What I'm Loving Wednesday

- Maddy has had a good start to the week

- Ricky planning supper out for my birthday on Saturday night

- hoping to convince Ricky to head up to the Fair on Monday to watch the derby...with the kids

- new supper dishes: Monday night I had leftover pork roast, so I shredded it with Diana Sauce and put it in tortillas and made a cheese sauce, poured it over, baked for 20 mins and we had pulled pork enchiladas...the kids AND Ricky liked them

- when I used to have Fridays off at noon...so so long ago but I wish I had them now...Fridays are the days that I want off.

- ice cream, seriously we have been to the store for ice cream all last week and Monday this week (so far)...its done at the end of Sept, so we have to get our fill

- caught up with my friend that adopted that baby girl - everyone is doing great and Baby Melissa is growing fast...she's going to be 8 months, shes 22 lbs and in the 95th percentile.  They are enjoying her and Michelle has decided to stay home for a bit instead of going back to work (her adoption leave is almost up).

Happy Wednesday!

Back to School

Yesterday was the first day of school in our neck of the woods.  I can't believe Maddy is in Grade 4 - where has the time gone?  Next year she will be joined by her baby brother.

Maddy loves school and that makes me happy.  Eventually, she may not enjoy school as much as she does now, so I will take it.  She loves to learn, she loves to help and I love being back in a routine.

Some new things this year:

I told you all about the chore cards...so far so good!

We rearranged her closet this weekend and she know has a system set up where she has an organizational hanging "bin thing" and she has Monday - Friday displayed in each cubby.  Sunday nights she gets all her clothes ready for the week.  Makes mornings easier.

She is making her lunch herself this year and as always, Maddy always chooses healthy snacks.  I printed our some Pinterest inspirations of lunch ideas so she can switch it up.  I got her a lunch cube and some silicone muffin liners to put inside.  Yesterdays lunch was rye bread with ham and cheese with green grapes, carrot sticks and ranch, some smarties for dessert and muffin and yogurt for snacks.

Bedtime routine is fairly easy but this year I want her to focus more on reading.  She likes to read but I don't think she concentrates enough.  We are finding more and more that she is having some attention/listening issues and I'm hoping this little task of reading before bed will help with that.  At 7:30 pm, she goes down to her room and she reads for 20 minutes.  She put up a fight Sunday night because school hadn't officially started so she read to her brother instead.

What I hope for Maddy this year?

I hope that she continues to love school and excel.  I hope that she doesn't lose her tender, loving care of helping others in school, especially the younger ones.  She had one little boy last year that she made sure got off the bus and helped him with his boots/shoes and clothes.  She made sure he made it to Breakfast Club and at Christmas time, I received a message from his mom wondering what she could get Maddy cuz her helping Levi made her feel a lot less anxious about him being at school. 
I want her to work on her attention and concentration more and change some behaviour issues she has at home. 
I want her to have fun while she still can cuz she is growing up so fast and school will become less fun as she moves forward.  I want her to cherish these days.

Love ya kid!

Happy Tuesday!

{Weekend Rewind}

Friday evening we had Rylie for the night.  We went for ice cream, had baths and then just hung out.  She had a hard time falling asleep but eventually her and I laid in bed together, watched some Peppa Pig and were sleeping within 10 mins.

Her daddy is a SENS fan but when she's at our place, she wears PENS gear!

Saturday it was just the kids and I.  Ricky had boating plans so we packed up and heading to Shawville to visit my nanny and some relatives that were up visiting, then we headed to Bryson to visit my sister in law - had lunch there and then stopped at the Splash Pad on the way home.  My sister had said that Rylie was not a fan of the splash pad's so I asked her if she wanted her bathing suit on and she said no.  She played on the play structures, everything was fine.  When the other kids all decided to go in the water, Rylie wanted to join.  We put her bathing suit on (with no diaper, no swimmer) and within minutes...she said "Auntie, me pooping"...I literally looked at her and said NO!  Well sure enough, there was diarrhea leaking down her leg - what a mess.  I had to wipe her down, strip her down, wash off her bathing suit while she ran around naked and then had to pick up the poop on the ground like I was picking up after a dog.  Good times!  After that, we headed home, had corn on the cob for supper and chilled until Momma was done work and she took over Rylie duty.  We all went for ice cream again and had a visit with Olaf (which Rylie did not like AT ALL).  The rest of the night, the kids and I just watched shows and were in bed early and I was feeling sad after hearing the news that my best friends Granny had passed away.  She was everyone's Granny.  She made my kids blankets when they were babies and loved my kids like her own.

Before the explosion...

Tanner soooo excited to see Olaf

Sunday we had a visit with Rylie before Grandpa was taking her back to her parents house.  I dropped Maddy off at a birthday party then Tanner and I picked up Nanny and went to visit Papa in the hospital.  It's so sad to see him laying there skin and bones staring up at the ceiling.  I hope this doesn't drag on too long.  After our visit, we picked Maddy up from the birthday, got all her school stuff ready, got her clothes ready for the WEEK.  Maddy helped me make supper, she made her lunch and we finished off the night catching up on Big Brother.

How was your weekend?

Weekly Review

Highs this week...

- establishing a new back to school routine

- getting a text from Jill telling me that Dolly Parton is putting out a sequel to Coat of Many Colors on November 30th

- passing my exam for Designated Official for the Controlled Goods Program

- got a lot of my cleaning done last night which means not as much do on the weekend

- moving Tanner up to a high back booster seat

Lows this week...

- my papa having some "bad days"

- finding out that my bestie's grandmother is not doing well, health wise

- spilling spaghetti on my floor

What we ate...

- Monday we had chipstand because it was the Soccer BBQ

- Tuesday we had roast beef, potatoes, gravy and fresh green beans

- Wednesday we had spaghetti

- Thursday we had a quick supper of mac and cheese (sounds better than KD right?) cuz it was golf night

- a lot of ice cream, this was a bad week, I think I had an ice cream at the store every.single.night - so loving the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup!

Looking forward to...

- Rylie coming to Quyon for the weekend

- school starting on Monday

- Shawville Fair (although, I'm not sure we are even going at all)

- my birthday (the guys at work are taking me out for lunch)

Enjoy your weekend!

5 Things Thursday

5 RANDOM SONGS FROM iPHONE

 

 

I selected Random on my Music from my iPhone and these were the first 5 songs that appeared:

 

1. Brea Lawrenson - Hell on High Hells (Maddy's favourite song)

 

2. Strange Magic - Strange Magic Soundtrack (Maddy has her own playlist lol)

 

3. Kacey Musgraves - Biscuits

 

4. Rihanna, Kanye and Paul McCartney - Four Five Seconds

 

5. Elle King - Ex's and Oh's

 

 

What are the first 5 songs on your random playlist?

What I'm Loving Wednesday

- the hospital staff and nurses that are taking care of my Papa...you have to be a special someone to be in that field, especially when dealing with a sick, Alzheimer's patient

- having Rylie in Quyon for the weekend, she will be bounced between mine and Mom's house

- going to take the kids to Ricky's hometown for a Summer Festival, let Ricky have a taste of what having three kids WOULD be like...no this is NOT a hint...NO WAY JOSE!

- Tanner is officially (okay, not exactly, but when the new seat comes in) graduated from the 5-point harness and in a high back booster seat...hoping this will make more room in the car!

- coming up with some new ideas for around the house and back to school...this weekend, we are going to make "change stations" where the kids both will lay out their clothes the night before and have a designated area for them

- the cooler mornings are making me think of Fall...not winter, but Fall...I love all things Fall (except Pumpkin Spice Latte haha)

- peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwiches on fresh bread...yum!  I have a sandwich every morning for breakfast and most nights I am waking up at like 1 am to make toast with PB&J...no lie!

- Ricky finally had a doctor's appointment and hoping that new medications will help with some issues he's been having, especially the muscle relaxers for his back

Happy Hump Day!

Back to School

Next Monday our kids are back to school.  I can't believe how fast the summer has passed.


There are going to be some changes once the new school year starts:


- Maddy has been wanting her own money and I feel that she is more than able to start doing chores.  I created Chore Cards for both the kids.  Simple daily tasks that they can do and a few weekly ones.

- Part of that chore list is Maddy preparing her own lunches.  Last year she took ham sandwiches 90% of the time, and boring ham sandwiches - just bread and butter.  This year I told her she is going to switch it up.  She can make bento box style lunches with veggies, meat, crackers, cheese, yogurt, mini pizzas...the possibilities are endless.  So, I am printing some options out and she will have some choices when she is making her lunch at night.

- She will be part of the Breakfast Club at school once again because for $47 a year, my kid is fed a good, healthy breakfast and it's one less thing I have to squeeze in the morning.


- Another part of the chore list is laying her clothes out the night before.  I don't typically have problems with Maddy in the mornings.  Once the alarm goes off, she gets up, gets dressed and ready in no time.  Some mornings though, she is asking what to wear, what matches...this will save that problem.


- In regards to the clothing situation, one thing I do not do before school is buy a back to school wardrobe...she doesn't need new clothes to start school.  Most of the time she is still wearing her summer stuff and I buy clothes on a need basis.  In the winter, I usually have to buy new clothes. 


- She is getting older and we are noticing more and more that when she sweats, she smells.  We have been trying to get her in the habit of putting deodorant on in the mornings, so this will be drilled into her morning routine as well.


- Homework will still be the same, whatever she hasn't completed at school daycare, she does at home with Ricky while I am getting supper ready.


- Bedtime will not change.  My kids don't ask for later bed times - we are in bed by 8:00 pm because they still have to get up at 5:30 am

Have a great Tuesday!

{Weekend Rewind}

This past weekend was really low key.

Friday

- picked Tanner up a wee bit early and got to see the graduates of this year at Daycare.  Poor Tanner is losing all his friends.  He's basically the only original kid staying and a new baby thus far.  Another baby is starting in November and she is looking for 3 more 2-3 year olds.

- went to my grandparents for card night

- home early with the kids and watched some Pretty Little Liars

Saturday

- laundry

- cleaned up, did the bathrooms

- posted some things online for sale (snow suits and Halloween costumes)

- Ricky and the kids went boating up at his dad's with his sister

- I went to my Nanny's, visited with my Uncle visiting from Toronto and a quick visit to the hospital to see my Papa

- I stole Rylie and went to the grocery store, then her and I hung out at home.  It was nice getting along with her for once haha!

- After she left, I laid on the couch for a bit and watched the documentary with my cousin in it - Touch the Wall

- when the kids and Ricky came home, we headed to Mom and Dad's for supper

- hung out there and eventually Tanner and I walked ahead home - poor kiddo was starting a cold (or from his needles)

Sunday

- didn't feel bad about not going to Church because it is closed for two weeks for holidays...haha

- put a chicken in the crockpot

- literally lazed around the house all day catching up on Big Brother and shows

- went through Maddy's fall clothes, gave a big bag to the "other Maddy"

- read Tanner two books before bed and was sleeping by 8:30 pm

How was your weekend?

Weekly Review

What did the week have in store for us...

Monday I had a field trip at work.  I had to find my way first which was tricky, but I did manage to find it.  Let me say, after having a rainy weekend, I just thought it would be cooler that day and wore pants and after trailing around downtown, this mama was hot!  While I was down in the area, I swung by Chapters and got Maddy her dictionary and thesaurus and popped over to Rideau to return swim trunks and got Maddy a dress for her upcoming photo shoot.

Tuesday was supposed to be soccer bbq but it was cancelled because it rained.  And did it ever rain...That day my grandfather was admitted in the hospital and found out that he basically has cancer running all through him, with that and the dementia, it's better for him to be in the hospital because my nanny can't be taking care of him.  Maddy ended up going to neighbour Madi's for the day so she didn't have to run around with Mom and Nanny and see Papa in the state he was in.  Madi ended up staying over that night.

Wednesday we were home because Tanner had his 4 year old vaccinations.  He was so excited all week and I was worried it was going to catch him off guard, but it didn't.  He was such a big boy.  He didn't even flinch for the arm and then the leg he flinched a little...but not a peep.  Afterwards in the waiting room he told me it hurt, but he not cry, cuz he's a big boy.  He is 44 lbs and we have upgraded the car seat to a booster seat, as per the nurse.  After lunch, him and I went to the hospital to visit my grandfather and had a visit with my uncle Wayne and aunt Margaret who were also visiting.  It was nice to see them, we don't see them nearly enough and they live so close now.  My papa was in good spirits and looking better than he was the day before, apparently. Tanner was a little afraid to kiss and hug him but did before we left.  He told him to listen to the doctors and to eat his food.  We also called Rylie to wish her a Happy Birthday (and she was such a goof).

Thursday I was glued to my computer literally all day doing a three hour training course on becoming a Designated Official for the Controlled Goods Program, followed by the two hour exam.  We were supposed to bring Uncle Craig home with us that night, but airlines screwed up and that didn't happen.  That night was golf night and a busy night for us.  We had the baseball bbq at 5:30 then went over to the library for craft night followed by baths and bed.  Ricky had a special night at golf with a feast afterwards. Happy Anniversary to my parents as well.

And it brings us to today, FRIDAY.  The best day of the week.  This weekend, no plans as of yet. I am really just looking forward to doing nothing...maybe go through fall clothes for the kids to see what is needed.

Happy Weekend!

5 Things Thursday

5 Reasons Why I Like Renting vs Owning

 

 

We have been looking at houses for years...but we still haven't found THE house.  The problem is, the houses in our town that we can afford typically need work and well, we ain't handy.  Every time we actually have an appointment to see a house, I start to panic and begin to think of the reasons why I prefer to rent:

 

(1) If something breaks, you just call the landlord.  For example, you wake in the middle of winter, chilled to the bone to find out your furnace has broke...renting, we just call the landlord and let it be his problem.  Owning, we have to get on this and have the money available.

 

(2) No lawn maintenance.  Where we are now, we don't have to cut the grass which is nice cuz our last house, we did...and had to rake a zillion leaves too.

 

(3) Updating for free.  Most landlords want to upgrade places for more value later, so basically you may get new windows or just a fresh coat of paint, without having to do it yourself.

 

(4) Free Garbage Bins.  Our community HAS to have the rolling bins by September 1st and because we rent, if we don't own one already, our landlord has to provide us with one...it obviously will stay at the house when we move.

 

(5) Less upfront fees.  It's one thing to have the down payment for a house (which is also a delay, because we don't at the moment) but it's all the start up fees too:  Welcome Tax, Municipal Taxes, School Taxes, Notary Fees, Surveying, Inspections...so now you need additional money.

 

Eventually we MAY have our own house someday...sigh

What I'm Loving Wednesday

- today I am working from home cuz Tanner has needles today

- he is so excited...we'll see after 11 how he still likes it - haha

- my niece turns 2 today - Birthday wishes to You (even if you hate me, haha)

Rylie and Maddy

- the humidity has lifted which is a nice break

- no plans this weekend

- got Maddy's school supplies (dictionary and thesaurus done), she just needs a new lunch kit and shoes

- apparently the school daycare has more kids this year, that will be a nice change

- meal planning (although I wish I had someone at home to start my meals)

- tomorrow night is the end of year t-ball BBQ

- tomorrow night is also craft night at the library

- Tanner brought home some crafts from Sophie's (even if he does hate doing crafts haha)

- Maddy was putting make up on the other day and I asked her why and she said she wanted to be "puuuurdy like Dolly Parton" (referencing the movie Coat of Many Colors)

- being able to watch movies like Bad Moms at home now!

- taking my marketing role at work to the next step and learning more...on Monday, I got to be part of a procession for Hill 70 that paraded downtown.  I had to follow, take pics and tweet about it

What are you loving today?

Family Ties

Growing up I used to think that I had such a small family compared to some of my friends.  I really only had an aunt (my mom's sister) and her family on my mom's side and then two uncles on my dad's side that were really around. But as I got older, I obviously got to know different cousins and relatives and learning more about my family and some of them have actually turned out to be famous...or something like that.

Let's start on my mom's side.  I was raised with my Nanny and Papa Earl and later on in life, I found out that Nanny was actually not my mom's mom.  This didn't change anything to us because she was considered our Nanny, and really, my mom's mom.  My mom's mom died when my mom was only 5, so she doesn't have many memories of her.  In the last couple of years, thanks to Facebook, my mom has been able to connect to some relatives from her birth mother's family. 

On the weekend, my cousin Lindsay (who knows a lot more about that side of the family) sent me a text telling me to check out Touch the Wall on Netflix, it was a documentary about our first cousin.  It took me a while to try to figure out how this was my first cousin.  I had never heard of this girl before.  So I asked and she explained to me that our mom's mom actually had two daughters before them, so we had two half aunts...and one them has a daughter named Melissa (Missy) Franklin, who is an Olympic swimmer who is actually in the Rio 2016 Olympics right now for the US team. That was neat, even if I don't even know her. 

Another cousin of mine that falls under the same scenario as the one above, m mom's birth mother's family, I have a cousin named Mason MacDonald who is a Canadian junior ice hockey goaltender who is currently playing for the Charlottetown Islanders of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League as a prospect for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League.

This one is a cute family connection.  We have a cousin, again, on my mother's birth mother's side who is a...wait for it...a mermaid.  Maddy thinks it's pretty cool that she has a cousin mermaid.  Her name is Mermaid Mimi.  She can be found near St Margaret's Bay in Nova Scotia.  Maddy hopes to meet her and her baby, Aria someday.

Another famous moment...my mom's cousin and his wife had triplets about 17 years ago - 2 girls and 1 boy named ABC.  Austin, Brianna and Corrina.  They were featured in a movie called Bless the Child.  At the very beginning of the movie when Cody was little, the role was played by the triplets.  

	Austin Reed	...	Baby Cody
	Corrina Reed	...	Baby Cody
	Brianna Reed	...	Baby Cody

Now on my Dad's side, I really only have one and I just found out about this the other night when I was talking to my Dad about Missy Franklin.  My dad's uncle Geordie was inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1978...okay, so maybe he's not as important but whatever. 

Well there you have it, a little famous family history. 

{Weekend Rewind}

Friday I left work early to get some groceries then picked Ricky up, headed home, threw a pizza in the oven and cleaned up the house.  There was a work golf tournament so there was no cards again.  Instead, the neighbours came over for some strawberry daiquiris, Tanner played in his new veterinarian costume I picked up for him and the girls played with a new Lego set that Maddy got.  Everyone was tired so it was an early night.

Saturday we got a whole season worth of rain, or so it seemed.  It was a very rainy day.  We didn't have any plans outside though, we were heading to Orleans to celebrate Rylie's 2nd birthday.  We decided to just go with my parents and I was glad that I didn't have to drive in the rain on the way home.  We got home early, had baths and Maddy and I crawled into bed to watch Matilda.

Birthday girl blowing out her candles

Rylie, Tanner, Maddy and Bryson

Sunday morning, something happened in the Belland household that has never happened before.  Tanner dropped MY tablet into the toilet.  He was very upset, so I tried to be calm.  I filled a bag with rice and dunked her in.  (Update: checked it this morning and it was still not turning on and it was still leaking water when I shook it).  Maddy and I decided to run to the city and get her school supplies.  We went to Bureau en Gros (Staples in English) and got everything we needed except her dictionary and thesaurus (apparently, I need to go to Ontario for an English one).  After that, we stopped at the grocery store again for a few things that were forgotten on Friday and some things to make homemade Chinese food for supper.  We grabbed McDo's for lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon napping, doing laundry, making muffins and getting fruits and veggies cut for the week.  Dad came over for supper and we kept some for Mom after work and then Maddy spent the night there.  It was another early night, story of our lives.

How was your weekend?

Friday: My Week in Review

HIGHS

- the sunny, hot weather
- suppers planned most of the week
- ice cream
- fresh garden cucumbers
- blogger friend Amy welcoming her daughter Keira (Hi Amy, and congrats to Daddy and big bro Garrett)
- being lice-free (Halleffinlujah...sorry)

LOWS

- hearing of people leaving their kids in the cars on very hot days
- my papa going downhill due to Alzheimer's
- garbage day and maggot filled garbage bin
- trying to do something tech-savvy and realizing you are no good at it
- the kids behaviours this week
- realizing that school is coming quickly and we still need to do back to school shopping
- going two full weeks without a pay cheque
- the forecast of rain this weekend

Have a good weekend!

5 Things Thursday

5 Household Chores that I HATE

 

 

This weekend I went on a cleaning spree, I even wanted to clean other people's houses...so I thought I would share some household chores that I HATE doing

 

(1) Dusting - I hate dusting and I think mainly because it just blows all around you.  I don't care what kind of spray or cloth you have, when you are dusting the bunnies away, they are just blowing elsewhere...and dusting makes me sneeze!

 

(2) Cleaning the Bathtub - I get it, I make the ring around the tub because I must take a bath every night, but I hate cleaning that stupid ring around the tub.  Again, doesn't matter what kind of cleaning solution I use but I have learned that using a toilet brush (a clean one that is just for the tub) works better than a cloth or sponge.

 

(3) Cleaning out the Garbage Bin - especially in the summer...gross! We have garbage pickup once every two weeks so in the summer, the bins are usually full of maggots.  This year we have been trying really hard to place all leftovers (especially meat) into a bag in the freezer, then garbage day, just throw that in...but we forget sometimes.  After garbage day, you can see me hosing down the bin, holding my breath and washing it out!

 

(4) Windows - I honestly don't think I have ever washed my windows (oh God, maybe I shouldn't have said that).  Okay, the big window in my living room, yes it's been done, inside and out actually, but bedroom windows....ummm nope!  We have big windows and we have darkening blind and curtains and well, we never open them...hmmm maybe this weekend I will wash them, I am feeling sorta piggish right now.

 

(5) Mopping the Floor - another chore that doesn't get done nearly enough.  I figure, if my floor doesn't look dirty, why clean it?  Haha!  I obviously will mop the floor if something is spilt but really, I do a good thorough move-all-furniture deep clean of the floor...maybe once a month.

 

What are some chores that you hate doing (and you can't say them all)??

What I'm Loving Wednesday

- always love that it's Wednesday...the week goes quicker from this point on

- sun, sun and more sun

- the Olympics...okay, that is a lie...I like hearing of Canada's medals, but summer Olympics unfortunately don't do it for me like the winter ones!  Either way, GO CANADA GO!

- celebrating Rylie's 2nd birthday this weekend

- this week is pay week, thank god

- school is quickly approaching, I am loving this because Maddy is super excited to get back

- Josee has booked her flight for her visit home in September...we are going to spend the day together on the Friday and take the boys to Monkey Around

- I got Maddy a whole Girl Guides uniform for this year on a Facebook yard sale for $40 (everything that was included would be over $100), so now I guess I have to sign her up

- corn on the cob, I love corn on the cob season!

Happy Hump Day!

Tuesday Ramblings

- a lot of sadness over the weekend in the news...a 10 year old boy lost his life while swimming in Constance Bay (which is across the river from us) and there was an Amber Alert for a 12 year old boy with a medical condition and sadly, they found him deceased.

- Tanner found Ricky's old cell phone in the bottom of the toy box and has been carrying it around with him all the time.  It's cute to catch him talking away on it.  Yesterday morning he called Maddy to say good morning (she was sleeping at Momma's) and then this morning he called Sophie to see what was for breakfast.

- we went and looked at a house last weekend but it was way too small for us.

- I am getting sick of the potential house buying thing...we go and look at houses that are in our budget and they end up being too small or need a lot of work...honestly, I am quite happy where we are...we have no grass to cut, we have great neighbours (now) and when something happens, we just call our landlord and HE fixes it.

- thinking of planning another bon fire night with the neighbours soon...

- I finally bought something on the East to West Coop site I am a part of...Cards Against Humanity...not really sure what the game is, but maybe something we can play with our neighbours!

- I want to take the kids to Parliament to see the light show...maybe Saturday after Rylie's birthday party

- I sent Ricky an email yesterday telling him that we should go and explore some cool spots in our area such as Lusk Caves and Mackenzie King Estate.

- Over the weekend there was an apparent shooting in our town...no one seems to have heard anything about it other than a car on the side of the highway with gunshots in the windshield, with cop cars, ambulance, a tow truck and a tarp covering something on the ground...maybe a suicide, a murder?  No news!

- our former mayor has been having some legal battles with our current municipal council and he has won his appeal and will be going back to Court in October...fight Eddie!  We want to be able to vote him back in as Mayor next November.

- I tried to put a Jamberry thingy on my nail the other day and it was way too complicated for me, I think I need to have a party where someone actually demonstrates, I am no good following You Tube videos apparently.

Happy Tuesday!

{Weekend Rewind}

Can it seriously be Monday morning all ready?  Uggh...well here is our weekend recap:

Friday, Maddy came to work with me which was nice.  She used to come to my old work with me all the time but hadn't been to the new workplace...so I asked the guys if they had any clients coming in, they said no and they said it was okay for her to come.  She was excited.

She spent the day in one of our spare offices and had fun playing office all day.  She was able to use the phone to call me and a few times she called Dad at work. 

Friday night, the neighbours came over for a few drinks and a chat.  It's nice to have neighbours that you actually like and can have over to do things. 

Saturday morning I was up early due to a restless sleep the night before.  I had the urge to de-clutter and just go on a cleaning spree.  Before the kids got up, I went through their toy boxes upstairs and got rid of a lot of toys that they no longer play with.  After that I attacked Maddy's room and we re-organized and put things in their place.  We got all of the dust bunnies and I felt good afterwards.  I then however became very lazy.  Ricky headed out around 10:30 to go to friends camp for a horseshoe tournament and the kids and I relaxed until we headed over to Hollie's to celebrate the twins' birthdays.  It was a gorgeous day to be out at the pool...hot,  but that's what you want when you have a pool party.  The party kids left and we stayed for supper and more swimming.  Another great day.  We headed home around 7 and were all in bed and sleeping by 9.

My neighbour caught Maddy in mid air of a back flip into the pool.

Sunday guess what happened?  We made it to Church!  Tanner even put money in the celebration jar saying that we haven't been there in a long time but we are here now!  I prepared a simple Sunday School lesson for the 4 kids that were there.  We talked about Treasures from Jesus so I prepared an ice block with treasures inside.  I brought hammers and we went outside and hit that block of ice until all the treasures were out.  Afterwards I had these Top Secret Mission envelopes ready for them and this week, they have a list of "missions" to do around the house and stuff, to help others and then they leave a Secret Agent sticker when they have completed it without them knowing.
After Church we just hung out at home, tried to nap, played some cards and had chipstand supper.  Maddy ended up going to Momma's for a sleepover and Tanner and I were in bed at 7:45.  Exciting times.

Now, it's Monday and a full week back to work. 

How was your weekend?

God is Good

I may not be going to Church much this summer but it doesn't mean that I am not thinking of Church, teaching my kids and praying.


Lately...


- we attended a funeral service for Nanny Belland...Catholic church service is very different from ours.  Ricky even mentioned to one of his cousins that he hates this part, he wishes everything was at our Church because it's not so "stuffy" (by that he means, anything really goes, mainly, don't have to feel bad when kids make noise). Catholic service is a lot of up and down, up and down.  There are a lot of prayers that everyone just knows so us that don't go there normally, are speechless.  They do communion every service with those wafer host things...we have real bread (this one I had to explain to Maddy) and the most noticeable thing...we continue our Lord's Prayer (glad that Maddy knows this, but when the whole church stops, and we continue, a little embarrassing).


- a friend sent her son to Golden Lake Camp and it brought back childhood memories.  I used to go there every summer and I loved it.  You would spend a week there and the time flew by with games, activities, meals, and songs.  I loved the campfire songs we sang (still sings them...Our God is an Awesome God is one of my faves).  I loved making friends and doing the crafts.  I loved getting my letter mid week from my parents saying they miss me.  When she posted a picture saying goodbye to her son, I got to thinking that maybe Maddy will be ready for this next year.  I want her to experience it.

- I prayed that my dentist appointment this week was going to be A-Okay...and it was - no cavities!


- I have been looking for a little lesson to teach this Sunday...this will MAKE me get out and get to Church haha!


- I love hearing Maddy speak about going to Church.  I think growing up, I used to be ashamed to go to Church (so don't feel that way anymore). 


- yesterday morning driving into work I noticed our own little picket on the yard with our fundraising goal for our new roof...I still have to make my donation!


- Speaking to my new neighbour last week, her little girl came out carrying her Bible and asked if she could read it.  That began a conversation about Church.  She used to attend a church that was a little different.  I am not sure of the details but the things she said didn't sound too delightful.  She has since found a church in Ottawa and has gone a few times and enjoys it.  She likes the programs it offers.  I told her to come to our Church, I know they would love it.


- In Shawville, in the summer time, they have a Vacation Bible School for a week in the mornings and I hear so many good things about this.  I wish we lived there or I was off that week so that I could send Maddy.  Also, it makes me want to plan a week like that at our Church.  It was brought up a couple years ago.  Basically all us Sunday School mom's would pick a week and each day, one or two of use would be in charge of that day.  The older confirmed kids could be our helpers and it would also help bring money into our Church.  Maybe next year??

Happy Friday!

5 Things Thursday

Today marks ONE YEAR at my new job and I am so happy that I made the move and quit the last job to move to this one.

5 Reasons Why I Love My New Job

(1) Free Parking - this was a big negotiation when I started the job, they asked me what I wanted, I said parking and they said okay!  Simple.  We don't live in the city and we have to commute to work (there is no other way) therefore I think it was easier to hand it over than if someone lived in the city with the access to the city buses.

 

(2) Holidays and Leave - this was also a biggie because for seven years at my last job, I was through an agency and that meant that I didn't have leave.  Well I did, but I basically got vacation pay every pay week so if I took a week off, I would not get a cheque that week. I did however work extra hours and gained banked hours which let me have days off.

 

(3) Working from home - this was another bonus.  I don't use this every day obviously, because I do love coming into work, but those days that I have appointments, kids are sick or bad weather, it's nice to know that I can just bring home my laptop, login and work from home.

 

(4) Office Environment - like my last job, we are only three employees total and most of the time, they work from home, the road or are travelling which means I am alone a lot.  Many people may not like this but I have become so used to it, that I do like the quiet office.  This job, I am more busy so the time doesn't pass as slowly as the last one.

 

(5) Learning - in the year I have been here, I have learned a lot about what we do and I find it really neat.  I want to be able to understand everything eventually.  Thankfully, I have a background in defence and military companies so that helps.  I attended my first big conference with this company and was really happy they gave me the chance because it gave me a better view of what we do and our competitors.  They are also very good about me furthering my education and learning which is a great thing too.

 

What I'm Loving Wednesday

- that it's already the middle of the week...hooray to short weeks

- no more rushing at night because t-ball and soccer are done...woo hoo

- being back to work...because we all know that I can only be home so long before I get bored

- beach days...we had two of them this past weekend and I love it

- my kids getting older...I know most people cringe at the fact that their kids are growing up BUT I love the fact that we can go places and there are no additional bags, no kids on leashes and they are becoming more behaved

- I had a dentist appointment yesterday, just a cleaning but there used to be a time that I tried every excuse in the book to get out of it, this time around, I didn't even try to cancel it!

- hot, sunny weather...when I flipped the calendar over this week to August, I became sad that it's almost back to school time and soon enough (ahhhh) that 4 letter word...so I am soaking it all in as long as I can

- Shawville Fair is coming up and last year, I only took the kids one day...this year not sure what we're doing...hoping to watch the derby seeing how we missed it last year.

- seeing family on Ricky's side on the weekend that we don't normally see often...there is a reunion in the making so that we can see more of each other, especially the kids.

- Rylie's birthday gift is bought...should be in this week!

What are you loving today?

{Extra Long Weekend Rewind}

I really had to think back to my weekend because I have basically been home for the last week due to a death in the family.

We'll start with Friday which was spent in a funeral home all day.  My mom kept the kids and Ricky and I attended the two wakes for his grandmother.  Despite the sad circumstances, it's nice to see that side of the family.  We don't see them nearly enough.  In between the wakes, we headed to his nanny's house where we had a little supper, drinks and chats before heading back to the funeral home for 7 pm. 

Saturday morning we were all up early and dressed because today was the funeral.  The kids were coming with us.  We decided to take two cars up because all the cousins were going to go out on a boat ride.  The kids were well behaved at the church and at the graveyard which was nice.  After the luncheon we headed home and just cleaned up around and house and chilled. 

Sunday morning, once again, I had all intentions to head to Church but I got into a cleaning spree and didn't stop, so we skipped again!  Geez.  After lunch, the kids and I packed up, brought the neighbour and met some friends and their kids at the beach.  It was a nice day.  There was a nice breeze off the water and the kids all loved the company.  We headed home, had a quick supper of hot dogs and hamburgers and relaxed.

Monday was a day off and we had nothing planned, so Ricky and I packed the kids up again and decided to go beaching again.  This time the other neighbour, Madi came with us.  After the beach, we were all pretty tired and just hung out at home.  I got to work in preparing supper and then I made some white chicken chili that I saw on Southern at Heart one day - for my lunch this week.  After a play at the park, kids were bathed and everyone was in bed early.

How was your weekend?