Life is Good... At the Beach

Here we go....

2008-01-03T20:41:00.000-05:00

My new site is up and running. There are a few little things to update here and there, so don't be surprised if you see a few things change slowly. I have copied the last few posts over, so your comments will remain here for those ones but the posts are there.

Before you head over, I would like to thank Christina over at Red Dirt Road. She was so kind to assist me, ok, set the whole thing up for me. I cannot thank her enough. Although I can get the hang of things computer-wise after a bit, the thought of moving my blog to an entirely new format was a little daunting. My biggest fear of course being that I would lose everything I had ever written. Be sure to drop by and let her know what an awesome job she did.

So without further ado, I would like to introduce the all new "Life is Good... At the Beach". Hope to see you all at the new beach.

"Another Year Over...

2007-12-31T21:23:00.000-05:00

...and a New One Just Begun." (John Lennon - can't think of the name of the song).

As I sit here on New Years Eve, trying to catch up on my blogging. I look back on this past year and realize it was a pretty great one.

After two years of dreaming of another baby, Apple made her appearance and has been a joy for pretty much ever minute she has been here (I can't totally erase her screaming in the car that is pretty much over at this point).

J has grown up and started school. Which he loves and can't wait to get back to. He learned to skate and swim this past year and has also started gymnastics. He is a regular athlete and I hope we can continue to encourage him.

Hubby continues to be a great Husband and surprises and amazes me often. He is talented and gifted and I don't talk of him often enough but, he is the rock in our family and to him I am grateful and love him more everyday.

My family was together again for the holidays. Every year with each additional child, it truly amazes me that we can still get together. Next year won't be much different as my eldest Sister is adding another baby this May (not sure if I mentioned this, as natural pregnancies amongst my Sisters still hurts, but alas it is true another boy will be added to the clan). And Opa was here for Christmas which has been wonderful in itself. Poor J will be shocked in a few days when it is just Apple and I at his disposal.

My youngest Sister headed back Stateside yesterday and not without adventure. Her connection in Chicago was cancelled, so she was put up for the night and given some meal vouchers. Only to arrive for her flight this morning which was overbooked. Being single and not in a rush she accepted the 'first class' tickets home tonight as well as a round trip 'first class' voucher anywhere in the continental US. And additional meal vouchers. Essentially she got three flights for the price of one as she received a voucher on her way here when her flight was delayed and missed her connection and now on her way home. I tell you, you don't get that kind of service from Canadian Airlines.

My eldest Sister heads home tomorrow to Regina. We had a wonderful visit which included our first ever real sleepover here. It was a total blast and J can't wait to have more of them in the future.

And Opa is here until Thursday. Which will round up the visiting and leave our house very quiet. I have about a months worth of cleaning, sorting and organizing so January won't be too boring.

Gah! My quick New Years post turned into a novel. Not the first time that has happened so let me wrap this up.

Wishing all my wonderful readers a fabulous New Year. I look forward to the excitement 2008 brings as much as I look forward to getting back to my regular blog reading. It has been hard for me not to pick up my computer at every spare moment, but I just have had too much on the go.

A BeachMama Christmas

2007-12-26T13:51:00.000-05:00

A Belated Very Merry Christmas to all my readers. The holidays have been very hectic here chez Beachmama, but I assure you the New Year will bring us back to our regularly scheduled programming. In addition to getting back to posting I look forward to the long awaited release of my new site. It is this close (see finger pinching) to launch I was just too busy to finish up the last few things I have to do before going live.

Santa was a huge hit here. He ate all the cookies, took the carrots for the reindeer and left a lovely letter for J who listened intently when it was read to him. He had a few questions like, "the elves didn't make the Lego did they, they just bought them at the store?" My quick response was that toy factories had elves working there to help Santa out.

Having Opa here with us was wonderful. We don't get the opportunity often enough to share holidays with him, so it was truly a wonderful Christmas morning.

Onward to the evening. I just had to share some of my favourites from the evening of my first ever Christmas dinner. I decided last minute to let everyone serve themselves as I did not leave room on the table for the dishes and the meat platter alone is 10lbs. Although making the dinner was a tad stressful due to a long breakfast in the morning, I will definitely offer again next year as the lack of stress on my Mom's face was worth it. The line up for food warmed my heart as there was no shortage in willing eaters here.
Here is a photo of my Sister's and my Mom. The two on the right (black and red dresses) are the ones in Regina and Charlotte, the one beside me lives here. Can you tell we are Sisters??
Here is my Christmas table, which I had to make longer with an additional table and the way our family is growing I will want to invest in a larger table at some point. This one is my Grandmother's from many moons ago. It folds up into a little side table if your space is small. Which was my dilema until we moved here. I do pull out the good china, I love using it and decorating the table. Opa and Dad are chatting it up down at the head of the table. They get along so well and we are very pleased about that as it makes holidays together much easier.And last of all little Apple. She did very well all through dinner swinging away in her Retro swing and fancy party dress. Even when it was time to go to bed she would hear Opa playing with her two littlest cousins and her eyes would pop open, but she was truly tired and finally gave up the ghost and fell asleep and went right on through until 2:30am, almost six hours two nights in a row, it was awesome for me.

I hope to post a little this week but fear that the chaos will still reign in BeachMama's house. I may just have to request a little alone time with me and my computer. Another week to go with a full house, could be a little tricky.

Thank you all for stopping by my little place by the beach. I have really enjoyed getting to know a few new readers this year and I am thankful for all of you that stop and leave notes to me. You all have truly helped to keep me sane this past year waiting for Apple to arrive and getting through the first little bit of school.

I look forward to what lays ahead in 2008!

The Aftermath

2007-12-19T15:00:00.001-05:00

Our streets have been cleared since I took this photo on Monday, but it is snowing again and well, I am not hopeful that the plow will come again. I am so thankful our truck is AWD. I never in my life thought I would need it or the snow tires, but even if it is only for this winter, it is so worth it.
The one good thing about the snow not ending is that there is not enough time for the snow to get dirty. Everything is beautiful, clean and white. But, man oh man it is cold today.
Opa arrived last night and the fun has yet to stop. J is happy as a clam and Apple has been giving him lots of smiles. We are thrilled to have him and if it weren't for the snow and cold we might have been able to convince him to stay longer. Note: they are playing in the new room!!! See my treadmill. How I love my treadmill :).

Snowed in Again.

2007-12-16T22:11:00.001-05:00

Take note of the left swing...
The snow started around 6am this morning, but didn't get into high gear until the afternoon. I kept watching the swing in the back yard as it slowly got buried.

Note: buried swing...
My Sister and her family, thankfully, made it in Saturday night, they were delayed by two hours as the storm had already hit Toronto. But, with the storm today, we didn't get to see them. That and the fact that J has been fighting a fever for two days.
He had a break in his fever and we decided he should get some fresh air. He only lasted about five minutes but it was good for him to get out. I really hope that he is his old self tomorrow morning as he will be sad to miss gymnastics and his cousins again tomorrow.

And little Apple spent the day laughing at us all. I think she is the only one that wasn't affected by the snow storm. Being in lockdown here definately wasn't good for us big people, so much to do at this time of year. I think I used the time wisely, I got a few dozen cookies baked for Hubby's employees, finished J's hat that I was knitting and remembered to take photos all day of the snow.

I posted a few more photos on Flickr. Our tree decorating and the ornaments I received from Beanish. They are beautiful and look fabulous on the tree. I am having trouble getting a good photo of the tree as my flash is too bright and without it everything is jiggly, even with the broken tripod.

If it snows anymore we won't have anywhere to throw the snow from the laneway.

Bullets to tie you over

2007-12-11T20:17:00.001-05:00

So much going on and I have only had one hand free for what feels like two days.

Here is a brief bulleted list of how much fun we have been having. Photos will follow in a day or two:

Room number two is ready in the basement and after a summer of construction and a month of drywall dust we moved into it on Sunday. It is supposed to be the workout room, but will temporarily be the family room. Can I say how much I love having a finished room in the basement for J to play? He loves it too!
My ornament from the Ornament Exchange over at An Island Life arrived and it is oh so gorgeous. I say it but I should say they. I took a photo of them on the table but they really should be shown off on the tree, which will be here in minutes and decorated tomorrow night, so stay tuned.
Cookies are feverishly being baked.
Knitting needles are being worked at every odd moment.
And the sewing machine is still in use.
Wrapping needs to start as J is starting to open odd closets and asking questions about bags.
Big Sis and her kidlets arrive on Saturday and Opa arrives on Tuesday. The holidays are upon us!

Yes, BeachMama, there is a Santa Clause

2007-12-07T08:11:00.001-05:00

This morning I am thinking of Virginia O'Hanlon and her letter to Santa.

Yesterday, we had our visit with Santa and it was great. J really truly believes this year and it may just be the only year. We waited our turn and by the time we got to Santa J was so nervous he started saying "I don't think this is such a good idea". So I told him we just needed a photo for Opa and that he didn't even have to talk to Santa. He wanted Apple to go with him and thankfully she woke up for it. You can see the results of the photo below. Not the best one, but alas we still have a photo for the book.
This particular Santa was fantastic. So much so, that I want to go back and Thank him again for being so great. After the photo was done, he took some time to talk to J and make him feel comfortable. Despite the line up behind us. When I expressed my concern over waiting people he just said, " That's ok, that is part of getting to see me, waiting in line". By the time we left, J was so happy that Santa took the time to talk to him, he practically danced his way through the mall for the rest of our shopping trip. I love Santa.

Growing up my parents made it very clear from an early age that there was no Santa. I don't even know for sure if we ever sat on Santa's lap. It was part of being a Christian for my parents, either you believed in Jesus or Santa and that was it. But, my older Sister and I secretly hoped and believed that Santa was real. We would still leave cookies out, we would still wait up in hopes of seeing him. We believed in the spirit of Santa.

Today, I still believe.

Yes folks, I BeachMama, still believe in Santa.

There I said it. I know that a real person does not come down my gas fireplace chimney and leave gifts made by elves. I know that because I do all the work. But, I still believe in the spirit of Santa. I believe that there is a little Santa in all of us and when I tell J the story of Baby Jesus and that we are celebrating his birthday, I also tell him the story of St. Nicolas and how he left gifts for children who didn't have anything. I tell him that Santa will leave a few gifts and that other family members will leave some too, just like the Wise Men brought gifts for the new Baby. I want my son to love the idea of Santa and to look back and remember that he did believe even if it was for just a few years.

We are going to my younger Sister's house today and her son, J2, does not believe. And goes around telling other children that Santa does not exist. I had to have a discussion with J today about this and let him know that we all have different beliefs. Hubby says that if they argue about it I should just leave. But, I told J not to talk about Santa to J2. I feel sad for my little nephew because he will not have the same joy that a lot of other children have about Santa. I only hope that the kids in his class don't go home crying because he keeps telling them that there is no Santa.

Do you believe?

Catching up is hard to do

2007-12-05T21:29:00.001-05:00

Where to begin?

We had so much snow, well 'so much' is a relative term. Since we had so little last year and we like to forget what it is like to have a lot of snow, I feel like we really got dumped on this week.

Hubby's bus didn't even come Monday morning. J had a combined class because teachers couldn't make it in and I pulled him home on a toboggan. That is how much snow we got in one day. And what to do when there is so much snow?

Bake, play in it, and keep the baby in the house. J is dressed for baking in the photo above. I have been working on the cookies that I am baking for Hubby's employees at work. I did this last year, but found out the night we stuffed the boxes that 400 weren't enough. So I baked approximately 400 cookies in one night to fill them. This year I already have 400 in the freezer, with plans for another 400-600 more. We are filling the boxes with cookies and chocolate this year. And I tried out a new recipe, spice cookies drizzled with chocolate. They just sound so yummy, that I had to try them. I am also going to do a Vanilla bean sugar cookie tomorrow and see how they taste too. And you know what if I don't like them, that is ok because they will be baked and out of the house within a few days.
See these guys? Yes, these two furry snow like dogs? Yeah, well they are not so snow loving. They go in and out so many times that it drives me batty. They seem to only stay out when it is 35 degrees above freezing or 35 degrees below freezing. They stand there at the door and knock and knock and knock until you let them back in. J was even out there wanting to play with them but noooo they knocked and knocked until I let them back in. Crazy dogs.
And poor Santa. For a while he was hanging off the side of the roof, but for some reason he got tired and had to lay down for a while. He has been like this for two days now. Hope he will be alright in time for Christmas.

I posted a few more photos in flickr. I have been busy trying to finish all the handmade presents. I am almost done all the sewing ones. But, had to stop so I could put together the Christmas cards. They are almost ready to be mailed. Then I have a few things to make together with J, so I need to do them on the weekend when Hubby can watch Apple for me, so I don't have to pick her up while working with glue. It's a busy time here chez BeachMama, but I love every minute of it.

Pay It Forward

2007-12-02T21:10:00.001-05:00

I saw this over at Bethany Actually's place and I just fell in love with the idea. I love the idea of paying it forward and doing so with handmade gifts is very fun. I missed signing up on Bethany's blog, but was able to join in over at Maura's Paper Bluebird.

I have copied the directions from Maura, so here is how it works: I will send handmade gifts to the first three people who leave a comment and tell me they are interested in playing. In order to play, you must have your own blog and you must continue to pay it forward by promising the same thing to your readers.

Now, as far as the handmade gifts go, I don’t know yet what they will be. I also don’t know when I’ll get them sent. You may not receive the gift tomorrow or next week, but I do promise that it will get to you within the next 365 days! Sound good? I think it sounds great!

Remember, I will be choosing the first three people who respond by leaving a comment on this blog post. The requirements are that you have your own blog and are willing to send out three of your own homemade gifts (whatever you want to make, no rules or limitations here).

So go ahead; leave a comment. Move this forward again. If I don’t know you, please leave your email address or some way to contact you

How expensive is a bag of milk?

2007-11-29T20:07:00.000-05:00

When you add in the car repairs from Hubby getting side swiped. Very, very expensive.

I could take the blame because I forgot to get milk today when I was out. But, actually going out these days is becoming so difficult that I am lucky to make it home at all. And no, it isn't only Apple. J too is now adding fuel to the fire of going out in the car. Even though Apple has been much much better she still has her moments. But, J, my faithful traveler never wants to go out anymore. Even though I have explained that it is Christmas and we are doing things for others, nope he does not want to go anywhere. Argh.

So, I forgot milk. Dinner was ready and Hubby got home. J ran to tell him we forgot milk so he decided to go. I actually pleaded for him not to go and I would go after supper. But, he really really wanted his milk with supper so off he went. The snow started coming down really hard and Hubby pulled out of the grocery store, thinking he had lots of room. Which he did, if the roads were dry. He fishtailed (this is not making me feel good about the new car/truck) and spun sideways, with nothing he could do the guy that was coming around the corner slid into him. Hit mostly the back passenger door, with a small ding in the drivers door and the back hubcap. Nice.

Hubby actually said it didn't make him feel good to not have control and that left me feeling less confident about our new purchase too. If he had been driving the actual car with the stick shift he could have braked and shifted his way out of the spin, but in this case, there was no shifting, just the locking of the brakes and the automatic switch into AWD. I guess I have more reasons not to go out in the snowy weather now.

Ahhh... off I go to pour a glass of milk.

edited to add: Yes, Hubby was not hurt it was just a minor accident. So minor none of the side airbags deployed. I am just thankful it is only a few irritating dings, but had to make light of the situation by posting about it. It took Hubby longer to get to the police station in the bad weather than it did to get the milk. They got there just in time though because the line up behind them was ridiculous. And I was also thankful that the guy that hit Hubby was a nice friendly guy. The two of them had a little too much in common, it is scary.

Just a few more days until December

2007-11-27T08:14:00.000-05:00

I hadn't realized how much the writing a post every day was sucking the life out of me. Not that I don't love writing every day, but forcing myself to write a post every day was a lot harder than I thought. It wasn't until I was sick and missed my post that I got my time back. And truthfuly we haven't been doing anything fun. Last week was pretty much getting better and the weekend was cleaning and painting. Yes, painting! I got Hubby to finish the paint job in the hallway he started last year. I didn't want to decorate for Christmas until it was done.

And speaking of done, I am almost finished my handmade Christmas presents. Another reason it was a good thing to not tie myself to the computer everyday. I actually got some stuff done when Apple went to bed. Of course, now I will have to spend a few hours catching up, but it was worth it.

With only a few more days left until December, I have a few things I need to check off my list. Holiday cards and cookies. I must get started on my cookies. Last year I baked for Hubby for his employees and apparently the request is in again. This year since I know I how many I will need, I won't be baking 400 cookies in one night to be packaged and brought to work the next day (I needed 800 cookies and I only had 400, the boxes were a lot bigger than I thought when I started). I also made sure that the treadmill was free and clear for me to use because baking means eating and I must be able to get a workout in when the cookies start, must, must, must.

I hope everyone has recovered from Thanksgiving and holiday shopping. I hope to dig out my camera today as Apple is 12 weeks old today!! Ack! Where did the last three months go???

Happy Thanksgiving to our Southern Neighbours

2007-11-22T14:32:00.001-05:00

Today I am thankful for the two blessings I have with me here at home. I am thankful for their smiles and their laughter. I am thankful for a healthy family and for Hubby who works hard to provide for us. I am thankful for my Parents and my Sisters and their families. And I am thankful for all of our extended families.
Today, when I usually serve Turkey for my Dad, I wish you all a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving. May you all be surrounded by loved ones and family.

First Snow of the Year

2007-11-21T19:40:00.001-05:00

Came so much earlier than last year. We made until Boxing Day last year, but this morning Hubby and I were blindsided by the snow. As of 6pm the forecast was for freezing rain, so when I got up for a 4am feeding I was shocked to see the snow. And lots of it.

Hubby took J to school letting him toss a few snowballs and slop through the snow. The teachers even let the kids play outside longer this morning. Hubby thought he was feeling well enough to go to work himself, until he stood at the bus stop for a few minutes. He returned home to bed for most of the day.

I was able to pick J up without Apple, which made his so happy that he was tossing snowballs the entire way home. He went from being forced outside in the snow last year to not being able to keep him in. He had a blast tossing snow at the dogs, who grew weary quickly of that game and ended up tossing the snow at Hubby through the window.The forecast is calling for another 10-20 cm tomorrow, should be another fun day.

Thanks for all your well wishes. We are doing much better today, although not up to par yet. And yes, to answer the question posed by Red Dirt Road, we have more than one bathroom. Not that I am bragging, but we have three in total, so I took one, he took one and Mom kept one clean for her and the kids. And yes, I am thankful for that fact too. Oh so much to be thankful for this day before Thanksgiving.

NanoNoMore

2007-11-20T19:56:00.000-05:00

I did it, I flunked out. But, for good reason. Although I would have rather not. You see, yesterday both Hubby and I came down with the Norwalk Virus. The one where you hug the porcelain bowl for about 12 hours intermittently with getting your butt down fast. Yep, that one. Last time I had it I was pregnant with J.

Not having another person to take care of makes being sick very easy. Having two kids to take care of and both of us get sick with in minutes of each other (4am Sunday night) meant I had to put in an emergency call to Mom. And she came to the rescue. Thank goodness.

Not only did she take care of Apple and J, but she cleaned and did laundry while making sure Hubby and I had lots of fluid and whatever else we needed. It was the longest day, ever.

Having my Mom so close by and able to come and help out made me realize how fortunate I really am. I was sad for my older Sister in Regina yesterday, as she had been sick too, but did not have Mom around the corner to help out. There is no way I would have made it through yesterday without her.

Thanks Mom, again for coming to the rescue.

Another Santa Parade?

2007-11-18T20:22:00.000-05:00

But, with no photos today (this one is from yesterday). We headed out to the mall today. I know, I know you are asking, "what were you thinking?". Apparently I wasn't. Usually if you go to the mall first thing in the morning on a Sunday you miss all the crowds. But, not today.

The first shocking thing was that there was a huge line up to see Santa already and he wasn't even at the Village. Hubby and I did a few stores and headed up to one more on the third floor. There was a huge crowd of people at the entrance to the mall. Kids were everywhere, there were risers for them to sit and watch. We could barely get through. Finally, Hubby asked another Dad what was going on. He looked at us strangely and said, "Santa of course, there is a parade today".

We decided to wait and watch instead of trying to break through the crowds to get to the store. It was cute. There were clowns, elves (kids from a dance school) and mascots from sports teams. After waving to Santa we went on our way. Little did we know that Santa's Parade went around each of the three floors of the mall, singing and dancing.

By the time we stopped for lunch and headed out, Santa was just arriving at the Village. I could not believe it. There were parents that had been waiting for two hours with their kids all dressed up to get their photos with Santa. No wonder there are so many stories of kids crying and not wanting to have their photos taken. They are exhausted people! Just do what I do and get to the Mall first thing in the morning on a Tuesday. There is nobody there and you just walk up, chat with Santa and get your photo taken. Tada. We will be doing that another day.

On a good note we knocked off a couple of J's presents today, it was quick and painless and he was none the wiser.

A Parade to Start the Season

2007-11-17T14:50:00.001-05:00

Today was pretty much the perfect day for a Parade. We have a birthday party tonight so we won't be able to attend our local parade (Barrhaven Lions Parade), so we went to the next best thing. The parade in the next major subdivision (Kanata Parade). We could have braved the crowds and headed to the Downtown Ottawa Parade, but we wanted a happy time, not a frustrated time. As it was there were enough 'Jacks' in the parking lot taking too many spaces or parking crooked so that others left nasty notes on their windshield. But alas, twas not us, so let's forget about those guys.

We did leave a little later than we had wanted too so we were at the end of the parade route instead of the beginning. Being at the beginning is fun as all the people in the parade are still warm and all geared up. Being at the end means they can hardly move they are so cold and they are all Christmas'd out. Either way J had a wonderful time, Apple slept on and off througout and Hubby and I sang along and danced with the crowds (ok we swayed more than danced, but it was still moving).

The only thing missing from the Parade today was that I forgot to pack some hot chocolate. Otherwise it was perfect. The tooth fairy even made an appearance and handed out toothbrushes! And Santa was a Jolly Fella right up until they dropped him at the Mall to start taking photos with all the kids inside. He is going to be one busy guy today.

Thanks for waving for me Santa! We wish you a Merry start to the Holiday Season.

New Hat and a New Game

2007-11-16T21:44:00.001-05:00

I almost forgot to post tonight! Here is Apple in her new hat.

And here is a new game that J and J2 made up today at Grandma's. J was Green (they look yellow in this photo) and J2 was pink. They drew aliens and spaceships and were fighting each other. It was very cute.

And for once I didn't feel like J was being so organized and specific. If you look closely you will see that J2 lined up all his pink papers in the squares on the floor and J had his scattered all over the place. Ahhh....

Little Hat

2007-11-15T21:39:00.000-05:00

I completed my first hat. This is the cutest thing I have ever knit. And truthfully, only the third thing I have ever completed. I knit a sweater once, in the middle of summer, while on vacation. Not sure what I was thinking. Then I knit a scarf for J, around this time of year, when he was a baby. Now, a hat.

The littlest hat. The first of many. I can't wait to try it on Apple tomorrow. And start on my next round of little hats.

And he claims he can't spell

2007-11-14T19:47:00.000-05:00

This is what I found on the fridge this morning..

I also found out yesterday, from one of the Mom's at J's school, that he can zip up his jacket. I told J to ask her for his help and she says, "J show your Mom how you can zip your own jacket." I laughed, as every single morning he goes on and on about not being able to zip up his jacket. He did it. Quick as can be. I was shocked. Apparently he learned how to do that in the first week of school.

So this morning J was almost in tears because I didn't believe him that he really didn't know how to put his socks on himself.

These are some of the fabrics I am working with.
And this was me in production mode on the weekend.
Everything is now cut out and ready for the machine. I did a mass cutting, now I will do mass putting it all together.

And one last piece of news is that we switched Apple's carseat to J's old one (I was using a friends that was a bit narrower than mine and for sure had passed the carseat crash tests last year. We couldn't find the info on ours.) and what do you know, we had two car rides that did not involve crying and screaming. I think the other one was just not comfortable. Will try it out again tomorrow just in case it was a fluke.

My newest piece of equipment

2007-11-13T19:51:00.000-05:00

We caved in this Sunday and purchased a double stroller. We opted for the Baby Jogger Q model in red for one and one reason only. It was cheap or should I say inexpensive. We were going to wait until the Spring and try to get a Chariot. And I say try because new they are almost eight hundred dollars so we were going to try to get a used one. But to get a used double around here especially in the Chariot's is next to impossible.

Our purchase came after I took a trip to the store to have my everyday stroller looked at as the wheels weren't turning properly. And while I waited J was so tired he asked to sit in the stroller that was set up. I saw the Baby Jogger and told him to try that one out as I was curious if he would fit. And he did!

Our single jogger has done and is still doing us well for Apple but, Hubby took J for a run two weeks ago and it was apparently not so comfy for him anymore with his knees up at his chin. And I just couldn't take it anymore, not being able to pile the kids in the stroller in the afternoons (especially because we are again having wonderful weather) and take them and the dogs for a walk. There is no way I wanted to go for a walk with our two big dogs who could pull a sled, J walking and Apple yelling in the stroller. Not to mention, I want exercise, not a leisurely stroll.

Let's just call it Christmas coming early, double joggers aren't half price too often around here and if J really doesn't use it next summer we can sell it for what we paid or close to it considering the sale price.

Yeee Haw!

p.s. thanks for the tips, I am thinking about the guys some more and realized that both do have laptops so I may opt for sleeves for them too. Or I may try another suggestion. Will let you know what the final products are.

Ideas Please

2007-11-12T19:34:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of my homemade Christmas I think I have everybody figured out except the boys (ok, Men).

Here is my list of stuff so far that I am making and hopefully my Sister's aren't lurking in the shadows. And if they are they just won't be as surprised as I would like. This is random and some is for the kids and some is for the adults.

Aprons
Fridge Magnets
Laptop Sleeves (ok the kids don't have laptops so, there you go)
Hats

I am stuck for the Guys. After all these years (it's been 8 that we have all been together) I am drawing blanks at what to get or do for the guys. It used to be so easy when they didn't have garages full of tools. Even more so that I am trying to make stuff homemade. If anybody has any wonderful ideas please pass them along. If not, I may have to make purchases for these guys.

And Because

2007-11-11T11:07:00.000-05:00

I am not busy enough already, I purchased this book. I was just going to put it on my wish list for Christmas, but Hubby said to just buy it now and stick it under the tree.

I fear listing all my Homemade Christmas projects on the off chance that one of my Sister's is lurking in the shadows. I do have three things on the go already, although I got a good chunk of one knocked off last night. And I made extras so I can post them up on Etsy. I haven't opened the shop yet, but after I got home and realized I bought way too much fabric, I decided I could make a few extra and put them up there. I have other things I have done for craft shows that could put up there too. It is time to clear out the closets and what better time than before Christmas?

So, in purchasing this book on knitting cute little baby hats, my hopes is to have at least one done for Apple to wear this winter. Possibly more, first things first, go and find all my knitting needles.

Stuck on You Labels

2007-11-10T19:31:00.000-05:00

I keep forgetting to plug my own little on the side thing that I sometimes do. And in the spirit of blogging on a Saturday, here is the short and skinny.

I am an agent for Stuck on You Labels. They are really cool little labels that you can stick on things that you don't want to get lost. Or if your kids attend a school like the one J attends where everything must be labeled, it works out so much easier and prettier if you have some on hand that are ready made.

They offer a wide variety of colours and icons to choose from. J has a surfer dude on all of his clothing labels and a hockey player on his labels for his 'stuff'. They also offer monogrammed sets, like school supplies. There are some pretty cool things that can make great stocking stuffers for kids, like the personalized note pads.

If you like to keep things organized for yourself, you can pick up some Christmas Jumbo Dots
or create your own Address Labels. They also offer Kitchen Labels, and labels specific to allergies. So much to choose from.

There you go. I will put a link in my sidebar for future reference. If you are interested at all, just click on the link and it will direct you to my page. If you live in the States don't be afraid by the Canadian page, at the bottom you can change your country by clicking on the "Click Here" button.

Sorry to make it short and sweet and photoless, but I am working on some Christmas presents and don't want to be distracted for too long.

And yes, we had an almost tvless day again today, very good, very very good.

The Day with No TV

2007-11-08T21:13:00.001-05:00

Today we did a little experiment. We had a day with no TV!

We haven't had one of those in a while and although J still plays when the TV is on, I really felt like we needed to have a day without it. Even for us big kids. It was great. I gave J my old camera and he snapped away.

We also set up the video camera on a tripod so J could recite his poem from school.

We visited J2, his cousin. They played and had their photos taken.

We went to the craft store and picked up some craft supplies. We built foam men with our supplies (photos on flickr). We practiced letters, or the letter J I should say. And J drew his first person.Phew. What a day. I can't believe what we did in one day and it wasn't even all that exciting. It was just a day without TV. I am going to have to do this more often. It is a bit challenging for me as when the TV is not on, J expects me to be at his beck and call. Then when Apple is calling he doesn't want me to leave what we are doing to tend to her. I think if we did this a little more often then there would be less expected of me.

Don't tell too many people but, I do have to say that I loved our day without TV. I used to always have it on for the company, but I can honestly say, at least for today, that I enjoyed not competing with the additional noise.

Flash Backs

2007-11-08T18:20:00.001-05:00

Please excuse the poor quality of these photos, but I was finally able to move them from my cell phone to my computer thanks to my littlest Sister. And They are all taking me back, way back. Two years to be exact. This first photo is from the U2 concert November 25, 2005. What do you mean you can't see Bono? I waited so long to see them in concert that it was indeed the best concert ever.
This second photo is a sleeping J. Most likely one of the first times he fell asleep on his own at my Mom's house. He is cuddling my Sister's bear, all wrapped up in her blankets because I forgot his. That was the last time I did that.

This is J May 2006. Isn't he such a preppy boy? This year was the first year he would not wear a hat like that one (and yes his ears got burned from it as did his neck). We were at Costco and I cannot remember why I took a photo but his baby cousin is asleep in the bucket behind him.
And the whole reason I even thought of trying to unload these photos was to post one from our fabulous walk the other day. That is Apple in her puppy jacket her "Auntie" otherwise known as my Best Girlfriend bought for her. It is a little big, but oh so snuggly. It is complete with puppy ears and spots. I will take a proper photo another day. You can see the sunlight streaming through the trees, it was truly a wonderfully gorgeous day.

Otherwise, today was rather boring. I went to the dentist for a cleaning. My teeth hurt, nothing much else to report. Apple was woken up from her naps all day long, so here it is almost her bedtime and she has been asleep for two and a half hours. I guess I should go and wake her up. Oh there she is I can hear her now.