telling anyone was a mistake. I grieved silently and to myself and it's such a lonely feeling. Of course I talked to my husband but they handle this very differently than we do. We have the physical connection that they don't have. They grieve but then they are ready to move on and try again, I think that is harder for women to just pick up and move on.
6 months later I found out I was pregnant again. We were excited but cautious. A week later I was spotting again I went to the doctor for a blood test and my hormones were very low which meant the pregnancy was gone. I was very early in the pregnancy so the physical aspect of the miscarriage was not painful. I didn't take this miscarriage as hard because I had literally only found out the week before so I was not as invested yet, I was still grieving the first baby.
After the second miscarriage we stopped trying to get pregnant to take some stress off. And what happens when you do that....you get pregnant again! Just a couple months after the second miscarriage I was pregnant again. There is always excitement but I was literally on pins and needles all the time. Every doctors appointment I was given an ultra sound because of my history and I would hold my breath to hear if the baby was ok. Weeks went on and everything kept going well. I was never sick which always made me wonder if I was ok, but I was just blessed with no morning sickness (I made up for it when I was pregnant with Melody, sick for months!) On November 10, 2011, after a crazy delivery, our beautiful Mia was born. Less than 2 years later, August 1, 2013 Melody was born.
I still think about those 2 babies we lost all the time. What would they have looked like, who would they have grown up to be? Phil gave me a family ring with all our birth stones in it and there are 2 clear stones to represent the babies we lost. It's ok to grieve, it's ok not to just move on and forget. Those are still our babies, they are our angels, and they will always be a part of our family.
This is just my story and my experience, but I know there are lots of women out there who need to know they are not alone. And I encourage you to open up and talk about it if you have been through it, it not only helps you but it could also help someone else in the process.
Before having Mia I had 2 miscarriages so I understand that loss. The minute a woman finds out she is pregnant we are off and running with all the thoughts and excitement about having a baby. Will it be a boy or girl? What names do we like? How should I decorate the nursery? When I found out I was pregnant the first time I took about 3 tests to make sure because I was just so excited. I really wanted to totally surprise Phil because we had been trying for months and like most people we thought it would happen right away. I snuck to the doctors office for a blood test and had to wait until the next day for the result and I was just busting to tell Phil but I wanted that 100% answer. When I got the yes I went and bought a baby bib that said "I love daddy". That night at dinner I handed to Phil. We both just burst into tears and laughing and hugging. We called both our parents to tell them the news and we told a few close friends and kept it at that for now. Even thought you never think a miscarriage is going to happen to you in your mind you still want to wait until you get to the "safe zone" before you start shouting from the roof tops.
A few weeks into the pregnancy I started to have complications and spotting. The helpless part of this is that your pregnancy is so early there is really nothing you or any doctor can do to stop what is happening. Even though I was spotting my ultra sound showed a little flutter of heart beat so I was told everything was ok and just take it easy. The spotting went off and on for a few more weeks but I just kept telling myself everything was fine. At my 10 week appointment we were expecting to hear the heart beat for the first time. Phil was out in the waiting room and the tech starts with me to do the preliminary work and measuring the baby and then dad gets called in to see the baby. My tech was really quiet and I asked when my husband could come in. She said that he couldn't come in today and that the doctor would call me to discuss the ultra sound. Well right then I knew this was not good. I know that the tech is not allowed to tell me there is no heart beat, and as angry as I was I know it's a horrible position for them to be in as well. I went back to work for the afternoon and just prayed that there was a mistake and the baby was fine. When I got home I saw it all over Phil's face. Our family doctor had called and confirmed that there was no heartbeat, our baby was dead.
I think we both cried all night. I called in sick to work the next day and went to see the doctor to find out what happens next. I didn't want a procedure, I wanted my body to do this on it's own. That's the other part of this that is horrible to experience. We grieved finding out there was no heartbeat but then I still had to go through the physical aspect of it. I went back to work for the rest of the week and I was just waiting, and praying it wouldn't happen while I was at work. Over the weekend the physical part of the miscarriage started. It's devastating and extremely painful. I went to work the next day and went on with life, told no one.
For months I cried everyday over this loss. I never felt the baby move yet, yes it was early in the pregnancy but it is still a death and a loss and we need to grieve that loss. I felt like a failure, why did my body fail me? What if I can't have a baby? Not talking to anyone or telling anyone was a mistake. I grieved silently and to myself and it's such a lonely feeling. Of course I talked to my husband but they handle this very differently than we do. We have the physical connection that they don't have. They grieve but then they are ready to move on and try again, I think that is harder for women to just pick up and move on.
6 months later I found out I was pregnant again. We were excited but cautious. A week later I was spotting again I went to the doctor for a blood test and my hormones were very low which meant the pregnancy was gone. I was very early in the pregnancy so the physical aspect of the miscarriage was not painful. I didn't take this miscarriage as hard because I had literally only found out the week before so I was not as invested yet, I was still grieving the first baby.
After the second miscarriage we stopped trying to get pregnant to take some stress off. And what happens when you do that....you get pregnant again! Just a couple months after the second miscarriage I was pregnant again. There is always excitement but I was literally on pins and needles all the time. Every doctors appointment I was given an ultra sound because of my history and I would hold my breath to hear if the baby was ok. Weeks went on and everything kept going well. I was never sick which always made me wonder if I was ok, but I was just blessed with no morning sickness (I made up for it when I was pregnant with Melody, sick for months!) On November 10, 2011, after a crazy delivery, our beautiful Mia was born. Less than 2 years later, August 1, 2013 Melody was born.
I still think about those 2 babies we lost all the time. What would they have looked like, who would they have grown up to be? Phil gave me a family ring with all our birth stones in it and there are 2 clear stones to represent the babies we lost. It's ok to grieve, it's ok not to just move on and forget. Those are still our babies, they are our angels, and they will always be a part of our family.
This is just my story and my experience, but I know there are lots of women out there who need to know they are not alone. And I encourage you to open up and talk about it if you have been through it, it not only helps you but it could also help someone else in the process.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Second Time Around
I love hand me downs. It's the bonus of having 2 girls. I love them not just for the wonderful financial aspect but because all those little outfits have a story and we get to re-live it a second time. I have a pretty good memory and I have photos to help me remember so I dress Melody and remember who gave me the outfit or where I bought it. Her sandals this summer were ones we bought for Mia on a trip to Florida. I put her in a pair of jeans and a sweater over the weekend and Phil remembered that it was the first outfit he had bought for Mia on his own. I have even gone so far as to put Melody in outfits that I had cute pictures of Mia in and pose them the same way for back to back comparisons....yeah I'm that mom. I love reliving the memories and saving money at the same time :)
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Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Welcome to the jungle
I love being home with my girls most of the days and I love that I still get to do radio. With that said there are days that I literally feel myself going a little nuts.....kids can do that to you. There are things about being a mom that no one really told you or prepared you for. For instance, the odds of being able to go to the bathroom alone are slim to none. I try to sneak off and then they must look around and see that I'm missing and I hear the patter of little feet heading to the bathroom and it becomes a family event.
I used to really enjoy reading a good book. Last year for my birthday Phil gave me a book I had wanted, I just finished it a couple weeks ago. I only read it when I had a little spa time throughout the year and I would kindly tell the girl doing my pedicure that I don't really want to talk this is my down time...yeah I'm that person. On the upside I could look at it that I had enough pedicures this year to read a book!
Trying to have a conversation either on the phone is impossible. The minute your kids realize that they are not paying attention to them they go nuts and start making tons of noise making it impossible to hear anyone or them to hear you and your house sounds like a complete zoo to the person on the other end of the phone. I can only imagine what the Rogers reps say about me when they get off the phone.
I could get up at 6am and I still don't think I could get out of the house until 10am. By the time everyone is fed, dressed, bags are packed and I try to remember to brush my teeth, it seems like it takes forever to get out the front door for anything!
Everything in takes longer in general. It took me an hour to write this little blog because Melody was climbing the TV stand, Mia spilled water everywhere, Mia pushed Melody and let her in the bathroom which is Melody's favorite place so she can play in the toilet.
Welcome to my jungle!
I used to really enjoy reading a good book. Last year for my birthday Phil gave me a book I had wanted, I just finished it a couple weeks ago. I only read it when I had a little spa time throughout the year and I would kindly tell the girl doing my pedicure that I don't really want to talk this is my down time...yeah I'm that person. On the upside I could look at it that I had enough pedicures this year to read a book!
Trying to have a conversation either on the phone is impossible. The minute your kids realize that they are not paying attention to them they go nuts and start making tons of noise making it impossible to hear anyone or them to hear you and your house sounds like a complete zoo to the person on the other end of the phone. I can only imagine what the Rogers reps say about me when they get off the phone.
I could get up at 6am and I still don't think I could get out of the house until 10am. By the time everyone is fed, dressed, bags are packed and I try to remember to brush my teeth, it seems like it takes forever to get out the front door for anything!
Everything in takes longer in general. It took me an hour to write this little blog because Melody was climbing the TV stand, Mia spilled water everywhere, Mia pushed Melody and let her in the bathroom which is Melody's favorite place so she can play in the toilet.
Welcome to my jungle!
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Draft Day
This weekend my husband and I watched the movie Draft Day with Kevin Costner. It's a funny choice for us seeing as Phil knows absolutely nothing about football. In this situation I actually looked pretty smart because I knew a considerable amount. I grew up with Sunday afternoon football as a staple in our house. Sports radio in the car on the way to school every Monday going over the games from the day before. I didn't really know much about how the draft works so we did a quick google as the movie started so we had a better understanding of it.
I really enjoyed the movie and was excited to tell my dad to go rent it too. What happens leading up to and during the draft is pretty exciting. Deals and trades are being made up until the last second. There are always rumored front runners but an interesting fact from the movie is that Tom Brady was #122 the year he was drafted, if the teams only knew then what they know now.
Even if you aren't a football fan you will enjoy it, but it's good to have a little knowledge of the game so you don't feel completely lost.
I really enjoyed the movie and was excited to tell my dad to go rent it too. What happens leading up to and during the draft is pretty exciting. Deals and trades are being made up until the last second. There are always rumored front runners but an interesting fact from the movie is that Tom Brady was #122 the year he was drafted, if the teams only knew then what they know now.
Even if you aren't a football fan you will enjoy it, but it's good to have a little knowledge of the game so you don't feel completely lost.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Up Up and Away
Our daughter Mia has had a very difficult time parting with her soother. For the past year she has only had it to go to sleep and then we take it out once she falls asleep. We tried ditching it and had some very rough times so we always caved and gave it back........don't judge.......anyway we figured it was finally time to get rid of it and stick with it. I saw a family online who tied their kids soother to balloons and had a little ceremony to let go of it. I thought this was a good idea because Mia could understand it more and be the one to let go, and when she asked for it we could remind her about the balloons. (again don't judge, if you are an environmentalist save your lecture for someone else)
I went to the store to get all the balloons and told the woman what we were doing. She said her daughter had her soother at night until she was 4.5 so I felt better that I wasn't alone in this battle. We probably let her hold on to it first because it was easier for us, and it was that last little thing that made her our baby. She let go of her bottle like a champ, potty training went well, this was the last thing.
Saturday morning we tied the soother to the balloons we all stood outside and told Mia that there were other babies in the world that needed the soother so it was time to say goodbye. So she let go of the balloons and they flew into the sky......only to go over our roof and get caught in the tree in our front yard. Thankfully it is a really tall tree and Mia hasn't spotted them yet, and if we were desperate we knew where to find it :)
We planned a busy day which would be certain to tucker her out so that when bedtime came she would be so tired she wouldn't really be too upset about not having her soother. It worked, she asked for it once but she was asleep when her head hit the pillow. We still may have a couple rough nights ahead but soon it will be distant memory. Our little girl is growing up!
I went to the store to get all the balloons and told the woman what we were doing. She said her daughter had her soother at night until she was 4.5 so I felt better that I wasn't alone in this battle. We probably let her hold on to it first because it was easier for us, and it was that last little thing that made her our baby. She let go of her bottle like a champ, potty training went well, this was the last thing.
Saturday morning we tied the soother to the balloons we all stood outside and told Mia that there were other babies in the world that needed the soother so it was time to say goodbye. So she let go of the balloons and they flew into the sky......only to go over our roof and get caught in the tree in our front yard. Thankfully it is a really tall tree and Mia hasn't spotted them yet, and if we were desperate we knew where to find it :)
We planned a busy day which would be certain to tucker her out so that when bedtime came she would be so tired she wouldn't really be too upset about not having her soother. It worked, she asked for it once but she was asleep when her head hit the pillow. We still may have a couple rough nights ahead but soon it will be distant memory. Our little girl is growing up!
Monday, August 25, 2014
Kids Privacy
I was at the park with my girls and Mia made a little friend that she was playing with which is great. The parents of the little boy were taking pictures of him and as I know it's hard to get a picture of your kid without other kids ending up in the photo somehow. So because Mia was playing along right beside him, I'm sure she ended up in their photos. As we were driving home I started to think about all the avenues of social media that that picture could be used for with my daughter in it, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, blogs etc. It might not be that big of a deal but I didn't like the feeling, but then do I have to be that parent at the park that goes up to the other parent and says please don't take a picture of my kid.....or remove my kid everytime someone is taking a picture? To some people I'm overreacting, but we have to be protective of our kids and the internet. I read about a woman stealing baby pictures from another woman's Facebook and posting them on hers saying it was her baby. All the new technology is great, but it forces us to be extra careful in certain aspects of our lives.
Friday, August 15, 2014
My 13 years
Today LIFE 100.3 turned 15 and tomorrow night we celebrate with the 15th Anniversary Party. I have been here for 13 of the 15 years give or take a couple years off for maternity leaves but I still count them. I was the Promotions Manager for most of that time so I know how much work is going into tomorrow night so my thoughts were with Pip Lucas, the new Promotions guru, today knowing how crazy his day must have been. I told him that I'm very excited to actually come, sit and enjoy the show and not be running around for once, I can't wait to see what he has planned.
It makes me think about our past anniversary parties that I was in charge of. The 3rd Anniversary Party with Geoff Moore. Geoff's guitar player couldn't fly in from New Mexico because of weather and Geoff really only knew 2 songs on the guitar so we scrambled just hours before with what to do. Geoff is an amazing story teller so that's what he did and we grabbed Chris from Manic Drive who was in line with his family, to come and play Geoff's guitar so he could lead some worship. We offered everyone a refund at the beginning of the show because it wasn't really the show they had paid for. No one asked for their money because that's how great Geoff was.
Our 5th Anniversary Party with Mark Schultz. It was the introduction of the new Breakfast Club with Ben Davy and Woody Woodland. Mark was fantastic, another great story teller which is what makes good song writers. It was just him and his keyboard and it was great. Everything must have went smoothly for that one because no disaster memories stand out.
10th Anniversary Party with Lincoln Brewster. We kicked it up a notch for this one. We did a red carpet and photos for everyone who came. We did a big video introduction of all the DJ's, it was going to be a show! Scott's family had planned a video surprise for him with messages from some people he admired in the business and a surprise visit from his son who lives in Seattle, so that was a side element we had to keep under wraps too. It was a Praise and Worship theme so we had 3 local worship pastors open the show which was a great fitting. We flew in Lincoln and his whole band and I had a schedule for everything, meal times etc. I ordered catering based on those times and the band arrives from California and want to stay on California time so don't want to eat at any of the times I scheduled which threw me off. My catering was already ordered so the volunteers were treated to a nice meal.
As crazy as it was to plan I loved seeing the final product all come together and I'm looking forward to seeing what is planned for tomorrow night!
It makes me think about our past anniversary parties that I was in charge of. The 3rd Anniversary Party with Geoff Moore. Geoff's guitar player couldn't fly in from New Mexico because of weather and Geoff really only knew 2 songs on the guitar so we scrambled just hours before with what to do. Geoff is an amazing story teller so that's what he did and we grabbed Chris from Manic Drive who was in line with his family, to come and play Geoff's guitar so he could lead some worship. We offered everyone a refund at the beginning of the show because it wasn't really the show they had paid for. No one asked for their money because that's how great Geoff was.
Our 5th Anniversary Party with Mark Schultz. It was the introduction of the new Breakfast Club with Ben Davy and Woody Woodland. Mark was fantastic, another great story teller which is what makes good song writers. It was just him and his keyboard and it was great. Everything must have went smoothly for that one because no disaster memories stand out.
10th Anniversary Party with Lincoln Brewster. We kicked it up a notch for this one. We did a red carpet and photos for everyone who came. We did a big video introduction of all the DJ's, it was going to be a show! Scott's family had planned a video surprise for him with messages from some people he admired in the business and a surprise visit from his son who lives in Seattle, so that was a side element we had to keep under wraps too. It was a Praise and Worship theme so we had 3 local worship pastors open the show which was a great fitting. We flew in Lincoln and his whole band and I had a schedule for everything, meal times etc. I ordered catering based on those times and the band arrives from California and want to stay on California time so don't want to eat at any of the times I scheduled which threw me off. My catering was already ordered so the volunteers were treated to a nice meal.
As crazy as it was to plan I loved seeing the final product all come together and I'm looking forward to seeing what is planned for tomorrow night!
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Pinterest made me do it!
I completely blame Pinterest for my recent over indulgence at my daughter's 1st birthday party. We wanted to do a BBQ with friends and family this summer so we tied in Melody's birthday with it which gave me reason to decorate and possibly go a little crazy. It started with owls. I had some Owl napkins and balloons from when Mia turned 1 that I never got to use because she was sick at her birthday. Thankfully I had another little girl that this decor would work for. Some late night Pinterest scrolling found me obsessed with everything else I could do with the Owl theme. Banners, cup cake sticks, bottled water labels, personlized t-shirt....and on and on...and I wanted it all!
Pinterest led me to Etsy where I bought all the graphics which were emailed to me as soon as I hit pay. My colour printer isn't working so I sent everything to Staples to be printed. The birthday banner was all separate triangles that had to be cut and I am not a straight cutter so I had the girl at Staples do it for me. Then I had to glue the banner pieces to ribbon to make it come together. Then I had to glue all the cup cake sticks and iron on the t-shirt transfer to Melody's shirt for the big day. I don't even want to admit how much I had spent at this point from buying to printing to cutting....all for what? So the other mommies would be impressed with my matchy matchy theme because we know Melody didn't care. My husband looked at me like I had 2 heads but I thought he's a guy he doesn't get it everyone's going to love it! He let me roll with it almost knowing I would learn a lesson in the end.
Then the baking began, way to many cupcakes, rice krispie treats, apple crumble....I was exhausted. I was smart enough to just buy all my salads pre-made....I know my limits.
In the end I was glad we had the party, I was happy to have our friends and family over for an afternoon. What I wasn't happy with was how I let myself get carried away. My cupcake platters look beautiful, then I put the cupcake sticks in and they looked cluttered, but I paid for the silly things so I was using them! My banners and balloons - not one person commented on my cute little theme!!
So what did I learn? I let the material things take the lead. None of it mattered, all that mattered was the people we were with and celebrating our little girl. A nice banner and a few balloons from the dollar store would have sufficed just to make it look like a birthday party.
Pinterest has become this la la land of perfection in entertaining and decorating that I just can't get myself involved it. I find myself scrolling through at 1am when I can't sleep and then I obsess over something. Now I have found some great kid craft ideas but that's all it's good for for me. I had to take the app off my phone to free myself from Pin obsession.
And to my husband, admitting it all is the hardest part, but he was right....he better print this because he won't see it too often!
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Pinterest led me to Etsy where I bought all the graphics which were emailed to me as soon as I hit pay. My colour printer isn't working so I sent everything to Staples to be printed. The birthday banner was all separate triangles that had to be cut and I am not a straight cutter so I had the girl at Staples do it for me. Then I had to glue the banner pieces to ribbon to make it come together. Then I had to glue all the cup cake sticks and iron on the t-shirt transfer to Melody's shirt for the big day. I don't even want to admit how much I had spent at this point from buying to printing to cutting....all for what? So the other mommies would be impressed with my matchy matchy theme because we know Melody didn't care. My husband looked at me like I had 2 heads but I thought he's a guy he doesn't get it everyone's going to love it! He let me roll with it almost knowing I would learn a lesson in the end.
Then the baking began, way to many cupcakes, rice krispie treats, apple crumble....I was exhausted. I was smart enough to just buy all my salads pre-made....I know my limits.
In the end I was glad we had the party, I was happy to have our friends and family over for an afternoon. What I wasn't happy with was how I let myself get carried away. My cupcake platters look beautiful, then I put the cupcake sticks in and they looked cluttered, but I paid for the silly things so I was using them! My banners and balloons - not one person commented on my cute little theme!!
So what did I learn? I let the material things take the lead. None of it mattered, all that mattered was the people we were with and celebrating our little girl. A nice banner and a few balloons from the dollar store would have sufficed just to make it look like a birthday party.
Pinterest has become this la la land of perfection in entertaining and decorating that I just can't get myself involved it. I find myself scrolling through at 1am when I can't sleep and then I obsess over something. Now I have found some great kid craft ideas but that's all it's good for for me. I had to take the app off my phone to free myself from Pin obsession.
And to my husband, admitting it all is the hardest part, but he was right....he better print this because he won't see it too often!
Friday, August 1, 2014
On the day you were born.....
I haven't blogged for over a year but I thought the occasion of my second daughters 1st birthday was a good topic to start with as I get into things, seeing as she and her sister are what have kept me so busy that I haven't blogged.
I left work in March of 2013, 6 months pregnant, on an early maternity leave/sick leave as my pregnancy with Melody was proving more difficult than when I was pregnant with Mia. I spent the next few months at home with Mia enjoying some alone time with her and quite enjoyed our daily naps together. As we got closer to my due date I will admit some panic set in. We were physically ready for another baby, the room was ready, everything was washed, my bag was packed. Mentally I'm not sure if I was ever ready. We had a nice little routine with the 3 of us, Mia had become an awesome sleeper, it was bliss. Now I was going to back to all night feedings and nap time for me was going to be non-existent with Mia to chase around as well.
Melody (we didn't know if we were having a boy or girl) was due Aug. 14. I had an emergency c-section with Mia so I had an option this time around to try for natural or schedule a c-section. I went back and forth on this literally until 2 weeks before. I knew recovery from a natural birth would be easier, especially with having Mia at home, but Mia's birth was very scary and we almost lost her so I felt more at ease with a c-section, that the baby wouldn't be going through the distress of labor. So my c-section was scheduled for Tuesday Aug. 6. I'm a planner so I really liked knowing the date and time. We could arrange care for Mia and I wasn't going to have to go through any contractions.....that was a bonus!
Wed. July 31 - Phil had got home late after being in Toronto buying a truck and getting it delivered to the house that night so we didn't have to worry about it later...good thing we did :) We were heading in to the long weekend and Phil's family was coming up to their cottage to help with Mia and I was looking forward to a weekend of rest and pampering before the big day on Tuesday. I needed that rest as it was getting more difficult to sleep peacefully at night 9 months pregnant. Around 2am I woke up not feeling well. Didn't feel like contractions just felt sick. Phil asked what was wrong and I remember saying "oh i hope i'm not going into labor!" Around 4am I woke up again and this time it was contractions. Are you kidding me! I'm not ready, I was supposed to have the weekend, I didn't want to deal with contractions.....this is all my selfish talk going on in my head. We timed them for an hour and a half to see if this was the real deal. Just like my labor with Mia - they came on fast, every 5 minutes right out of the gate. I didn't want my water to break, that's what caused distress for Mia so I was anxious to get to the hospital. We called Phil's mom who literally through her stuff into garbage bags and jumped in her car to get here. I think we will buy her real luggage for Christmas this year.
We got to the hospital and I got all hooked up to the machines. My doctor came in around 9am and just shook her head at me....apparantly Thursday's were the busiest days in day surgery and of course I go into labor on a Thursday.
The doctor who did my epidural with Mia was a dream, I never felt a thing. I prayed I would get the same guy this time. I didn't but this guy was just as amazing, I felt nothing, I could have kissed him! The morphine did a number on me this time and I was doing everything I could do not to throw up because that's just not a good look. Thankfully everything stayed down and at 10:52am (funny enough Mia was born at 10:52pm) our tiny little girl was born weighing in at 6lbs 15 oz. I had to ask them to confirm that seeing as Mia was almost 9lbs, but Melody was also 2 weeks early. She had wonderful dark hair and squishy face. These skinny long arms and legs and long feet, she was wonderful.
Having your second baby is very different than your first when it comes to your hospital visit, from my experience at least. First of all because I went right to surgery I got put in a surgery recovery room which is next to the maternity ward, instead of one of the nice maternity rooms. Thankfully I was by myself at least. It was baby mania my few days in the hospital, I heard babies being born left and right so I really got no attention from the nurses, which I actually liked because I got some sleep rather than them bugging me every 10 minutes. Because it was my second I think they figured I knew what I was doing. When I took my little walks up and down the halls and heard some of those babies being born and the noises coming out of the rooms I was again thankful for my c-section. My doctor is amazing and I had really good recoveries both times.
I couldn't wait for Mia to come and see her baby sister, it was love at first sight. There was a lot of defence going on so Mia wouldn't poke her in the eye, but Mia just wanted to cover her in kisses. It came time to name her and we really hadn't settled on anything before her birth but Melody was one of our back-up names when Mia was born so it was a natural fit. Mia's 2 middle names are after both Phil and my mom - Rose and Jean so we wanted to include our dads somehow in the middle names for Melody so her middle names are the names of our paternal grandmothers May and Pearl. The last time I saw my grandma Pearl before she passed away she was in and out of it and I wasn't really sure if she even knew I was there but she looked right at me at one point and said "I will always be with you" and she definately is, I think of her all the time when I look at Melody.
This first year with 2 little ones has been a challenge for sure. Melody has been quite a different baby then Mia. Not a good sleeper and pretty fussy most of the time. But as my other grandma Eva used to say, this too shall pass and it did. She sleeps like a dream now, still a bit fussy here and there but watching her grow and learn new things has been so awesome. Watching her roll and crawl and now walking, and Mia has been cheering her along every step of the way. Watching the 2 of them together is such joy. The benefit of a small age gap is that they can play together which started in the last few months and I just pray everyday that they grow up the best of friends.
Sometimes I miss working full time, or maybe I just miss being out of the house and having adult conversations. But being with these girls everyday is the most rewarding part of my life. I pray that I can just be a good mom to them, someone they can look up to. I pray that they love God and make that choice because they want to not just because they were raised that way. I want them to be kind and giving and adventurous with no fears.
I left work in March of 2013, 6 months pregnant, on an early maternity leave/sick leave as my pregnancy with Melody was proving more difficult than when I was pregnant with Mia. I spent the next few months at home with Mia enjoying some alone time with her and quite enjoyed our daily naps together. As we got closer to my due date I will admit some panic set in. We were physically ready for another baby, the room was ready, everything was washed, my bag was packed. Mentally I'm not sure if I was ever ready. We had a nice little routine with the 3 of us, Mia had become an awesome sleeper, it was bliss. Now I was going to back to all night feedings and nap time for me was going to be non-existent with Mia to chase around as well.
Melody (we didn't know if we were having a boy or girl) was due Aug. 14. I had an emergency c-section with Mia so I had an option this time around to try for natural or schedule a c-section. I went back and forth on this literally until 2 weeks before. I knew recovery from a natural birth would be easier, especially with having Mia at home, but Mia's birth was very scary and we almost lost her so I felt more at ease with a c-section, that the baby wouldn't be going through the distress of labor. So my c-section was scheduled for Tuesday Aug. 6. I'm a planner so I really liked knowing the date and time. We could arrange care for Mia and I wasn't going to have to go through any contractions.....that was a bonus!
Wed. July 31 - Phil had got home late after being in Toronto buying a truck and getting it delivered to the house that night so we didn't have to worry about it later...good thing we did :) We were heading in to the long weekend and Phil's family was coming up to their cottage to help with Mia and I was looking forward to a weekend of rest and pampering before the big day on Tuesday. I needed that rest as it was getting more difficult to sleep peacefully at night 9 months pregnant. Around 2am I woke up not feeling well. Didn't feel like contractions just felt sick. Phil asked what was wrong and I remember saying "oh i hope i'm not going into labor!" Around 4am I woke up again and this time it was contractions. Are you kidding me! I'm not ready, I was supposed to have the weekend, I didn't want to deal with contractions.....this is all my selfish talk going on in my head. We timed them for an hour and a half to see if this was the real deal. Just like my labor with Mia - they came on fast, every 5 minutes right out of the gate. I didn't want my water to break, that's what caused distress for Mia so I was anxious to get to the hospital. We called Phil's mom who literally through her stuff into garbage bags and jumped in her car to get here. I think we will buy her real luggage for Christmas this year.
We got to the hospital and I got all hooked up to the machines. My doctor came in around 9am and just shook her head at me....apparantly Thursday's were the busiest days in day surgery and of course I go into labor on a Thursday.
The doctor who did my epidural with Mia was a dream, I never felt a thing. I prayed I would get the same guy this time. I didn't but this guy was just as amazing, I felt nothing, I could have kissed him! The morphine did a number on me this time and I was doing everything I could do not to throw up because that's just not a good look. Thankfully everything stayed down and at 10:52am (funny enough Mia was born at 10:52pm) our tiny little girl was born weighing in at 6lbs 15 oz. I had to ask them to confirm that seeing as Mia was almost 9lbs, but Melody was also 2 weeks early. She had wonderful dark hair and squishy face. These skinny long arms and legs and long feet, she was wonderful.
Having your second baby is very different than your first when it comes to your hospital visit, from my experience at least. First of all because I went right to surgery I got put in a surgery recovery room which is next to the maternity ward, instead of one of the nice maternity rooms. Thankfully I was by myself at least. It was baby mania my few days in the hospital, I heard babies being born left and right so I really got no attention from the nurses, which I actually liked because I got some sleep rather than them bugging me every 10 minutes. Because it was my second I think they figured I knew what I was doing. When I took my little walks up and down the halls and heard some of those babies being born and the noises coming out of the rooms I was again thankful for my c-section. My doctor is amazing and I had really good recoveries both times.
I couldn't wait for Mia to come and see her baby sister, it was love at first sight. There was a lot of defence going on so Mia wouldn't poke her in the eye, but Mia just wanted to cover her in kisses. It came time to name her and we really hadn't settled on anything before her birth but Melody was one of our back-up names when Mia was born so it was a natural fit. Mia's 2 middle names are after both Phil and my mom - Rose and Jean so we wanted to include our dads somehow in the middle names for Melody so her middle names are the names of our paternal grandmothers May and Pearl. The last time I saw my grandma Pearl before she passed away she was in and out of it and I wasn't really sure if she even knew I was there but she looked right at me at one point and said "I will always be with you" and she definately is, I think of her all the time when I look at Melody.
This first year with 2 little ones has been a challenge for sure. Melody has been quite a different baby then Mia. Not a good sleeper and pretty fussy most of the time. But as my other grandma Eva used to say, this too shall pass and it did. She sleeps like a dream now, still a bit fussy here and there but watching her grow and learn new things has been so awesome. Watching her roll and crawl and now walking, and Mia has been cheering her along every step of the way. Watching the 2 of them together is such joy. The benefit of a small age gap is that they can play together which started in the last few months and I just pray everyday that they grow up the best of friends.
Sometimes I miss working full time, or maybe I just miss being out of the house and having adult conversations. But being with these girls everyday is the most rewarding part of my life. I pray that I can just be a good mom to them, someone they can look up to. I pray that they love God and make that choice because they want to not just because they were raised that way. I want them to be kind and giving and adventurous with no fears.
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