What I Am Reading: The Power of

[For Parents] Have you ever been almost paralyzed
by the fear of something happening to one of your children out in this big, unpredictable world that we live in? Do you believe in God's grace and desire for good things to happen in our lives and our families?
Perhaps you would enjoy reading this book which seems to be based on teaching or reminding us that we can do great things for our children and for ourselves by praying for them and then releasing our fears and trusting God.

I just started reading this book for a workshop
that I am involved in. I did not know
what to expect when I picked it up, but throughout
the first two chapters I was pleasantly surprised.
I can relate to the author.
From childhood to parenting, we have shared some
common experiences. She is effective in putting
thoughts and ideas to paper and I am interested in
reading further.

I have enjoyed reading that there is a way to
release or at least ease the sometimes heavy and
overwhelming load of motherly worries. We love our
kids so much that we can not bare the thought of any-
thing ever causing them pain or worry...

We can not shelter them from the world but
we can pray for their well-being.

If you have read this book, I would like to hear
what you thought of it.

These Dangerous Times: Lead in Toys

I guess that I have been pretty slow to respond when it comes to all of the recent announcements regarding toy recalls and lead paint. What seemed to get the most attention initially was the Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway toys, and we did not have our train set yet, so it wasn't really an issue for us. Now that the recall list has drastically expanded, I just don't know exactly what to think! I can search through the lists and pictures of affected products, but what about all the toys we have from smaller companies or toys that are older and may not be on current lists?

If you have any suggestions on what you have done to address the recent recall situation
and toys in your own home, please let me know.
I would appreciate hearing from you.

Some links of interest:

Recent RC2 Thomas & Friends Recall:
http://recalls.rc2.com/recalls_Wood_0607.html

Fisher Price Recall Items:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07257.html

Original RC2 Thomas & Friends Lead Paint Recall:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07212.html

PHOTOHUNTERS: Original Photos

September Travel

I am posting some photographs from our recent trip to the east coast as part of the photohunters theme for this week, which is "original". Our trip was great and of course, we snapped many pictures with our Canon SLR. We are still learning how to get optimal performance out of this camera, so the beautiful landscapes of Nova Scotia were a perfect place to practise! Thank you for looking and please stop by again. I have lots of areas on my blog where I am seeking input from readers. Hope you enjoy!

09/30/07: Adding a few more pictures with Smilebox

Thanks for the interest.

Click to play Make your own Smilebox

My Ramblings: The Aging Thing

Well, who knew - it appears that I am not the only woman in
the world with aging on the mind! Now that I have been
thinking more about it and even blogging about it, I have
become very aware of how saturated the world actually is
with coverage of this topic. Rightfully so I guess, since the
world if full of people and every one of us is aging each and
every minute!

I went on line today to look up one of the Human Lab
products from Rachael Ray's show last week and I saw
that today's show will start with a segment on Aging and
Longevity. I definitely recommend checking out this
Ultra Longevity Quiz. My score was in the average
human range. I suppose this is a good thing.

Some of the things that were mentioned a helping to slow
the aging process included:

- getting good, restful sleep
- eating a multi-vitamin daily, before your largest meal
- stay away from cigarette smoke
- floss your teeth!
- not being angry or over anxious
- having a dog growing up!
- exercise to a sweat 3-4 times per week

You'll have to check out the Quiz. I recommend it. I missed
the episode of Rachael Ray, but perhaps it is available on
the website. I know these things sounds like common sense,
but sometimes we need a reminder.

The Road to Happiness: Declutter??!!

I am finally going to put it out there - my admission of my biggest
issue in my household...clutter! I have been avoiding this topic because
I did not have any hope in sight or any positive message to give you.
I have also avoided this topic because it brings me stress. I also try to only
post when I am ready to "practise what I preach".
Here goes (maybe)...

A friend was over today and she told me about Flylady.net
You can check it out yourself, but I can not paste any content into
my blog. I will tell you more about the site and the concepts
involved once I have had a chance to look at it more thoroughly.
I really never know WHEN I will have more time to look at
ANYTHING more thoroughly, so we'll see what happens.

Anyway, I do have a goal to get my house more organized
so that it is not such a stress for any of us that are in it! Let
me just say that my home is not dirty or piled to the ceiling with
magazines or collectibles or whatever. I keep it tidy and things get
done when I get around to doing them. We also have two kids under
3 (my excuse for everything these days!).

The first step in the FlyLady method is to SHINE YOUR SINK.
I am off to try it out.
Let me just tell you that I am totally nervous because
I don't know if I have what it takes to get in gear. I don't
even know for sure that I am willing to admit that there
is a problem here, but I guess it is too late for that!

I believe that releasing the clutter in our minds and our
homes would bring a much greater sense of peace with a
lot less stress. This can only be a positive and healthy thing
to consider...
to me it just seems like a scary road. I have lots of excuses for
things being the way they are and I like to hold on to things
"just in case". The biggest "just in case" is "just in case I DO
NEED that item someday!" Seems logical to me!

Anyway, time to go SHINE MY SINK. Wish me luck!

READER POLL: Blog Templates & Design

I am starting a new theme on my blog. It will be a serious of "can you help?"

questions where I will be hoping to get YOUR INPUT, EXPERTISE,

THOUGHTS and IDEAS on any of the topics posted. You can email your

responses or post them through the "comments" link. I look forward to

hearing from you!

BLOG DESIGN:

I have recently been inspired to change the colour scheme of New Leaf Times.
I am wondering if anyone out there has further suggestions for a reader-friendly
colour scheme, layout and overall design? I do not currently know how to
do a custom template. If you know where to get new and interesting templates
on the web, I would love to hear from you.

Question: Do you prefer reading blogs that have narrow columns
of print rather than wider, stretch display?

Question: What colours are most reader friendly for text and background in a blog?

Question: What font style and size is most reader-friendly for text and background in a blog?

Question: To RIGHT JUSTIFY OR NOT RIGHT JUSTIFY?

I would love to hear from you by email or through blogger comments. Thank you!!

The Joy Of Ice Cream

I felt like I owed it to every woman out there to tell you about this scrumptious new ice cream that has come into my life today! I have to admit that I have a major weakness for ice cream. It used to be chips - but then it turned into chocolate and then ice cream. I guess right now it is both chocolate AND ice cream, so I usually try to select ice cream that CONTAINS chocolate. I think you get my point. Anyway, today I felt like a change and was really excited to come across a selection of Real Dairy ice cream flavours that are 50% less fat! I have tried the reduced fat varieties by Chapmans and they are really good, so I was an easy sell. It was on sale at Zehrs at $3.99, so there was NO WAY that I could resist. Well, let me just tell you that this ice cream is fabulous! Very smooth, creamy, yummy! Lots of butterscotch flavour and only 3g of fat per 1/2 cup. This is almost unheard of! Compare other varieties or regular ice cream and you are probably looking at 8-9g of fat for the same serving! Think it doesn't matter or it's all the same? I previously used Oprah's tip on satisfying your chocolate craving with the low fat chocolate fudge pops and it worked GREAT for me! The episode I am referring to probably aired around November 2005. Maybe a little sooner, maybe a little later. There were a few tips such as being strict about not eating after a certain time in the evening. I used a few of the helpful tidbits provide to shed a few extra pounds of baby weight -- around 9 months post-partum. Anyway, I am not into extremes when it comes to dieting. I am pretty much thrilled if I can substitute my regular ice cream for 50% less fat and all the flavour! I would love to hear from you with your favorite fat reduced sensational snack idea. To find out what flavour you would be if you were ice cream, click here or here or here. Just for fun.

My rating for Real Dairy Butterscotch Ripple Ice Cream is a 10/10!

MARRIAGE MONDAYS: Shift the Mood

I do hope that there will come a time when I can actually post for Marriage Mondays and Toonie Tuesdays on their respective days - but I can not predict when that might actually be. The fact of the matter is that I am just really busy right now with things that take priority...

[I can tell you, however, that I do recognize that there is a positive side to blogging as a creative outlet as long as it is in balance with other commitments.]

Anyway, this is going to be short and sweet. My husband and children and I are on vacation on the East Coast. [ BTW: It isn't REALLY a vacation, my husband is working 9-5 while we are here.] At the beginning of the trip we started out pretty strong and with good intentions, but by the end of the first weekend away (and after a full day on the road heading to a weekend get-a-way destination on the Cabot Trail) we were starting to get irritable with each other. The disconnection I felt was the irritable, hard to please, knot in the gut that makes me feel and act miserably. Not nice.

If there was going to be any hope of enjoying the beautiful setting (cabin by the Ocean) together and as a family, I knew I had to shift the mood and for some reason I just randomly and totally out of the blue just asked a question:

"What do you like about marriage?"

The answers were a totally refreshing lift for my mood - especially when my husband said that "having a best friend that you can count on" was one of the big pluses of marriage. How could I not feel the love again?

So, there you go...it worked for me - so my suggestion for Marriage Monday is to recognize when the mood in your relationship is probably due more to external factors than to the actual chemistry between the two of you...and then do something to shift and lift the mood.

a kiss

a nice dinner

a hug

a touch

a glance

a note

a question (something positive or at least something that will open up the communication between you)

"How are you feeling?"

"How have you been handling ___________________?"

"What would be your #1 favorite choice for dinner tonight?"

"What makes you happiest?"

In my experience, the sooner you do something, the easier it is to get out of the rut. It is so easy to let resentment set the tone but we all know that this results in negative outcomes for everyone involved. I am also starting to recognize that this is an ongoing process. There will always be ups and downs. It doesn't mean that your marriage isn't strong.

I recently read something where the author commented that as women we are often our own worst enemies with what she called "catastrophic thinking". Our ability to take a minor argument or period of disconnection and within our thoughts turn it into the beginning of the end! How true! Maybe not for every women, but I think a lot of us do it. If you are one of those women as well, it might help you to put this into perspective and realize that it is a pattern of thought, not an actual reality. It may also help to know that it isn't all about YOU -- it might just be another one of those "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" things. Blame it on hormones or genetics or whatever. We're just different. I'm not saying that because we might be more predispositioned to this that it is our doom or destiny and can not be changed. On the contrary, I think that with understanding comes hope. Womanhood is worth celebrating. Stay positive!

The message here is that you do you have the power to shift negative energy in within yourself and within your marriage. It isn't always easy to make the choice or make the effort - but it feels good once you do it.

Anyway, time to shift the focus right now and get off the computer! Best wishes to all!!!

INVESTIGATION: Skin Deep

I guess it has been over the past few years now that I have really started to spend more time pondering the concept of aging and what it means in my life. I don't mean aging in the sense of life accomplishments or mortality or any of that - I mean the good old vanity issues regarding getting older.

I have often considered blogging on this topic in the past, but have really never tackled the issue. I suppose that I wasn't exactly sure what to write about or if it would be at all remotely useful or wise to post about the things that I am most self conscious of. Would doing so make me look vain? Would I expose too much of myself? What would people think? Well, today is a new day and I am expecting that most of the people who end up reading this blog are probably already pretty familiar with the sorts of thoughts and topics that I am going to write about. Perhaps it will be another common thread that binds us?

Truth be told, there was a time when I actually didn't think that aging would really phase me too much at all. Not that I wouldn't age, but that I wouldn't be bothered by it. I guess that was before I actually started seeing the signs! Oh, the naivety of youth - so perfectly innocent! Anyway, I am in my early-mid thirties (okay, I am 33) and I have two children under 3. This will give you some perspective on where I am coming from. I'm at that point where the physical signs of aging are sprouting up in conjunction with the fatigue of being a mom of young children. It's almost like the two are collaborating and conspiring to do I don't know what...but the bottom line is that I am experiencing signs of aging and most of the time I am just too tired or too preoccupied to do anything about it.

Looking back, it sure has been a roller coaster for my mind and body. Pregnancies, weight gain, weight loss, hormones, fatigue, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, lack of proper diet...the list goes on. I just had a funny concept come to mind: could it be possible that women who choose not to have children actually age slower or more gracefully than their counterparts who are mommies? Perhaps they do, perhaps they don't...I'm not sure. I do tend to think that they would at least have more time to care for themselves! This tends to appear as a luxury in my life - or maybe that is an excuse. Us moms should take better care of ourselves, shouldn't we?!

Anyway, enter the concept of my investigation blog. It seemed remarkably coincidental (or was it the Law of Attraction?) that in very short order after deciding on this article topic today, that two things turned up on television that were connected.

(1) A commercial for ProActiv with testimonies from Jennifer Love Hewitt, Puff Daddy (Sean Combs), Jessica Simpson and Vanessa Williams. What got me about this advertisement campaign was that I could not understand why celebrities such as Vanessa Williams or Sean Combs would actually do a commercial for a product like this unless they truly cared about getting the message out to people who are are affected emotionally and socially by acne. Am I being naive? Would they do it for money? I can see a razor commercial (I am thinking about Tiger Woods) or running shoes or whatever. Okay, I just looked up the Gillette thing with Tiger Woods and it has been speculated that the three athletes involved could be getting a total of $10 - $20 million for the gig -

So maybe P.Diddy DID do it for money --- anyway, my initial thought was that they must care about the message, so it must be true so I SHOULD try to do a Human Lab investigation on ProActiv solution. I doubt that I will ever be able to bring myself to pay full price, so maybe I will find a deal or discount. Hopefully it won't be Nair or something in a ProActiv bottle!

Anyway, I don't have a major acne problem, but I am 33 and it does rear it's ugly head from time to time. Also, acne seems to mark my skin worse that it did when I was younger (and seemingly MUCH more resilient). Wow, back in the day -- I sure would have never guessed that P.Diddy would be selling me on acne solution in my thirties!

In all actuality, it was Jennifer Love Hewitt who kind of sold me on the idea because she didn't claim to have major problems with her skin, but said that she liked the glow that she got from using ProActiv. One of my biggest complaints and concerns with my skin is that it is dull. I sometimes feel 33 going on 53. Seriously. Not that there is anything wrong with 53! There are probably LOTS of 53 year old women that look and feel more polished and refreshed than I do! That is NO understatement. I call them the "City Line" women. Have you seen that show? I am getting off topic - but the City Line women are older, polished, fashionable and fabulous!

(2) An episode of Rachael Ray (and I have never tuned in to this show before with a segment on Human Lab experiments of three potential age defying products. The aging topics being tackled were "cellulite", "wrinkles" and "sagging". Wowzers. The wrinkles one is what caught my attention. They were talking about handheld electrostimulators for your face and skin. This was interesting to me because I have often passed the Neutregena one that is one sale in stores here and wondered if it would actually be worth the investment. What was interesting on Rachel Ray was that they noted that Dove has come out with a much cheaper version of this product (Dove SkinVitalizer) that is not exactly the same but may show positive results. If I can find it in Canadian stores, I think I will give it a try. If I do, I will be happy to update you regarding the results of my own Human Lab experiment.

Well, I'm getting tired. I have not blogged this much in a while. Where do I go from here with my investigations? Well, I hope to try one or two of the products featured on Rachel Ray and perhaps try some ProActiv. I would also like do try some home teeth whiteners, but I really don't want to waste my money. Does anyone have any advice to give? Tune in again for updates from my Age Defying Investigation series...

PS: On a final note, I can't help but tell you that today's FEEL GOOD song is Justin Timberlake, Sexy Back. Maybe it is because he was on Oprah today (I only caught the last few minutes) - I don't know, the beat is just stuck in my head today. My family was also affected, considering that I was bouncing my 7 month old on my lap to the tune of sexy back! ["...is bring sexy back, those other boys don't know how to act..."]

On that note, it was just on the television AGAIN - just to reinforce it in my brain. Some commercial that included a snipet of the song. I guess I'd better check if there is a video on Yahoo Music and post you the link!

Justin Timberlake music videos on Yahoo

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TOONIE TUESDAYS: Back To School

I have missed out on posting a few times for Toonie Tuesdays, so I am doing some catch-up, even though it is Thurday! Please feel free to submit your own comments or suggestions for Toonie Tuesdays by clicking on "comments" or by sending me an email. I would be glad to share your experiences, thoughts and ideas with other interested readers

BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING: CLOTHES

Back to school in our household is really only "back to playschool"- but I thought that I would post about it anyway since all of us with children are constantly buying clothes in the next size up, especially when it comes time to think about "back to school".

I suppose that things get more complicated as children get older, but with little ones, it is pretty straight forward: they need clothing and we still get to pick it out (and purchase it), for the most part, anyway. For this article I have some thoughts on buying affordable clothing.

1) Buy off season. Check out Sears, Zellers or any clothing store near the end of the season and you will undoubtedly find an abundance of clothing reduced to clear. This is really the only time that I buy new clothes unless we see something that we really like or come across other sales throughout the year. Off season purchases are often sale prices with an extra percentage off of the lowest ticketed price. This usually means substantial savings for clothes that are still current and trendy because the styles are less than a year old. Check out the stores RIGHT NOW and you MIGHT find a few summer items left at good clearance prices. Sears is great for this (Canada). I find this to be especially true for bigger ticket items such as snowsuits. If you can guess what size your child will be wearing, the end of season the winter prior is definitely the time to buy.

2) The above suggestions for off-season buying are also handy when shopping at children's consignments stores. Consignment stores often have agreement with their clients to clear out items at reduced prices at the end of the season. I have seen nice infant bunting bags and children's snowsuits at rock bottom prices at the end of the winter. I suggest looking in the yellow pages or checking online for your local consignment shops. Who knows, maybe you have some things that you want to take in to sell while you are at it?
Note: Consignment stores vary in the percentage of sale dollars that they will give you when your items sell. You may also want to look into other fine print regarding unsold items. In Canada, Once Upon A Child is a favorite for some parents because you can get cash at the door when you bring in your items (they will choose what they want and tell you what they are willing to pay). You may want to try your local free online classifieds because you may get a better dollar than consignment. It all depends on how much work you want to do and what you are willing to take for your items.

3) Thrift shops, thrift shops, thrift shops! I can't stress enough how well you can do with picking up good quality used children's clothing at thrift shops. Locally, we have Value Village, St.Vincent de Paul, Goodwill and the Salvation Army. All have their ups and downs - so you will have to ask around or better yet, check out your local stores for yourself.

Watch for specials such as Value Village's 50% off days!!! Go early to get the lowest prices on a large selection of items including winter gear, all clothing, shoes, hats, crib bumpers, bedding and much more. One thing I want to mention is my own skepticism regarding Value Village and the overall perception that many of us may have that they are a non-profit organization. Value Village is not a non-profit organization and I decided to email them to find out more about their contributions to the community organizations that they do work with. I received this email from them:

["We have contracts with over 125 non profit organizations. In those contracts, we agree on a bulk payment rate. The non profit solicits the merchandise, picks it up and delivers it to the store. Donors also bring merchandise into the store as a donation. The non profit is paid for donations whether they are delivered by the non profit or dropped off at our store. When the rates are negotiated, we work with the non profit to assure their costs associated with obtaining the merchandise are covered and that enough residual is figured into the price for funding of their very important community programs."
Customer Care for Savers, Value Village ( Washington , Oregon , Alaska and Canada ) and Village des Valeurs in Quebec]

I have to admit that having this further bit of understanding does make me feel a little better about dropping off donations to them - though I probably won't do it. I prefer to donate to non-profits and especially places that give away the goods to people in need (for free). There are a couple of places in my town that do this and it makes me feel good to know that donations go directly to the people who need them. Having said that, I know of some of the organizations that do get money for goods from Value Village, and it is their major funding source and therefore, very important. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind being the consumer at these places, I just think others should be aware that for example, your shopping dollars are not going to community organizations when you buy at Value Village - Having said that, many thrift stores such as Bibles for Missions, Salvation Army, Goodwill and St.Vincent de Paul PROBABLY give a great deal of your money to community organizations and people in need. I can not be sure of their bottom line because I have not asked them individually or done any research.

I could go on and on but I won't. My suggestion is to do your own investigation (or simply ask a few questions) before assuming that your money or donations are going where you think you are. You should always feel free to ask how your contributions will be used, what the overhead or administrative costs of the organization are or any other questions that come to mind.

Back to thrift shopping - you can also watch for "fill a bag" days...this is major value for the buck! St.Vincent de Paul is a store that does this occasional (in some communities). I have also frequently seen this concept on Diva for a Dime. See, it is OKAY to shop this way - you might even find a diamond in the rough and get a great deal on some great fashion items. Personally, it is usually just practical items or even Halloween costume articles that I am searching for when I go poking around in thrift shops or consignment stores.