Day to Day

Pages and Pages Oh My!

2010-06-15T10:38:00.004-06:00

Just signed up for the Summer Scrap-a-Thon over at Sharing Memories! One LO a week for 12 weeks. Can't wait. Who's joininig me?

Done!

2010-06-14T21:08:00.001-06:00

Report Cards that is! Woohoo! Only 10 teaching days left!

What I'm Doing Right Now

2010-06-13T00:31:00.002-06:00

1. Planning for a much needed summer break (one of the perks of being a teacher). This includes enrolling Nico in a week-long summer camp, finalizing vacation details and thinking about all the things I will accomplish...hopefully.
2. Watching DH diligently trying to complete renovations to our family room, beautifing the yard for summer and organizing the garage.
3. Trying to keep up with Darci Dowdle's BPS class, Baker's Dozen. I love the fact that by the end I'll have 13 completed layouts or at least 13 preplanned LO's that I can complete at a crop or leisurely over the summer.
4. REPORT CARDS!!!

So Much to Do

2010-04-28T23:38:00.001-06:00

I just want to know how working moms keep up with cleaning and laundry and still find time to play with the kids and spend quality time with their DH's?

Score!

2010-04-26T23:30:00.002-06:00

I walked in to my local Michael's to shop some weekly sales and scored a MM file tab punch for just $12.99, regular $27.99! I love a bargain! I'll return later in the week to save 65% on wall frames! Yippee!!

Back Again

2010-04-20T22:22:00.002-06:00

I know, I know. It's been ages. Life is busy. As much as I think it will, it just does not slow down!! Here is what has been going on:
1. I am back at work teaching full time.
2. The boys are with grandma 5 days a week but this has taken a toll and will possibly be going to four, just trying to figure out what to do with them.
3. We are tackling some small renovation projects - new windows, new built-ins in the family room (finally, a space to display my scrapbooks), gathering quotes for new shingles, waiting for DH to begin renovating our main bath, a project we planned over a year ago!
4. Dealing with an almost 5-year-old who wants to be the boss and seems to have no regard for respecting his elders! I have never seen tantrums like this and there are days when I dread coming home from work.
5. Just found out we are expecting our first nephew! (We have three nieces presently). He will arrive in mid-September.
6. Still running two home-based businesses.
7. Trying to figure out how to keep up with house cleaning, groceries and laundry.
8. Planning a mini-van purchase - my heart is set on the Toyota Sienna in Charcoal grey, hubby does not agree with color choice.
Well, there it is. My life in a nutshell.

My Friday Five

2010-03-12T13:46:00.003-07:00

1. It's a done deal! We finally sold our white Ford pickup that we've been trying to get rid of for over two years! It's a cool story actually but I'll save it for some other time.

2. Hosting an All-day crop tomorrow with my colleagues at Calgary Crops.

3. Baby hasn't had a decent night's sleep for the past 3 nights - teething?

4. This is my last Friday of my Mat leave :(

5. Date night tonight with my DH. Long overdue...

Enjoy your weekend.

Spring Cleaning

2010-03-09T14:00:00.002-07:00

Well I'm headed back to work full-time next week and so I thought I better get the house in order. I've spent the better part of the day organizing my kitchen and basement pantries, doing laundry, washing floors, putting away toys and organizing business supplies. Thank goodness Nico is with Grandma and Luciano has been asleep for the last 3 hours. Maybe it's because he tossed and turned fron 3 until 7 this morning. Not sure if he's teething or had an upset tummy - probably both! Back to the grind...

BALANCE Revisited

2010-02-27T23:36:00.002-07:00

A few posts ago I announced that my word for the year is BALANCE. This past week I was dealt a painful reminder of my chosen word. After surprisingly finding ourselves pregnant just days before our little one's first birthday, I suffered a miscarriage at 6 weeks gestation. It was a painful few days, both physically and emotionally. Please everyone remember that life is short, your children are only young once and whatever doesn't get done today can wait. God Bless.

Where Did I Go?

2010-02-22T23:31:00.002-07:00

Wow! Life is busy! Five things since my last post:
1. We just celebrated my baby's first birthday! The house is still a mess.

2. I finally organized my office but that only lasted two days.

3. I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new entertainment center for our family room complete with toy storage(courtesy of my father's unbelievable woodworking talent despite paralysis of his left arm at the age of 16).

4. Heading back to my "real" job.

5. Expecting baby number 3! Ooops! Didn't see that one coming! Still in shock even after 2 home pregnancy tests and my first official doctor's visit. Pray for me everyone!

BFTW

2010-01-27T23:31:00.002-07:00

An old trick my mother taught me many years ago: When you're buying a $6.49 block of cheddar cheese from Safeway, look for the one that weighs the most. I unabashedly check every one and dig to the bottom of the pile. My husband loves this one!

Budget Friendly Tip of the Week

2010-01-13T23:00:00.002-07:00

First off, these tips will be referred to as my BFTW from now on.

So my BFTW today is this: Be aware that when grocery store deals say 2 for $5, for example, you do not need to buy 2 to get the deal. You are entitled to buy one for $2.50. My rule of thumb is if it's a staple in my house, I get both, otherwise I buy one and then wait for another sale before I buy it again. Cuts down the bill and the amount of stuff you need to store at home.

My Word

2010-01-13T00:36:00.002-07:00

BALANCE. That is my word for 2010. I think it's a good choice for this mom of two busy boys, operator of two home-based businesses and soon-to-be part time teacher.

Budget Friendly Tip of the Week

2010-01-07T10:44:00.002-07:00

It seems the underlying theme this month on the blogs I follow is budget so I plan to post a budget-friendly tip or two each week. This week's tip came to mind as I was making dinner last night. I regularly purchase pork tenderloin from Costco in packages of 5 or 6 for around $20 which means I have 5 or 6 dinners for around $5 a piece plus veggies. I used one in a stir-fry and realized that was an awful lot of meat for 3 of us. So my tip is - next time I purchase the pack I'll cut two in half before freezing them and use these in my stirfries instead (BONUS TIME-SAVING TIP: slice the loins in half lengthwise then slice the halves into strips before freezing to save on prep time later).

Happy New Year

2010-01-04T15:56:00.003-07:00

Five things:

1. I don't usually make New Year's resolutions but I am making a necessary exception. I need more sleep. No more crawling in to bed at 1 am especially with a 10-month old who usually doesn't sleep thru the night. I am aiming for 11pm with a little time for reading in bed - one of my favorite things to do. Any suggestions for a good book?

2. The new year also brings a new venture for me as I may have mentioned earlier. I am officially a Lia Sophia advisor. Have a look at our beautiful jewellery and accessories at www.liasophia.ca. This month we are featuring the "Reverse Customer Save Plan". What does that mean you ask? Well, choose any three items, pay full price for the cheapest item and receive the other two at 50% off! Plus, you get to take advantage of that offer as many times as you like. Think in terms of sets ladies! Earrings, necklace and bracelet oh my!

3. Want to host a show? How does 40% in host credit, 2 half price items and 4 host bonus items (Purchase any piece for $16.50 unless otherwise stated) sound to you?

4. It's official. When I return to my teaching position on March 1st I will be job sharing, something I've wanted to do for some time.

5. I am co-hosting an all-day crop on January 30th. Visit www.calgarycropsscrapbookingclub.com for all the details and to register.

That's it for now.

Christmas

2009-12-26T23:29:00.002-07:00

Well another Christmas come and gone. This year I felt it went quicker than others. When I woke up Christmas morning, I had to remind myself what day it was. There just seemed to be some magic missing. Perhaps I allowed myself to get really caught up in the commercialism which is quite unlike me. I feel that I've struggled to teach my children, especially Nico, "the true meaning of Christmas". Maybe it's because this was the first year it was all about the presents for him and that Mom guilt just crept right on in. We are dealing with some major family issues right now as well. I just want to spend the next few days enjoying my family and taking it easy. Hope to get out to see Zoo Lights at the Calgary Zoo and get some sledding in with Nico.

Tags A Plenty, Tags Galore

2009-12-07T23:10:00.003-07:00

It's official. I love making tags and love all the pretty ribbon I can tie to my tags. Nico just loves squeezing the crimper and I love to organize and tag baskets, scrapbooks, drawers, whatever the case may be.

Dazed and Confused

2009-12-01T23:45:00.002-07:00

It's December 1st and the overwhelming holiday rush has set in. I feel way behind and the month has just begun. Need to:
*get Christmas photo cards done and mailed out
*put up tree and decorate
*bake cookies with Nico
*finish shopping (almost done, thank goodness)
*wrap gifts
Ahhh, the holidays!

Lia Sophia

2009-11-23T23:37:00.002-07:00

After much contemplation, 3 phone calls from a dear friend and a business opportunity meeting I am trying my hand as a Lia Sophia advisor. This is a direct selling jewellery company founded by the family that owns Remington. Some of you may remember a commercial from the 70's with a handsome man in a white robe saying, "I love my shaver so much I bought the company". Well that's the founder. His children now run the family empire and Lia Sophia is their baby, a very successful one. Stay tuned for more news on this latest venture.

Hooray!

2009-11-19T12:48:00.002-07:00

Hubby says I can open the box! And he even said he would buy me a little something else to put under the tree. Perhaps a cartridge - I especially like "Lyrical Letters" - or a new watch. On our five year dating anniversary, we surprised each other with watches. Mine was a silver Esquire. I've worn it every day since which equates to 9 years! It stoppped last week so I assumed it was the battery. I had it replaced but no luck. I have to say I almost cried. I love that watch and what it means to me although I did spot a nice-lookin' FOSSIL and mentioned it to DH. I plan on doing a LO about my dear little Esquire. Will post when I do.

Can you say "Cricut?"

2009-11-17T12:53:00.003-07:00

It's finally here! My Cricut machine. Can't wait to learn how to use it. DH says I can't open the box until Christmas though :(

Hello

2009-11-09T09:55:00.002-07:00

Well, as my very dear friend Noreen pointed out, it's been a while. I'll just share what's been going on around here.
1. My hubby bought me a Cricut for Christmas! I found it at scrapbookpal.com for and incredible $149.99 USD. Best of all the shipping was only $15 USD.
2. I have been debating having my children vaccinated for H1N1. After much debate and discussion with family and friends, I am ready to bite the bullet.
3. Nico is loving preschool. Wednesdays are his favorite because it's "gym" day.
4. We were lucky enough to be invited by DH's cousin to employee shopping days at Toys'R'Us last night. So in one foul swoop we completed most of our Christmas shopping for our boys, 3 nieces and a few friends.
Well that's what's goin' on. Happy holiday planning to all!

Routine is Good

2009-10-29T13:07:00.003-06:00

It's been awhile since my last post on my routine. Happy to report that it is working out well. I find it eases my anxiety to know what I am doing each day and it also saves me from beating myself up when I've wasted half the day deciding what I should do first. I am feeling less overwhelmed by housework, errands and all that "mom stuff". I highly recommend all you stay-at-home moms implement your own routine. Off to get the baby...naps never seem to last long enough!

Routine

2009-09-22T23:41:00.002-06:00

I've decided that it's time to buckle down and get a weekly routine going. It just seems that the days and weeks go by and I feel I've accomplished nothing. My new plan inadvertently started on Monday when I spent the afternoon cleaning the main floor while Nico was at school. He is in preschool 3 afternoons a week so I've decided I will schedule these times with regular activities and tasks. So my afternoons will look like this...

Mondays - alternate cleaning main floor and top floor each week; laundry
Wednesdays - run errands; grocery shop
Fridays - odd jobs such as organizing closets, pantry, mudroom, etc.

Tuesdays and Thursdays like this...

Tuesdays - Nico is with grandma all day so I usually spend the day doing things I enjoy like blogging, emailing, scrapbooking, etc.
Thursdays - babysitting co-op with my sister-in-laws; there are five children (ages 4 yrs, 2yrs, 7m, 6m, 5m) between the three of us so two of us watch the kids and the third gets an alone day.

I am also going to try and get a walk in everyday until the weather becomes unbearable. We are enjoying an incredible "Indian" summer here in Calgary with record-breaking temperatures!

Wish me luck. I am not very good at follow-thru but I am committed!

Me

2009-08-25T22:52:00.000-06:00

I'm exhausted! So much to do, so little time.

Milestone

2009-08-18T22:05:00.002-06:00

I finally registered my four-year-old for preschool. As I often say, "Where has the time gone?" I said to my hubbie this is it. He's starting school. There's no turning back. It's a giant step forward and will continue for the next 12 years at least. I have a lump in my throat thinking about it. On the other hand, 3 afternoons a week to myself with baby sounds real nice.

A Mother's Work is Never Done

2009-08-17T09:07:00.003-06:00

With the little one approaching 6 months (Wow!) we begin the journey of eating solid foods. I'd forgotten how much work this is and find myself wondering once again, "How much?", "How often?", "What order?" Oh yes and let's not forget the addition of messy bibs and washcloths to the evermounting laundry pile! On the other hand, how fun is it to watch those first reactions to new tastes and textures and the discovery that blowing raspberries sends baby cereal and drool flying in all directions! I guess I'll have to wash my floor (and my walls) a little more often too...

Ahhh, the Playroom Emerges!

2009-07-20T00:10:00.004-06:00

What a productive weekend! I finally cleared-out one of the basement bedrooms and created a playroom for Nico - something I've wanted to do for a very long time. I have just grown so tired of seeing toys all over my family room and kitchen area. The next step will be convincing Nico that he doesn't need Mommy to keep him company all the time. It makes me wonder now if I shouldn't have kept my scrapping studio in the basement as well. I moved it to the main floor a little while ago because there was no space for the kids in the basement but now there is...what is a mom to do? Oh well, at least the toys are in one contained space for the most part. My next goal is to finish the joining of my scrap space and home office and to tidy up what's been left behind in the basement. I am so dreading that!

Layouts

2009-07-08T15:31:00.002-06:00

Here are the layouts I have been creating through my BPS class, The Challenge of Me. Enjoy!

ME

2009-06-27T23:47:00.002-06:00

I just started my very first online scrapbooking class and I am loving it. It is called "The Challenge of Me" from Big Picture Scrapbooking. I have always wanted to create an album of myself but didn't know how or where to start. This is the perfect starting point and I plan to add to it after the class has ended. I never thought I would be "a scrapper" or a "blogger" but here I am loving every minute of it. I have 3 blogs that I faithfully check everyday. It has become part of my routine and I can't wait to see what else BPS has in store for me down the road. Oh how I wish I didn't have to return to work next winter...

Birthday Party

2009-06-16T00:05:00.003-06:00

Whew! Just finished a weekend celebration of Nico's 4th Birthday. It started on Saturday with the "Kids'" party. We have a bouncer that we fill with small plastic balls so we set it up in the backyard - thankfully it was a beautiful day. The kids had a blast. On Sunday we had the "Family" party with aunts, uncles and grandparents over for a BBQ. Today was Nico's actual birthday so we took him to Chuck E Cheese's to play some games and then over to Wendy's for a burger - Nico's favorite fast food. Now you have to understand that had anyone told me my son would be celebrating his birthday 3x I would have told them they were crazy. But somehow, someway this is what happened. Next year it will be party with kids during the day and family over for cake and coffee in the evening. My house is finally back in order, for the most part, and I'm exhausted! My boy is 4! Where does the time go?

Photo Freedom

2009-06-06T15:33:00.005-06:00

Wow! I just started reading Stacy Julian's book, "Photo Freedom" and I can't put it down! If you are a scrapbooker stuck in the "chronological rut" you absolutely need to get this book. Stacy has a fantastic system for organizing and scrapping her photos that releases you from the need to scrap chronologically. I have grown bored with my annual family albums and miss scrapping just for the joy of it. Her system allows you to do just that. She also teaches this system through an online class called "Library of Memories" that runs once a year at bigpicturescrapbooking.com. I plan on registering next February when it starts again. I can't wait! For now I'll spend my time setting up my new photo organization system.

Jon and Kate

2009-05-26T22:15:00.003-06:00

I watched Jon and Kate Plus 8 last night. Honestly it made me so sad. I thought about it all night and actually had a hard time falling asleep. I've watched the show since the beginning and feel as though I'm watching a friend's marriage fall apart. The show afforded a great family so many opportunities that they wouldn't have had otherwise and now it could be coming to an end. This may sound corny but it broke my heart to see the pain in them.

Go Figure

2009-05-21T12:47:00.002-06:00

I finally took the boys for photos this morning. I chose their outfits carefully, ironed shirts, combed and hairsprayed Nico's hair. Of course as soon as I put Luciano in his baby carrier, he spit up on his shirt! Thank goodness for baby wipes, those things pull stains out of anything! After we managed to arrive at the studio, my baby, who smiles at anything and everything, refused to smile and my almost-4-year-old, who can't fake a photographic smile ever, had the perfect grin. Go figure!

Sleep

2009-05-19T15:49:00.002-06:00

Just as I was beginning to wonder when my 11 week old baby would begin to sleep through the night, he did it!! We were actually in a hotel room in Canmore over the long weekend. I put him down at 10pm on Saturday night and when I woke at 6:30 Sunday morning to the sun shining I immediately ran over to where Luciano was sleeping to make sure he was still breathing! Do all mothers do this the first time baby sleeps through?

Menu for the week of May 10

2009-05-12T23:35:00.002-06:00

This week's menu:
Monday - Weekly dinner at the inlaws. Yahoo!
Tuesday - Cashew Chicken with rice(Rachel Ray)
Wednesday - Baby Back Ribs and tomato salad
Thursday - Oriental Sweet and Sour Meatballs on rice (Best of Bridge). This was a childhood fave of mine and brings back memories of mom.
Friday - We'll be away for the long weekend!

Easy week for me!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-09T23:38:00.002-06:00

Wishing all mommies a Happy Mother's Day. I hope someone does something special for you. My husband baked me chocolate chip cookies while I was out with the boys today. Very sweet!

Hurray for Meal Planning

2009-05-05T23:21:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to share my meal plan for the week:

Monday - Asian Chicken Wraps (Today's Parent Magazine)
Tuesday - Slow Cooker BBQ Beef on a Bun (put a frozen roast in the crock with 2 cups of BBQ sauce, set on low for 6-8 hours) with Nacho Potato Boats (Today's Parent Magazine)
Wednesday - Pork Chops with Apples (Today's Parent Magazine)
Thursday - Creamy Pasta and Sausage (Today's Parent Magazine)
Friday - Whatever's in the fridge, it's my day off :)

Did I mention I love the Food section of TP Magazine?

I went through all my old issues recently and tore out any recipes that looked appealing. I then went through an old file folder full of recipes I'd collected over the years and sorted them into the following piles: Meal Plans, Recipes to Try, Preplanners, Baking, Dips/Appies/Marinades, Soups and Other. I am going to put them in a binder filled with those plastic sleeves. No more staring into the freezer and/or pantry at 5pm wondering what's for dinner.

2009-05-05T17:40:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Day to Day

2009-05-05T17:33:00.001-06:00

Hi. I'm Julie. I am a Creative Memories consultant and a school teacher. I am currently on Maternity Leave from my teaching career after the birth of my second son. When I was on leave with my first, I loved sending emails to my Mommy group about everyday stuff. It was my chance for some adult conversation and an outlet for my incessant need to help people and share advice. Recently I began reading a blog hosted by my good friend Noreen. I look forward to checking her posts in the evening after the kids are tucked into bed. I have left a few comments and then I realized that I was filling that urge again to share information that might be useful to other mommies out there so here I am. Wow, I'm a blogger! I don't even have a Facebook account so this is huge for me! I am so excited to share. My most recent passion is meal planning so stay tuned for that!
j.