New Leaf Times

Toonie Tuesdays

2009-03-09T18:32:00.006-05:00

I am posting a day early for "Toonie Tuesdays" - just in case I don't get around to it tomorrow. I used to feel self conscious about taking any time to focus on frugal savings, but this day and age it seems to be a common topic in personal discussion and all forms of media. The fact of the matter is that the economy is struggling and times are tough for many people. Even for those who are still doing okay, being cautious of money and budget seem to be top of mind.

Having said all of that, I am jumping back on the band wagon with "TOONIE TUESDAYS"! My way of communicating any great deals that I come across in my daily life. I love a great deal and I hope you do too!

This week:

Two of my great deals this week come from the Canadian Tire flyer.
#1: Doing any travelling in the near future? Canadian Tire has two different sets of Cambridge luggage on sale. One is their 4 piece set with a 5 year warrant for only $39.74 from $109.99. The other is a 3 piece set with 2 year warranty ($39.99). I saw both at the store and liked that the 3 piece set comes in interesting colours such as blue or "burnt orange".

#2: A special deal and coupon from the flyer. Good on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week ONLY. Spend $40.00 in store by paying for merchandise with your debit card, CT MasterCard or cash and receive $10.00 in Canadian Tire money! What a deal! Who can't find something to buy at CT for $40.00? With $10.00 back, who can resist? I'll be there! (Great time to buy the luggage mentioned above!)

Kelly's Deal(s) of the Day

2008-04-06T10:37:00.008-05:00

Love a good deal? You've come to the right place! Stop back regularly for the details on all my great finds. Please feel free to share your favortite deals with our thrify community by posting here.

Zehrs (this week): AudioLogic Am/Fm Digital Clock Radio - only $4.88! Comes in black or white. Simple but good. Silver buttons. Has Am/Fm alarm or buzzer. I like it!!! Might be an in-store special (as opposed to all stores).

Zehrs (this week): 7 foot ornamental cedar shrubs! Tall and well shaped for ornamental planting. $15.00 OFF and on sale for $24.99 each! A deal!

Long time no blog

2008-03-30T18:40:00.005-05:00

I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth, but I did go back to work. Close enough, I guess. Actually, I think I felt more pressure before going back - but that is another story. I spend less time on the home computer and more time on the work computer - just a simple trade. The family is good and my universe is peaceful. The way God intended. Nice.

Tomorrow is "Marriage Monday". What can I say? Stick it out - hang in there - keep on keepin on. When it is meant to be, it's meant to be. There are stages in life when unfortunatly our marriages can tend to take the back burner - but as long as you have commitment, love and faith - there will also be times when you can give it the extra attention that it needs. The reality seems to be that we can't be deeply connected every minute of every day - not with the hussle and bussle and many demands of our busy lives...but we can commit to always, always meeting on the other side. Each and every time.

What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.

Have a great Monday everyone - Marriage Monday. Remember, you can post here to share with others how you will put your spouse and your marriage first this week. I am going away for a few days, and you know the old saying, distance makes the heart grow fonder. Maybe I'll text a love note or something. Oh, the age of technology. How romantic.

Over and out for now.

2008-01-06T08:36:00.000-05:00

Ever since I coloured my hair with Natural Instincts last time, I have been meaning to write a funny post about how the colour is just too dark and I don't think that I should use that particular shade in the future. The product is #28 Nutmeg - and I have no idea how they came up with the picture on the packaging. I don't feel that it represents the colour at all. They'd be better off having Gene Simmons as the model! Speaking of which, for the at least the first couple of weeks I felt like I probably LOOKED like Gene Simmons because my hair felt shorter from my recent cut and dark from the colour. The texture was also different and seriously, I wish I would have taken a photo doing the same pose as he is in this picture. That would be funny.

Okay, these pictures might not substantiate my claims, but I DID feel like I had Gene Simmons hair!

Just Add Veggies

2007-12-16T23:19:00.001-05:00

As parents of young children, I think most of us at some point (and for some, quite frequently) wonder if our children are getting enough vitamins in their diets because they don't seem to want to eat veggies. At this stage in the game, we are still pretty lucky and our toddler is willing to eat a good selection of veggies. Having said that, I would still like to share the idea of adding veggies to various lunch and supper options to "boost" the vitamin intake that your children are getting.

Yesterday I gave our son some Dora alphagetti for the first time. It was probably only the second time he has had a lunch noodle in tomato paste from a can - but I bought it because sometimes it feels like we are running out of options (or I'm just not feeling creative enough on the spot!). Anyway, I also bought a couple bags of my FAVORITE mixed frozen veggies and added some to the mix when I was cooking. I just think that this is a simple but great way to add nutrition (and colour and flavour - even I ate some!) to the meal. Served with brown bread and voila...

Might not look like much (I'll admit) and is a FAR CRY from gourmet -- but it did the trick and at least I knew that our son was getting broccoli, peas, peppers and even spinach into his system as he ate up Dora, Swipper, Boots and the Stars! Us parents, pulling out all the stops and tricks. Well, you know what they say, "whatever works", and this meal got gobbled right up!

Note: Europe's Best veggies are on sale at Zehrs this week $2.50 a bag. Frozen veggies are selected, picked and packaged at their prime so they are always tasty. I think they retain all or most of their nutritional value as well.

DARE TO COMPARE: Product Review

2007-12-12T21:06:00.000-05:00

Well, I thought that I'd better take a quick minute or ten to post about my recent hair colouring experience. I finally decided on using Natural Instincts (semi-permanent) #28: Nutmeg for Dark Brown Hair. I have used this colour in the past and was hoping to not go as dark this time, but in the end of it all it seemed like the only worthwhile thing to do because Natural Instincts will not actually lighten your hair at all (no peroxide).

Before haircut (2 above)

After haircut, before colour (2 above)

After colour (1 above)

- will post another

All in all I think I will try #20 next time and not go with such a dark brown. This product only stays in for 28 shampoos anyway, so it isn't like it is a major commitment or drastic undertaking. If your hair is a lighter colour, you have more options. If you are willing to add red hues, you have even more options. They are currently on sale for a great price at Zehrs, so if you feel like a change, check it out.

My rating for Natural Instincts is a 7/10 because I still haven't been able to get the results that I am truly seeking.

PS - Aren't these some horrendous photos? I don't know why I bother posting this kind of stuff! Anyway, if you have had good experience with a home hair colouring product, I would like to hear from you!

TOONIE TUESDAYS: Deals This Week

2007-12-11T15:37:00.000-05:00

Okay, due to time constraints I will have to keep it really simple for Toonie Tuesdays this week. I thought that I would give you a run down of my favorite sales that are happening NOW --
perhaps something will jump out at you and you will pick up something special or yummy at a good price.

Zehrs: Natural Instincts Hair Colour - $5.99 ...and they have special 2 for 1 packages available
Zehrs: Chocolate Chip Cookies - $0.99 ... this is dangerous :)
Zehrs: Club Pack Diapers (big box) - $27.99 (I think) ...good deal and not bad diapers
McDonald's: Kid's Night, Tuesdays 4-8 - $2.00 Happy Meals & Free Coffees for Mom & Dad

If you know of any great deals on groceries, health & beauty products, toys or anything else, please feel free to post your comments and share with others who might benefit from your tips!

MARRIAGE MONDAYS: Drop the Gloves!

2007-12-10T19:08:00.000-05:00

IT'S MARRIAGE MONDAY!!!!

I have been meaning to post this one for a while. This is a biggie for me in my household and in my marriage. I think this message speaks for itself and speaks VOLUMES about getting along in our relationships. Being defensive, antagonistic, irritable, bossy or any of those other "not so nice" traits of character and behavior can sometimes become WAY too routine in the safety of our relationships. Sometimes I just have to say to myself "For Heaven's sakes - DROP THE GLOVES ALREADY LADY!"

And the magic of it is that if both my spouse and I do this together, the result is peace and harmony that makes the atmosphere much better for everyone. Win win win. It doesn't mean the issues aren't still there - it just means that whatever they are they are not more important than the RELATIONSHIP and they are not more important than the FEELINGS or ESTEEM of the people involved. I also like to think that it takes more to drop the gloves than continue with bad habits and negative patterns. I feel good about myself when I can rise above -

if only for the moment....

For Marriage Mondays this week I would like to challenge all readers who are in a committed relationship to pick one issue that you are currently "harping" on your partner about, or one that you KNOW will come up this week - and JUST DROP IT. Not forever, let's be realistic. Just for now or at least for the moment the next time it really erks you.

Go ahead, RISE ABOVE and DROP THE GLOVES!

HAIR COLOUR: Advise Needed

2007-12-10T11:41:00.000-05:00

Occasionally when I am getting bored with "my look" I start to think about colouring my hair. I have even gone so far as to purchase permanent colour from the store - but have always chickened out and taken it back. I have A LOT of hair so doing permanent colour is a big commitment. I also worry about damaging my hair,making it more frizzy or having to colour the roots continuously while it grows out.

My personal solution to this dilemma is to take the semi-permanent route of Clairol Natural Instincts. I have used this colour several times over the past 5 or so years. I even used it before my wedding. I have tried various shades. Sometimes I am happy with the results and sometimes not. The thing about this hair colour system is that it has no ammonia and low peroxide - so ultimately it is supposed to be fairly gently on your hair. You can not really lighten your hair with it, but you can enhance your natural colour, go darker, or add certain hues, such as red.
I usually prefer an even colour and thus, my options are fairly limited because my hair is dark to begin with. I can not decide if my hair is medium or dark brown. I guess I try to call it medium because I have more colour options with medium. Clairol has a pretty good website that you can go to for shades and colour suggestions. I have also called the hotline many times:
1-800-252-4765

This is my hair "before". Is it medium or dark brown???

Today I am deciding on whether to go with:

#20 Hazelnut - neutral and should enhance medium brown hair
#18 Pecan - golden and should add golden tones to medium brown hair
#28 Nutmeg - neutral and should enhance dark brown hair

Any advise????

A Bright Star

2007-12-05T22:03:00.000-05:00

A Bright Star

Keiandre Russel how sweet you are
Your Mommy and Daddy’s little shining star
As babies do you grew by the day
But on earth you were not meant to stay
Heaven had a need for your special soul
To fill a most important role
While the rest of us are trying to find our way
You’ll be up there watching day by day
And when the gentle wind blows
Or spring birds sing
When flowers bloom
When Christmas bells ring
When stars shine bright in the sky above
You’ll be remembered with pride and love
Your friends and family will be warmed in heart
To know you’re in heaven with a whole new start
So Keiandre please know this dear boy
Through years to come you will bring joy
For in just being you with all you are
You’ve touched many lives…
A shining star.

In loving memory of an angel. November 29, 2007

Toonie Tuesdays: Treasure Hunters

2007-12-05T21:41:00.000-05:00

I have recently been feeling a little restless and have been splitting up my time between stroking off names on my Christmas list and shopping for extraordinary treasures at my favorite thrift spots. If this isn't your style, hopefully you won't think less of me - but really, how can it be a bad thing if I am able to find something like this incredibly cool castle for $1.99!?! Hours of play right here folks!!! Remember, I have two little boys. A good washing and disinfecting and suddenly it is time to play "The Green Night Vs. Tyrannosaurus Rex". I realized that with boys in the house there was no "princess" to be found, but I was able to dig up a plastic Dora that will do the trick for now. If anyone has a better substitute for us, we would gladly accept. We are going to need some female characters around or who on earth will be the "mommy"? Well, time to spend some TIME on the house cleaning.

Blessings,

Momami [Mom am I!]

A New Look for New Leaf Times

2007-12-05T15:08:00.000-05:00

Well, I should start with a little "Note to Self"..."If you are thinking about playing around with your blog layout, make sure to save your current template on your computer's hard drive FIRST. Also, make sure you know which file you are saving it to."

I am often getting bored with my blog layout and that is usually about the time that I consider scrapping it all and starting an a new one. Today I spent a good chunk of time trying to think up new names for one of blogs. I also started playing around further with my template for New Leaf Times and could not recall if I saved my original format. I usually use the templates from Blogger, but then I customize the colours of background and text until I am happy with it. I also usually ad my own header picture. In the process of trying out a template from another provider, I got things kind of mixed up and it took me a while to get something back together that I am happy with (for now). Bare with me, I still have some page elements to straighten around.

I enjoy blogging, so I think that I will continue. If I have time, I will back track for this week and try to at least post something for Toonie Tuesdays (it is now Wednesday!).

For the moment, I have to go to attend to an infant who is just waking up and a rambunctious toddler who refused to nap and lots of extra energy - the crazy kind!

Question: Does anyone know how to add a signature to every post?

Turning Another New Leaf?

2007-12-04T14:22:00.000-05:00

So, I am thinking about leaving NEW LEAF TIMES behind. Not sure what I will do for sure, but with my impending return to work I will have even less time for this type of stuff. What I would like to have is one blog for my own ramblings and one for family stuff. I don't think I am doing anyone any favours to continue posting about cookies and whatever else. I could just leave the blog address the same, but I am not sure that I want my new blogs to be advertised. If you have any thoughts or just want to say "farewell" to New Leaf Times, I would like to hear from you. I am also seeking input on layout. Two of my friends have blogs which I LOVE and I think the key is a simple, white background. Might make those changes also. Time will tell.

I do know that I am still very interested in expression through blogging and would especially like to document more family memories such as my annual work Christmas party and Ja1's first time on ice skates (below). He was so excited! He is two and a half years old.

Testing

2007-12-03T22:50:00.000-05:00

http://www.finalsense.com/services/blog_templates/

The Kind of Day I Had

2007-12-03T21:54:00.001-05:00

The kind of day I had was one where it seems like one bad thing happens after another. It started when my husband brought our youngest son into our room first thing in the am with a diaper that was too full....Ooops, a leak on our King size mattress that is only a few years old! Eak!

The next little issue that always seems bigger at the time was the fact that the boys would not go down to sleep at nap time. They fussed for a good hour before one finally dosed off and I caved with the other and put a movie on so he'd at least stay in his room for some "quiet time". Shortly thereafter I was shaking a big can of white paint so that I could touch up the train table when "cur plunk", I dropped it on the floor and it burst open! Luckily the paint was thick and most importantly, I was in the laundry room where the carpet can be thrown out!

Next, I went out to do some errands and get my husband a battery for his watch. I took the battery with me but what do you know, I lost it! Somewhere along the way I lost it! He doesn't know yet. I don't think he could handle this info at the moment.

Which leads me to the final scene - I got home a little later than I should have from my errands to find my husband battling with our oldest about getting into bed. Then he said "go look in our room". Our son had taken two different shades of marker and drew all over our exposed mattress...exposed because, if you recall, the morning accident (sheets and mattress cover are in the wash). What a day.

And now, before heading off to bed, I will thank God for each of the tribulations that I faced today. Why? Because these things are nothing, a ridiculous flash in the pan really - I mean, well, you'll understand...Prepare yourself...

Today my sister's best friends buried their infant son. He was due this week but did not make it into this world. His father carried his tiny casket and did not set it down for the entire service. I was not there but this is a visual that brings further heaviness to my sorrowful heart. I don't know why I am posting this or if I will leave it up - I do want to honour their baby boy angel. A shining star.

I wrote something for him but have not given it to them so I will not post it here. I just wanted to take time out to write because this is something that I have thought about constantly since I found out what happened, last week. It's like it is part of me. My prayers are for God's comfort for this family. My heart goes out to them...and now, probably, so does yours. I may write again, we'll see.

Prayers for comfort, strength and faith are appreciated.

MARRIAGE MONDAYS: Sin A Little

2007-11-19T22:11:00.000-05:00

Okay, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth -- but other things have been keeping me busy and such is life in this important role as "mom of 2". I started Marriage Mondays because I wanted it to be a reminder to myself and to other parents about the importance of also keeping in touch with our partners.

There isn't any sin going on here at the moment - but I thought it was a cute title. What made me think of it was the bowl of Nestle Sundae that I was eating. Yummy and sinfully delicious! When I was at Zehrs earlier I had trouble choosing between Fudge Brownie and Caramel Pecan, so I didn't buy any...but my description of it must have been tempting because my husband went out to get it and it is yum yum in the tum. Won't last long around here.

Anyway, I'll try to post a more meaningful message for Marriage Mondays next week - so please do come back!

Until then..."LOVE THE ONE YOU'RE WITH".

Pantry Picks: Simple Pleasures

2007-10-23T09:52:00.000-05:00

I am posting quickly today to share a new kind of cookie bar that I found at the grocery store today. I was looking for snacks for our toddler and was going to get some arrowroots or teddygrams but then I came across these:

Simple Pleasures Baked Cookie Bars (by Dare)

These are cookie bars that are sold in 228g boxes (6 bars) and are low in sodium, contain no trans fats, are made with whole grain and are low in saturated fat. They also have a Health Check symbol in the top right corner from the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Based on that and the fact that they were on sale for $1.99 plus another $1.00 off from an attached coupon,

I decided to give them a try.

I have opened an Oatmeal Cranberry cookie and they are okay. I think our son will go for them. The cookie is a large rectangle and is individually sealed. This is great for travel and at $1.00 for 6 bars,

they work for me (as long as they get eaten).

I was hoping for a softer cookie, which would be my personal complaint - but then again I was probably hoping they would taste just like the Oatmeal Raisin cookies in the bakery section. The Simple Pleasures bars contain 10g of sugar per serving (per bar). This is okay in my books. I have found that most snacks contain about 14g or more (except for cheerios and goldfish). They have 7g of fat per bar. Not great from a dieting standpoint, but they aren't for me. They do have 3g of fibre and are low in saturated fats, so that is why they get the Health Check symbol. Any little way to make healthier choices must be a good thing.

Note: The sale is on at Zehrs (Canada). Three varieties available and they are located in the cookie aisle.

Update: My toddler is eating 1/3 of the Oatmeal Cranberry bar. He doesn't have much to say about it but I think he likes it okay. We all know what would go over better, yummy-sweet treats that are just not a good option. Oh, he just asked for "more cookie bar", that's a good sign! Maybe a side of fruit to go with that?

10/26/07: Update - my son wants nothing to do with these cookies. Hopefully we'll have some company that will eat them.

MARRIAGE MONDAYS: Being Apart

2007-10-01T21:31:00.000-05:00

The MARRIAGE MONDAYS topic today is "Being Apart". I am hoping that you will leave your comments with ideas on how you make a special connection with your partner when:
(1) They are about to go away
(2) They are away
(3) They return from being away
I am trying to post things that are relevant in my own life and marriage - and this one is TOP OF MIND today because my spouse is leaving tomorrow at 5:00am for 4 days, 3 nights away (for work). I am sorry to report that I did not act fast enough to do something really nice for him before he leaves -- we were really busy today and in retrospect, I should have taken more time. He is going away again next Monday, so perhaps I will do better then!
My suggestion for a spouse going away for just a little while or an extended period is to do something really nice before they leave so that you can both carry the positive energy from that during your time apart.
Another idea that I've had is to put a bag of their favorite treats (such as Lindt pumpkins available at Winners) in his suitcase or bag (secretly) with a loving note.
Anyway, I would not be doing what I should unless I got off the computer right now (or an hour ago) and went to spend some time with MY spouse, who is my #1 before he goes away!!!
Your comments and ideas are appreciated. Have a great week!

What I Am Reading: The Power of

2007-09-30T21:30:00.001-05:00

[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

2007-09-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-28T07:33:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-25T14:09:00.000-05:00

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??!!

2007-09-24T13:46:00.001-05:00

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

2007-09-24T13:05:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-22T21:27:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-19T20:11:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-19T18:06:00.001-05:00

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 seg ment 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

http://www.youtube.com/v/q1oWFGRS5e0">%20name="wmode"%20value="transparent">http://www.youtube.com/v/q1oWFGRS5e0"%20type="application/x-shockwave-flash"%20wmode="transparent"%20width="425"%20height="350">

TOONIE TUESDAYS: Back To School

2007-09-06T13:53:00.000-05:00

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.

FREE IPOD: This Looks Interesting

2007-08-30T21:58:00.000-05:00

http://ipods.freepay.com/?r=39925735

I don't usually take a second glance at this kind of stuff - but I have been interested in Ipods lately and so this did catch my eye:

The offer is for your choice from a selection of Ipods and Nanos. To get the free device you have to do two things...(1) click on a partner offer and (2) have 5 friends also join. The interesting part is that the partner offers are not really asking you for much. The one that I decided to try is:

["Get Three Nick Jr. Books for Free! Order now and get 3 free storybooks, a free backpack, free Parents Guide and free PlayPages along with a trial storybook, The Brightest Star, for just $6.99! Introductory shipping is free!" ]

With this offer, you just join and they send you the first three books plus the backpack - then they charge you $6.99 (refundable within 7 days) for the next book. You can cancel anytime. Seems easy enough! I will keep you posted! In the meantime - feel free to check it out at:

http://ipods.freepay.com/?r=39925735

***One more thing - it seems that you can start by signing-up with and email and password - then check it out and start telling friends before you even go ahead and click on a partner offer. This gives you a chance to look into it further. Also, it will notify you if someone signs up. You have 90 days to complete if you want to get the Ipod for free.

Product Review: Daenyx MP-700 Portable DVD

2007-08-24T10:24:00.000-05:00

If time is money, I am in trouble yet again! I am writing this product review on here because this item is not yet listed in Epinions or any other product review site that I have found. Actually, when I was researching portable DVD players the last while, I had trouble finding information specific to electronics available in Canada. If anyone knows of a Canada-based product review site, I would like to hear about it.

The story of the portable DVD player saga goes as follows: First I purchased a portable DVD player from a guy on Kijiji classifieds. It was supposed to be multi-functional and top of the line. He came over, I paid, he left, the machine failed to function properly. When I couldn't reach him immediately by email, I thought I had been scammed. To my releif, he did get back to me and kindly came over to refund my money. The same day, a family friend surprised us with a visit and a gift. A portable DVD from Walmart! Yippie. It was the black Venturer that was available there. The catch for me was that we didn't have a receipt. I wanted to have a receipt for the warranty because I know that these things can go at any time. I decided to return it to Walmart for a gift card and look around at a couple different models.

BIG MISTAKE

I started out with the Citizen from Zehrs which was about $90.00 + tax. Read bad reviews and decided not to keep it. I also didn't like that the DVD cover is held down by a tiny clip. I can just see that being the first thing to break and then us having to use a piece of tape to keep it closed!

I then started doing some research but didn't come up with much. Back to Walmart I went, but they were all sold out of black Venturer DVD players. The good news was that the model I liked was on sale. I bought the pink one with hopes of exchanging it for black at another store or when they were re-stocked. I called a few stores and was given different prices and different information about the item being replenished. Most said that it would "for sure" be replenished "any day now". Finally an employee told me that the items was a limited time offer and would no longer be on the shelves. Ahhhh. I spoke to a manager who confirmed this. What next? I emailed the distributor to find out if there were other stores carrying the machine. By now I was obsessed and felt that this was the best bang for my buck and therefore worth the search.
Didn't hear back from Walmart or Venturer or anyone -

In the meantime, I was getting anxious to settle on one that we liked because we have a couple of long drives coming up and an airplane trip to Nova Scotia in mid-September. I had been to Zehrs (two locations) and looked at a portable DVD for $100.00 called an Astar PD8800. I found pretty good reviews but someone did mention the sound output being low. I checked out the player for myself really felt that it seemed cheap and probably too sensitive for our young family needs. The DVD cover was plastic and flimsy and if you touched the top of it the disc skipped or went back to start.

I asked people online about advice on places to go for a good value and a good machine - but didn't get too much response other than the usual, Walmart - Zellers, etc. I checked out Toys R Us, Canadian Tire and other stores on line - but came up with nothing. I did find out that a store called Factory Direct carries machines for as low as $39.00. They are refurbished and my husband did not want to go there - so we passed on that one. The warranty would be 30-90 days from that store.

Last resort was the Daenyx model from Zehrs which has many features that I like and only a couple that I don't.

Good features

- Battery is built in

- Can also hook up to your tv and be used as a regular dvd player solid design

- 7" screen (though we did consider a bigger screen or a two-screen unit)

- DVD case is sold and not held down by a clip

- Volume goes 1-16 and is okay, though still not very loud

- Has a jack for earphones (we will use on the airplane)

- Black inside (husband prefers this to the pink Venturer that is yet to go back)

- Has a ONE YEAR over the counter warranty from Zehrs! (Venturer manufacturer warranty says 90 days)

- Picture seems good

- Came with a remote, earphones, various wires, car adapter and regular outlet plug (which also charges the machine)

- with a carrying case that we can use as a spare or sell (I bought a Case Logic case on Ebay because I could not find them for less than $25.00 anywhere)

Features I would change:

Machine itself does not have buttons to fast forward or rewind the scenes on a movie (you have to use the remote)
Silver outer design looks like it will scratch easily
That's it so far!

Cost: $90.00 + gst (sale). The same price as the one that was originally given to us - so it is essentially the same gift with a bunch of hassle in the middle that I brought on because I wanted to check out different brands. I can report that they are not all the same and that it is good to have a bit of exposure to different ones before spending the money. Epinions is great, but as mentioned, does not review all Canadian brands or models.

So far I give this DVD player an 8/10

Am I Invinsible?

2007-08-23T11:01:00.000-05:00

The answer is "no", but I must have thought so the last couple of weeks by the sleep deprivation that I have allowed to go on. I'm not saying that I have had any control over the 2-3 wakings during the night with kids, but I DID have control over the very late nights. I have actually been staying up as late as midnight most nights and for no apparent reason - other than having some time to myself or hanging out a bit on the back deck with my husband. While those things do have merit, I also need to remember that my biggest enemy is my tired self that has lowered patience and is much more irritable. I have been on a good streak for at least a couple of weeks and have been feeling extra good about being home with the kids. I have had more patience, and though not always perfect, have been able to give myself a little extra credit for being the parent I want to be. I have not been blogging much, but I can address that another time (as it is probably a piece of the puzzle as well).
Anyway, last night I did the same thing and finally got up to bed around midnight. The last thing I did was to feed the baby and sort some laundry - then off to sleep. Up around 3:00 to feed the baby (who doesn't actually need to eat that often) and then up again with our toddler. I just went into his bed. The bad news on that front is that he now only wants "mommy" in the middle of the night. Yippie for me. Nursing one and just the top pick for the other. Something will need to be done about this. Anyway, when it was time to get up with them this morning at 6:45, I knew right away that I was depleted. I was fast to act when I saw my babysitter on Messenger....

I have never done it before, but I asked her to come over so that I could nap! I kept the baby up until she got here and that is exactly what I did. I fed him and we both crashed and it was WONDERFUL. I woke up to a quiet house and came downstairs to find our toddler asleep in his fuzzy chair. He seriously never falls asleep in his chair when he is with me, but anyway. The moral of this story is that I recommend doing this. I do, I do, I do.

(1) Find a babysitter who lives near you. Even if they are a bit younger, it is okay if you can trust them as a "mother's helper" to help you out when you are home. They will also gain experience with your kids and be able to do more as time goes on.

(2) Ask them to come over when you know (or pray) that one of your children will be napping.

(3) NAP YOURSELF!!!

I give PAYING A BABYSITTER SO YOU CAN NAP ON A WEEKDAY MORNING A 10/10

PARENTING HELP: Bedtime for Toddlers

2007-08-22T17:42:00.001-05:00

Well, here is a topic that I have been meaning to write about for a while now -- bedtime and sleeping for toddlers and babies! Most of you who are parents will have had some experience with toiling over what you should, could or should not be doing when it comes to trying to get your child or children on track when it comes to bedtime and SLEEP!!!

We have probably had an average experience with this with both of our children. Actually, I think we've probably got it pretty good with our second - but I only have our first to compare to. Any way you look at it, parents want sleep. In our case, we would preferably like more sleep than we are actually getting on the average night. This is due to a couple of factors, mainly:

1. bedtime for toddler is stressful and draining - ends up being later than we'd like
2. usually up once a night to comfort toddler - sometimes by just climbing in bed with him
3. baby is still up twice a night
4. toddler or baby could be up anytime after 6:00, though we often get lucky with a little later than that

What I want to actually post is some specific suggestions that the Kid's Help Line provided me with when I called about the stress of getting our toddler to bed. Looks like it will have to wait til tomorrow...sorry!

Back again to post the suggestions given by the Kid's Help Line.

1. Keep bedtime routine simple and consistent

2. Ask yourself if the child is getting too much sleep during the day or if they are perhaps over-tired

3. Perhaps spend more time winding down in the evening

4. If child cries out for one parent after lights go out, perhaps they need a little more time and assurance from that person. (In our case, our toddler cries out for me from his bed or from the gate.)

5. Give physical reassurance every night. This can be hugs or kisses or whatever.

6. Do your routine, say goodnight and do not linger. Lingering at the child's bedside tells them that you don't have confidence in their ability to get to sleep.

There may have been more, but I can't think of them right now. I can tell you that this was very useful information for us. I thought I had read it all and tried it all -but the suggestions about physical reassurance and not lingering were important new lessons for us. For physical reassurance and routine, we now add a little routine to the very end of bedtime where we kiss our toddlers body parts one by one and say "goodnight toes, see you tomorrow toes", "goodnight hands, can't wait to see you in the morning hands" and so on. Apparently kids crave this extra physical attention on night and for us, this is a fun way to add a loving touch to this concept. Our child especially likes it when we do this together and each of us kisses one hand or finds a new, silly body part to say goodnight too.

The other suggestions that we are trying is having me read one of the stories. Generally I have not been doing bedtime with our toddler (except to say goodnight) because I am with the kids all day and will often spend the time either putting the baby to bed or just doing chores such as sorting laundry or whatever. I used to look at putting our toddler to bed as a good way for my husband to interact with him, since he really only gets a couple hours in the evening. In the end, I think that there was truth to him needing a bit more time with me to just cuddle and say goodnight.

The last thing that we were told was to leave the room and then if we have to go back in - try the end of the routine again -- and just leave the room again. For us, this means going back in for another "tuck in" and goodnight kisses. We were told to stay calm at all times - this isn't always easy when things get really drawn out, but we are trying. Makes sense to keep things quiet and calm, but again, sometimes easier said than done. Bedtime has been a major stress for us for a while. I can report that it has been much better lately. I have already had some good suggestions on this post and hope that perhaps moving bedtime even earlier will work for us. I am wondering how long other toddlers (who ARE good at getting to bed at night) are sleeping during the day????

Please feel free to post a comment. I am sure this topic will come up again over and over in our household, and it would be nice to be able to browse through the helpful hints and reminders. Have a great day.

Marriage Mondays: Talk & Touch

2007-08-16T12:45:00.001-05:00

Okay, so it isn't Monday - but "better late than never", right? Ever since I started posting for Marriage Mondays, I have been receiving feeds and emails from a couple different sources. One of them is Mort Fertel. I think he offers some sort of counselling or something...but he also sends automatic emails on the topic of marriage. For the most part, I have found the emails to be interesting and have decided to continue to receive them. This week, I am posting part of one of these emails as the topic for Marriage Mondays. I hope you enjoy.

==========================================
7 Secrets for Fixing Your Marriage By Mort Fertel
SECRET 2: TALK & TOUCH
==========================================
Did you ever hear the Paul Simon song, "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover"? It's a humorous song about a not-so-funny subject (the break-up of Simon's marriage). I don't want you to hop on a bus or drop off your keys, but the song does make a good point about how to succeed in marriage.

See, the song's ultimate point is that once you make up your mind to do something, action is sure to follow. Whether you decide to leave or love, it's the decision that's most important. Once the decision is in your head, there are 50 ways you could do either.

You want to restore your marriage, right? Good; you know WHAT you want. The only question left is HOW. HOW will you restore your marriage?

Let's be clear about one thing first. It has to be an ACTION. Contrary to popular opinion, love is NOT a feeling. It's a verb; the result of ACTIONS YOU CHOOSE every day.
Okay, but what action?

Within the next 24 hours, I want you to try a Talk Charge and a Touch Charge.
A Talk Charge is a 60 second positive, LOVING, verbal interaction with your spouse about a NON LOGISTICAL matter. It's a fun or frivolous chat.

A Touch Charge is similar, but it uses touch instead of talk. A Touch Charge is a LOVING physical gesture with your spouse. It's not foreplay or an advance for love making; it's just a warm touch for the sake of connecting in that moment...

...Do you want REAL change and LASTING love in your marriage? Then establish the RIGHT HABITS and do them CONSISTENTLY. Talk and touch everyday, for example...

...do you remember when you used to just talk? Not about who's going to pick up the kids, make the dinner, or pay the bill...I mean just talk for the sake of talking. If you're like most couples, you need to start talking again. Tell your spouse about your dreams. Share your fears. Tell a joke. Talk about the interesting person you met today or the experience you had jogging in the park.
In the morning before you part for the day, share something with your spouse. In the middle of day, call your spouse for a Talk Charge. You don't have to be all sweetsie if you don't want to. But make sure you don't discuss anything logistical. And don't fight! Just talk.
You and/or your spouse probably feel you don't get enough attention from each other. As discussed, it could be that you need to talk more. But you also probably need to touch more.
REACH OUT AND TOUCH YOUR SPOUSE TODAY. Make it clear that you're touching them solely to connect in that moment. Try a warm kiss or a gentle rub. Stroke their cheek or play with their feet. It only takes a moment, but the positive energy can carry you through an entire evening....

See more information, including "Today's Advice" at: http://www.marriagemax.com/

Product Review: Natural Instincts Hair Colour

2007-08-10T15:32:00.000-05:00

This product review is being blogged mostly for my own reference. Note to self: DO NOT choose shade 27a from Natural Instincts ever again! My hair colour is naturally medium-dark brown and the texture is coarse and wavy. I would consider it to be quite difficult to work with and very difficult to find a compatible new style for. My hair seemed to be only slightly wavy before I got the good ol' 80s perm when I was 16. After that, it seemed to stay really curly. I let it grow for years and ended up with long hair, probably about to my waste at about age 24. I went to hairdresser only on occasion (maybe once a year) and rarely (if ever) used any colouring products (since the 80s cap-highlights, that is). Anyway, in my late twenties my curls were not as predictable and gray hairs were started to rear.

Out of advice from a family member who is a stylist, I started using Natural Instincts. First of all, I need to post a picture of my natural hair colour. I will leave a space here and try to find one!

I had success a few times at around age 30 (including for my wedding) with colour # 28 - Nutmeg, dark brown. This provided solid, all over dark brown colour. Very dark, but very even. This is a do-it-yourself product that claims to be more gentle than permanent colour. It washed out in about 28 shampoos, though I find that darker colours last longer than that. Anyway, I got sick of the dark Nutmeg shade and decided to venture out.

This is my hair before today's not-so-fortunate episode in colouring:

Before - my hair has a few subtle highlights (foils) in these photos

I believe I tried Expresso once before. I think this was about two years ago, after our first son was born. I don't think I liked the results then, so I don't know why I put it into my hair today! This newest chapter in hair colour started a couple days ago when I bought Natural Instincts on sale at Shoppers. The lady there recommended a shade, but when I got home I saw on the box that it was intended for hair that is naturally lighter than mine. I called Clairol and the CR Representative recommended #24 Ash brown. I went back to the store but was confused by all the choices. I also thought that #24 looked really dull on those silly-little hair samples that they have. I called Clairol again today and the person I spoke with recommended #20 Hazelnut, medium brown. I was going to listen, I really was -- too bad they were all out at the store and I decided to throw caution to the wind and try Expresso (forgetting about previous experience).

A disaster

These pictures probably don't really show it - but my hair is really dark with some purple and red colours. Strange. I will be going with a plain, brown selection like #20 or #24 next time...if there is a next time. We'll see how the colour changes after a wash or two...hopefully the weird tones fade out a bit. Anyway, that is my story. I have liked this product in the past, but not the last several time that I used it. I could probably do better by doing the strand test, but who has time for that!!?? I did the colouring today while both kids were napping! Too bad it didn't turn out A cool, new hair colour would have been refreshing!

Missing a Friend

2007-08-08T22:27:00.000-05:00

The whole Tim McGraw thing opened up a whole new world for me today-- just what I needed, more distraction on the Internet! Believe it or not, I did not know that you can watch music videos on the Web! Guess what I did tonight after our boy went to bed!? That's right - music videos...

Anyway, my husband and I are often trying to remember the name and artist of a song that we listened to years ago. The song sticks out in my mind because we listened to it after our really good friend passed away. It has often come up in our conversation when we are driving in the county and have come across the Christian message signs reading "what is it to profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul"... You will have to watch the video to understand why this stood out...

Anyway, my mission tonight became finding the song, artist and video! I asked the question on "yahoo questions", but before getting the answer, my husband somehow found the old (very) CD! It was R.Kelly - "I Wish". This is a neat song from an artist who has a "party" rap reputation. I like it because he is feeling "called" to leading a good life and even back to church to heal his pain over a lost friend. Watch for yourself:

http://video.music.yahoo.com/up/music/music/?rn=1301797&vid=2143461&stationId=&curl=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.music.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2F%3Fm%3Dall%26p%3Di%2Bwish

Some of my other favorite video links of the moment (just for fun):

Usher "Burn"

R.Kelly "Ignition"

-- by the way, check out "Ignition", it is a really "feel good" song :) Lots of fun!!!

In My Daughters Eyes

2007-08-08T13:40:00.000-05:00

I thought that since I was on the topic of parenting and family, that I would add these links to a great song by Martina McBride, called "In My Daughter's Eyes". I particularly enjoyed this song when Martina performed it at the giant baby shower that Oprah had for military wives. They were all pregnant, so there were lots of tears happening!!! Celine Dion has also performed very touching songs about motherhood.

Martina McBride:

http://www.petsynergy.com/Eyes.html

http://www.oprah.com/tows/slide/200410/20041011/slide_20041011_206.jhtml

Celine Dion:

http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/tows_2002/tows_past_20020325.jhtml

http://video.music.yahoo.com/up/music/music/?rn=1301797&vid=2170761&stationId=&curl=http%3A%2F%2Fmusic.yahoo.com%2Ftrack%2F2134111

Live Like You Were Dying

2007-08-08T13:16:00.001-05:00

I really don't listen to much country music, but lately I have been struck by the song, "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw. Why did the lyrics to this song catch my attention? Probably partly because I am constantly giving thought to how I can live the richest and most authentic and happy life possible. This includes being the kind of person that people would have good things to say about and fond memories of. As a mother, this is always a consideration for me because I seem to spend a lot of time being serious, worrying and trying to guide my toddler with loving discipline. As a wife and a mother, who do I want to be and how would I like to be remembered? Things song makes me think about that for sure.

I am pasting the lyrics below and have highlighted the ones that I identify the most. I have also posted a link to Yahoo Music Videos. Who knew!? I think I'll to now to watch some videos!!! Anyway, I hope you enjoy. I would love to hear from you if you, too, are struck by this song and how it relates to your life and your role as parent and spouse.

Blessings.

Listen to the song:
http://members.vpchat.com/skye46/LiveLike.html

Watch the video:
http://video.music.yahoo.com/up/music/music/?rn=1301797&vid=2170761&stationId=&curl=http%3A%2F%2Fmusic.yahoo.com%2Ftrack%2F2134111

Lyrics:
Song: Live Like You Were Dying

He said I was in my early forties with a lot of life before me when a moment came that stopped me on a dime
and I spent most of the next dayslooking at the x-rays
Talking bout the options and talking bout sweet time
I asked him when it sank in that this might really be the real end
how's it hit you when you get that kinda news
man what'd you do
and he said I went sky diving
I went Rocky Mountain climbing
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named FuManchu
and I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter
and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying
and he said someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying.

He said I was finally the husband that most the time I wasn't
and I became a friend a friend would like to have
and all the sudden going fishin wasn't such an imposition
and I went three times that year I lost my dad
well I finally read the good book
and I took a good long hard look at
what I'd do if I could do it all again

and then I went sky diving
I went Rocky Mountain climbing
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named FuManchuand
I loved deeper
and I spoke sweeter
and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying
and he said someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying.
Like tomorrow was a gift and you got eternity to think about
what'd you do with it what did you do with it what did I do with it
what would I do with it'

Sky diving I went Rocky Mountain climbing
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named FuManchuand
then I loved deeper
and I spoke sweeter
and I watched an eagle as it was flying
and he said someday I hope you get the chance to
live like you were dying.

To live like you were dying
To live like you were dying
To live like you were dying
To live like you were dying

Toonie Tuesdays: Wanted Ads

2007-08-07T17:06:00.001-05:00

Just popping on there quickly to post a suggestion for this weeks entry of "Toonie Tuesdays". My suggestion is the use of free on-line classifieds and "Wanted" ads. I have had great luck with wanted ads on free classified sites. I think they work so well for a couple of reasons:

(1) Some people may have the items you are looking for but may not have realized that they would be of any interest to anyone else

(2) The potential seller may not have the time or the computer confidence to bother with posting "For Sale" ads.

(3) The potential seller may have forgotten that they even had the item until they see your "wanted ad" (basements, attics and garages can be places of great mystery!)

If you want to find good on line classified sites in your area - just go to Google and enter "free classifieds + your town name). Example: "free classifieds + Windsor"

TIPS for posting FREE WANTED ADS:

Post a picture. This always helps to draw attention to your ad and to give readers a clear view of what you are after. If you know the exact name and brand, go to Google Search, enter the information and choose "images" search, instead of "web" search. If you don't have a specific brand in mind, just do the same but with the type of item such as "futon couch". You will have many photos to choose from and can pick something that is close to what you might be hoping to buy. SAVE the photo to a new folder on your computer called "Wanted Items". This will make them readily available for future use.
Do not post the price you are willing to pay for an item. The seller may have a cheaper price in mind. Once they tell you what they are hoping to get, the ball is in your court.You are probably best to let them tell you what they are asking and then you can either go ahead with their price or offer less. A general rule of thumb for any used item seems to be that people can ask for 40-60% of the retail price. 40 is probably more reasonable. Items that are new and in the original packaging may bring in a higher price.
Ask questions. Buyer beware. If you have standards up front, list them in your ad. (Example: must come from smoke free home).

Another place to look if you are interested in posting "Wanted ads" is in Yahoo Groups. Go to Yahoo.com, select "Groups" and search the name of your town. If there are too many groups to sort through, you may have to narrow down your search criteria. Look for groups that focus on buying and selling, trading or swapping or free stuff. Freecycle is a popular group in many areas. You can sign up for "daily digest" so that you receive a reduced number of emails that are summaries of all the postings (instead of individual postings).

Hope you have enjoyed this. If you would like to view my other Toonie Tuesday ideas for saving money - click on the link in the side panel.

MARRIAGE MONDAYS: Marriage Maintenance

2007-07-16T21:32:00.000-05:00

This week I am going to keep it simple. If your marriage needs help, get it. Don't wait until it is too late. Resentment can build and can cause a wedge that makes everything more difficult. Your marriage is the foundation of your family. You and your partner are important role models to your kids. Children learn about love and affection and how to treat others by watching us, their parents.

Many employees have benefits that cover some sort of counselling. The counsellor may need certain credentials, such as a degree in psychology. You may also have access to what is called an "employee assistance program". Through this program, you should be able to access resources for any life circumstances such as having a new baby, stress, relationship issues, personal issues, financial matters and much, much more. Your Employee Assistance Program can connect you with a marriage counsellor who can provide short term support to you and your spouse. A further option would be exploring counselling services that provide free or income-geared services.

Don't delay (easier said than done). Many couples wait 5, 10 or 20 years to address the issues in their relationship. From small to big, any issue that comes between you is worth working on. Little problems will be easier to fix than bigger and more complicated matters - many of which can escalate from the smaller things that are not dealt with. But don't worry, better late than never!

Have a great week!

MARRIAGE MONDAYS: July 9 - Fighting Fairly

2007-07-07T07:36:00.000-05:00

I am posting for Marriage Monday a few days early because I am going to be away with my boys for a week! I am not planning to have Internet access (which I think is a good thing), but you never know.

I thought that I would take inspiration from some articles that I am receiving by feed to choose a theme this week. Fighting Fairly seemed like a good topic because I think it is such an important topic in our marriages. Not only is it important, but it is a special skill that can actually improve your relationship and increase your chances of success (exponentially!)

Article: How To Fight Fair in Your Marriage
From Sheri & Bob Stritof,Your Guide to Marriage.FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

The way a married couple fights can often tell psychologists more than what they fight about. If done correctly, conflict and healthy, fair fighting, can strengthen a marriage.

Tips:
1. Don't let little things that bother you build up until one of you explodes the issue into a large fight. That's not fighting fair in your marriage.
2. If you are angry about something and don't try to talk about it with your spouse within 48 hours, let it go. Otherwise, you are not fighting fair.
3. If your spouse doesn't want to discuss the matter, set an appointment within the next 24 hours to have your fair fight.
4. Fighting fair means you know what the issue is. Then, both of you stick to the subject.
5. Keep your fight between the two of you. Don't bring in third parties like your mother-in-law, his best friend, or your children.
6. Fighting fair means you don't hit below the belt.
7. Fighting fair means you don't bring up past history.
8. Fighting fair means no name calling. Even endearing terms and pet names can be hurtful when you are using a sarcastic tone.
9. Be careful how you use humor. Laughter is good, but teasing can be misinterpreted and can be hurtful.
10. Listen to one another fully while you fight. This includes watching body language. Look at one another while you speak.
11. Don't interrupt during your fight.
12. Fighting fair means you don't blame one another make accusations.
13. Try to use 'I' sentences instead of 'you' sentences.
14. If the two of you are not extremely angry, try to hold hands while talking during your fight.
15. Be open to asking for forgiveness and being willing to forgive.

Well, this is a short blurb and not as personal as I would like for Marriage Mondays - but I will pick up upon my return. Would still love to hear from you on ways that you will commit to doing something to improve your relationship this week. Such small steps can seem insignicant, but they are anything but. Take a chance and turn a new leaf in your marriage today!

GRATITUDE: Starting Your Gratitude Journey

2007-07-05T15:07:00.000-05:00

I have been meaning to do a post about gratitude for some time. The topic of gratitude comes up in my mind on a daily basis. I have learned that being grateful is significant on many levels. It is important spiritually, physically, emotionally and much more. Think about how much better you feel when you take time to focus on the joys in your life and things that you are grateful for, rather than on pains, mistakes and other misfortunes. There is also a way of thinking that believes that if you are not truly grateful for the good things you already have, you will not attract more good things into your life.

For myself, I just like the positive energy I get when I am being grateful. I am grateful for God's many graces in my life - and for every gift; from very small to very spectacular. I give my thanks to God because I sincerely believe that he makes all good things possible. Let me tell you, I have a lot to be thankful for! So, let's get started:

Oprah brought up the idea of writing in a "Gratitude Journal" on a show she did a long time ago. I think I probably saw the show in 2002 or so. I immediately started a Gratitude Journal for my (then) boyfriend and soon-to-be fiance. I was looking forward to giving it to him someday, and in fact, did so as a gift on the night before our wedding. A Gratitude Journal can be for yourself or for someone else. It can only contain positive thoughts, no matter what. I found this to be such a therapeutic thing to do because even if I felt something negative, I could only write about the positive. Try it and you will see what I mean. You may have had a hard day and feel like writing words like "but" or "except" - let's face it, it is common practice to want to throw in (or unload) our rants, complaints and demands when we are reflecting about our day. The Gratitude Journal should only contain content that is positive!!! One way to get started is to just begin writing once a week or once a day (or whenever you get around to it), and choose one thing to be grateful for.

Examples for your spouse could be:

I was grateful that you were tuned in to my needs and took the kids for a walk so I could have some breathing room for an hour.

I am grateful that you are such a good person and a good friend to people around you.

I am grateful that you want to pass on faith and confidence to our kids.
I am grateful that you never complain about taking out the garbage.
I am grateful for the awesome necklace you bought me for Mother's Day (hee hee).

Anything positive will work. It can be actions or attributes or anything that comes to mind.
Your Gratitude Journal could also be a reflection of the qualities you like in yourself or your gratitude in your faith. Wouldn't it be nice to someday give your children Gratitude Journals that you had added to over the years?

For those of you who are computer buffs, you could start a Gratitude Blog or just add it to your usual blog. You could also just keep a list in Word or any other format. I am looking for a neat way to incorporate it into my Blog. I will get back to you on what I come up with.

In the meantime, here is a relevant web page that I came across on the Internet:

GRATITUDE

The Gratitude journal--what a wonderful idea first brought to light by Oprah Winfrey on her TV talk show. She is right on!
I thought of the many times in my life I had felt sorry for myself because something hadn't worked out. I thought of the time I hadn't gotten the raise I had worked for. I still struggle with weight problems after years of 12-step support group meetings, and I miss my grand children now that I am across the continent from them. These are but a few things I have moaned and groaned about over the years.
A lot of people ask me for advice. They don't know where or how to start their journey of healing . They have no idea how to start their life over after a divorce or the death of a spouse. How do you begin to pick up the pieces of a life that lays in splinters at your feet? Which direction do you place your feet as you stand at the crossroads of your life? How do you learn to forgive? How do you forget? What do you do after losing a job? Oprah has shared the answer with the entire world. You begin by picking up a note book or a journal and writing each day in it.
What do you write? You pick at least three things you are grateful for. It might be difficult at first. You may have to struggle to find something to be grateful about if you are in the middle of a crisis. They may seem trivial compared to your situation at the moment. But, it will change your life.
I had a young lady ask me to sponsor her. The first thing I had her do was start a gratitude journal. I never heard from her again. For some it is just too soon to start the healing process. Some of us are not ready to heal. Many still have to reach the conclusion of the grieving process. Some just haven't hit bottom yet, and still more think it is silly and a waste of time. There are all sorts of excuses for not beginning. But, let me share something with you. Even if you do not think it will be of any help to you--even if you do not feel grateful right now-- even if you can only find one tiny thing to be grateful for--start. Just take a piece of paper and begin. It is as simple as that.
This simple thing has the ability to change your whole life.
I am grateful that I am able to share this with you at this time!
I am grateful for the internet, for it has opened up the entire world to life-changing information!
I am grateful for my husbands patience and commitment to help me learn to create web pages so that I may see my dreams fulfilled!

My Gratitude Journal Entry for Thursday, July 5th/2007

I am grateful for two beautiful children

I am grateful for the sweet personalities of both of our children (they take after their Dad)

I am grateful for my faith which also gives me peace and happiness.
I am grateful for my friends.
I am grateful for the other great moms in my life that I have shared so many ramblings about the trials and tribulations (and triumphs) of motherhood with!
I am grateful for my husband who is a true gift in my life and the lives of our boys!
I am grateful for extended family...what a great gift to our children!
I am grateful for a comfortable life.

I am grateful for happiness and so very grateful for health.

I could go on and on. I hope you can also! Don't delay, start your journey of gratitude today!

PARENTING: Give Your Child Confidence

2007-07-05T13:53:00.000-05:00

Found this article on Parent Centre: Ten ways to give your two-year-old self esteem.

Nurturing your child's self-esteem may seem like a hefty responsibility. After all, a feeling of self-worth lays the foundation for your child's future, as she sets out to try new things on her own. "Self-esteem comes from having a sense of belonging, believing that we're capable, and knowing our contributions are valued and worthwhile," says California family therapist Jane Nelsen, co-author of the Positive Discipline series.

"As any parent knows, self-esteem is a fleeting experience," says Nelsen. "Sometimes we feel good about ourselves and sometimes we don't. What we are really trying to teach our kids are life skills like resiliency." Your goal as a parent is to ensure that your child develops pride and self-respect — in herself and in her cultural roots — as well as faith in her ability to handle life's challenges. (For a 2-year-old that may mean building a block castle that doesn't topple or rebuilding it when it does). Here are ten simple strategies to help boost your child's self-esteem:

Give unconditional love. A child's self-esteem flourishes with the kind of no-strings-attached devotion that says, "I love you, no matter who you are or what you do." Your child benefits the most when you accept her for who she is regardless of her strengths, difficulties, temperament, or abilities. So lavish her with love. Give her plenty of cuddles and kisses. And don't forget to tell her how much you love her. When you do have to correct your child, make it clear that it's her behavior — not her — that's unacceptable. Instead of saying, "You're a naughty girl! Why can't you be good?" say, "Pushing Olivia isn't nice. It can hurt. Please don't push."

Pay attention. Carve out time to give your child your undivided attention. That does wonders for your child's self-worth because it sends the message that you think she's important and valuable. It doesn't have to take a lot of time; it just means taking a moment to stop flicking through the mail if she's trying to talk with you or turning off the TV long enough to answer a question. Make eye contact, so it's clear that you're really listening to what she's saying. When you're strapped for time, let your child know it without ignoring her needs. Say, "Tell me all about the picture you drew, and then when you're finished, I'll need to make our dinner."

Teach limits. Establish a few reasonable rules. For instance, if you tell your child she has to eat her snack in the kitchen, don't let her wander around the family room with her crackers and fruit the next day. Knowing that certain family rules are set in stone will help her feel more secure. It may take constant repetition on your part, but she'll start to live by your expectations soon enough. Just be clear and consistent and show her that you trust her and expect her to do the right thing.

Offer choices. A good rule of thumb: Let your child choose between two possibilities, since at this age too many options can be overwhelming. For instance, ask her whether she wants to wear her polka-dot dress or the striped one, or if she wants to paint or draw, or whether she wants oatmeal or cold cereal for breakfast. She'll gain confidence with each opportunity to make a decision. Letting her know that you have faith in her judgment increases your child's sense of self-worth.

Support healthy risks. Encourage your child to explore something new, such as trying a different food, finding a best pal, or going down the slide. Though there's always the possibility of failure, without risk there's little opportunity for success. So let your child experiment safely, and resist the urge to intervene. For instance, try not to "rescue" her if she's showing mild frustration at figuring out a new toy. Even jumping in to say, "I'll do it" can foster dependence and diminish your child's confidence. You'll build her self-esteem by balancing your need to protect her with her need to tackle new tasks.

Let mistakes happen. The flip side, of course, of having choices and taking risks is that sometimes your child is bound to make mistakes. These are valuable lessons for your child's confidence. So go ahead and let her wear the snowsuit she insists on wearing even if it's balmy outside (just stash more appropriate clothing in your backpack). When she starts complaining that she's too hot, stifle your urge to say, "I told you so." Just whip out her favorite shorts and T-shirt and say something like, "How about wearing this since it's so warm?" That way her self-esteem won't sag and she'll understand that it's okay to make mistakes sometimes. When you goof up yourself, admit it, says Daniel Meier, assistant professor of elementary education at San Francisco State University. Acknowledging and recovering from your mistakes sends a powerful message to your child — it makes it easier for your child to accept her own shortcomings.

Make success a snap. Buy clothes that are a cinch to put on and pull off, get a stool so she can wash her own hands and brush her teeth at the sink, and find a place for her toys and books that is within her reach. By giving your 2-year-old the resources to take care of her own needs, you'll help foster independence and pride in her ability to do things for herself.Celebrate the positive. It's sometimes too easy to tally up all the things a child does wrong, but everyone responds well to encouragement, so make an effort to acknowledge the good things your child does every day within her earshot. For instance, tell her dad, "Nina picked up all her toys today." She'll bask in the glow of your praise and her dad's heartening response. And be specific. Instead of saying "Good job," say, "Thank you for waiting so patiently in line." This will enhance her sense of accomplishment and self-worth and let her know exactly what she did right.

Listen well. If your child needs to talk, stop and listen to what she has to say. She needs to know that her thoughts, feelings, desires, and opinions matter. Help her get comfortable with her emotions by labeling them. Say, "I know you're sad because we have to say bye-bye to the carousel." By accepting her emotions without judgment, you validate her feelings and show that you value what she has to say. If you share your own feelings ("I'm excited about going to the zoo"), she'll gain confidence in expressing her own.

Provide encouragement. Every child needs the kind of support from her loved ones that signals, "I believe in you. I see you trying. Keep going!" Encouragement means acknowledging progress — not just rewarding achievement. It means thanking your child for putting her books away, even if she missed some under her bed. It means smiling in support as she struggles to use her fork, in spite of the trail of food under her chair. And it means giving a hug for an attempt at singing the "ABC" song, even though she skipped a few letters.

There's a difference between praise and encouragement. One rewards the task while the other rewards the person ("You did it!" rather than "I'm proud of you!"). Praise can make a child feel that she's only "good" if she does something perfectly. Encouragement, on the other hand, acknowledges the effort. "Tell me about your drawing. I see that you like purple" is more helpful than saying, "That's the most beautiful picture I've ever seen." Too much praise can sap self-esteem because it can create pressure to perform and set up a continual need for approval from others. So dole out the praise judiciously and offer encouragement liberally; it will help your child grow up to feel good about herself.

CROCKPOT THURSDAYS: Crockpot Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

2007-07-04T19:54:00.000-05:00

I found a link to a good site that is hosting Crockpot Thursdays. I was feeling anxious about coming up with a recipe, but I found one on the Internet that I just happen to have most of the ingredients for.

The site that is hosting Slow Cooking Thursdays is:

Diary of a SAHM

The recipe I plan to try is:

Crockpot Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken
From Linda Larsen,Your Guide to Busy Cooks.FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
The site reads: "This unusual crockpot chicken recipe sounds improbable, but try it - you'll love it!"

INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 lbs. chicken pieces
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup lemon lime soda
2-3 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 green bell pepper, sliced
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. pepper
PREPARATION:
Place chicken in slow cooker. Mix all remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice or noodles.

I might also consider another recipe that I just found for Garlic Chicken in the crockpot.

Note: I have been lucky to find some neat blogs lately. It is nice to know that there are like-minded moms out there and it is great to have this opportunity to share thoughts and ideas.

Blogs of interest include: This is the Day and Across My Kitchen Table.

Enjoy!

[July 7, 2007] I wanted to post an update on how Slow Cooking Thursday went for me. It was great to try a new recipe I also love being able to prepare the meal at 10am and then not have to really think too much more about it until it is supper time!

How I cooked the meal:

- washed a full bunch of carrots and several potatoes, placed in bottom of slow cooker

- placed three chicken pieces on top (skin on leg with thigh, large)

- mixed a cup of Fresca, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, pepper, chicken spice and Mrs.Vickie's spice. Poured mixture on chicken. (I have to admit that I am not one for measuring. I just put a dash of this and a dash of that and mixed it all together. Turned out fine, though it probably could have had more flavour).

- Cooked on low (2) from 10am - 5pm. Potatoes were still a bit hard, will have to turn up next time.

- Chicken was good. Would try this again. It worked out good to poor the mixture on the chicken and leave some chunks of brown sugar on the chicken, as it browned it up and made it look more appealing (could have browned it in the fry pan with olive oil as an alternative).

- If anyone has suggestions for giving this meal an extra dose of flavour, I'd like to hear from you. I did not have fresh garlic, so that might have helped.

MOTHERHOOD: Elizabeth Edwards on Oprah

2007-07-04T13:14:00.000-05:00

It is through tears that I type this blog entry. I happened to turn on the TV a few minutes ago and tuned in to Oprah. Her guest is Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former senator John Edwards...but that doesn't really matter to me, what I connect with her on is her love for her son. They lost their son in an accident in 1986. What caught me right away was the exerts from their son's journal. He said "someday I want to be as good of a parent to my kids as my parents have been to me". What an honour. He was 16.

The show is still on, which is why I am writing in both past and present tense. Elizabeth wrote a book called Saving Graces. Oprah commented that it was a great read that she highly recommends to anyone going through the loss of a loved one.

Another thing that struck me from the interview so far was that Elizabeth said she always read the same books as her son when he was in school (books that were assigned reading). What a great thing to do. What a caring, involved, connected mom! She said that her relationship with her son was so complex and so complete that when the family wrote him letters after his death, all she wrote on her paper was "you know'. After his death, she went to his grave daily. She got the senior reading list from his school and would go to his grave and read from the list. This gave her a way to stay connected, because it is something she would have done with him, had he have been alive.

I am touched. My youngest son is on my lap as I write this...

He is getting teeth, so I should go now to comfort him.

Be grateful and embrace motherhood today - I know I will.

TOONIE TUESDAYS: Teddy's Choice Diapers

2007-07-03T21:39:00.001-05:00

Well, I was all set to post a great review on Teddy's Choice diapers as my topic for Toonie Tuesdays -- I guess I still will, but I did read some reviews that said that the product has possibly changed for the worse lately. Take it or leave it, here is my experience with this brand:

We have used Teddy's Choice diapers with Ja1 from sizes 3-5. We have found them to be really good and much more economical than Huggies or Pampers. I am not saying that we have not spent a great deal on those brands also, but for the most part we have settled on Teddy's Choice. We buy them at Zehrs or No Frills. The usual price for a box is $29.99. Right now, they are on for $25.99. I think the #4 diapers are 136 in a box. This means the sale price is $0.18 per diaper. Go ahead and figure out what you are spending on other brands. If you are someone who swears by Pampers or Huggies, you can go on their websites and join their mail or email list to receive coupons on a regular basis.

Does anyone know what the average family spends on diapers for one child? I found a site that estimates that Total estimated average cost $2694.54 for 7,349 disposable, single use diapers. I think this is probably conservative. I feel like we have spent a small fortune on diapers, for SURE! If I had it to do over, especially having more than one child, I would definitely look into cloth diapers. This would be even easier to consider with our youngest child, who doesn't even poop every day!

This is what the same site says about cloth:

Single use diapers range in price from $0.22 to $0.45 each. Cloth diapers pay for themselves within a six month period. After six months you diaper for almost free. A quick estimation of cost; Consumer Report estimates that the most inefficient washer and dryer system costs approximately $0.78 per load to launder whereas more efficient models will cost approximately $0.44 per load to launder. So wash your own, twice a week for between 44-78 cents including water, hydro and detergent or spend $16.94 to $22.05 for single use disposable diapers. Please keep in mind your child is in the large size single use disposable diaper for the longest stage of diapering and yes, they are the most expensive @ approximately $0.45 each.

I guess my Toonie Tuesday tip of using Teddy's Choice diapers is going off track - but perhaps you have a suggestions for a cheaper brand of diapers and/or baby wipes? We would love to hear from you. We will probably stick with these because they are easy for us to get and seem to be the cheapest option. As mentioned, they have also worked out okay for our family. I think it was on the Canadian Parent website that I read some negative reviews about them. Just a further note, if you buy this product and are not satisfied, you can return the remainder of the package or box for an exchange or possibly even a refund with your receipt. They have a satisfaction guarantee. I like products that have this. This is the benefit to buying the store brand of anything at Zehrs, Food Basics, Independent or whatever. Buy it and if you aren't completely satisfied, take it back!!!

Another good tip from a website I found called:

Ten Ways to Think Money-Smart

Frugality

You may define "frugal" as being "cheap." The dictionary defines "frugal" as "reflecting economy in the expenditure of resources."
Our notion of frugality has been shaped very much by Ebenezer Scrooge of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Scrooge only allowed his assistant one piece of coal to warm himself while working. Scrooge was cheap. He wasn't frugal.
Frugality doesn't mean being cheap. It means becoming a more conscious shopper and consumer and looking for ways to save money. For example, you can be frugal by buying generic brands (where the quality is no different) or by shopping at sales whenever possible.

SELF HELP: Being Happy With What You Have

2007-07-03T14:56:00.000-05:00

[July 3, 2007 4:30pm]

I have been spending a lot of time lately pondering whether I want to keep this blog going or give up on it completely. That is just the honest-to-goodness truth of the matter. I started New Leaf Times because I wanted a constructive forum for learning and growing and raising the bar in my own life when it comes to being a mother and a wife. I really feel strongly about being the best I can be for the people that mean the most to me. Anyway, I am just not sure that I am hitting the nail on the head with this thing yet. Perhaps I should give it a bit more time. I am caught between journaling my feelings and providing information that might be of use to others. I would like to accomplish a bit of both.

One way that I would like to work on TURNING A NEW LEAF in my life this week is the idea of "being happy with what you have". I have done some introspection lately and have come to the conclusion that I am just way too restless and really need to take a step back and look at my life and what matters and how happiness is and should be measured. I am happy, don't get me wrong, I am just restless.

Perhaps this is a journey that we can all share together. I think there is a degree of human nature that has us pining for what we don't have or eagerly looking ahead at the "next step" in our busy lives. For some people these feelings or thoughts that I am describing can reveal themselves in darker ways as envy and jealousy and even sadness or depression. Everyone can probably use some tools for staying grounded and embracing each moment of life in pure happiness of the "present".

Let's begin...

Here is how Wikipedia defines envy:

Envy is an emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another’s superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it."[1] At the core of envy seems to be an upward social comparison that threatens a person's self-esteem: another person has something that the envier considers to be important to have. However, what is envied could also be something that is only of personal importance to the envier, even if what the other person has is of little significance in his or her society, or even seen as a sign of inferior status. If the other person is perceived to be similar to the envier, the aroused envy will be particularly intense, because it signals to the envier that it just as well could have been him or her who had the desired object. [2][3].

The word jealous is often used to describe an envious state. In its correct usage, jealousy is the fear of losing something to another person (a loved one in the prototypical form), while envy is the pain or frustration caused by another person having something that one does not have oneself.

In some cultures, envy is often associated with the color green, as in "green with envy". The phrase "green-eyed monster" refers to an individual whose current actions appear motivated by envy. This is based on a line from Shakespeare's Othello.

As mentioned, I don't think that envy is actually what I, personally, am dealing with. I do not resent others for what they have or what they have accomplished. At least I try hard not to! I think that we have a certain amount of pre-wiring to these types of thoughts. Perhaps it is the competition factor. I don't know for sure. Probably a good topic for the whole nature vs. nurture debate. I would like to know many of you feel jealous or envious and then how many of you experienced that type of thinking in the home when you were growing up. I think for some, it is a real battle to try to change old habits such as old and negative ways of thinking.

I also think that it is really important, whenever possible, to really share in the joy of other people's triumphs or good fortune. This is line with the Law of Attraction, from the book, The Secret. It really just promotes the positive energy that comes with being happy for others, rather than being angry, jealous, depressed or envious. Makes perfect sense, really. I wanted to add an image to the whole discussion on "envy" - but wasn't sure about copyrights. Found a good one with a link to envy being one of the Seven Deadly Sins. I don't know much about that stuff. Kind of creepy.

Anyway, I think my problem is just being restless. I was really raised "on the go" and tend to still feel...

gotta run

ttyl

[July 3, 2007 10:00pm]

I'm back. I left off talking about envy. I don't have an image to use for this topic, but I thought that something cute like one pet watching another pet eat a delicious treat would be cute. Another good one would be a child watching another child with a huge lolly pop or a gooey, gooey good ice-cream. If you have such an image, I'd love to post it or a link to your site.

Well, I did say that I want to TURN A NEW LEAF and it is true. I want to appreciate the "now" and savour every sweet moment. My life is full with blessings and I would hate to not maximize the enjoyment by being too busy looking ahead.

I just found this article on the Net and thought it was relevant and interesting:

The secret to being successful

All things considered, it's more fun being rich than poor. However, being successful in money matters is not the same as being successful in life. Having a lot of money or possessions may not even make you happy. Plenty of very wealthy people always seem to want more than they have. If having more isn't always the path to success, consider an alternative.
Happiness and success in money matters (and life) largely depend on whether you are grateful for what you do have.

We all want to have nice things and that's healthy. What's unhealthy is when you don't appreciate what you do have and are endlessly wanting what's new, what someone else has or what you can't afford to have. You may never satisfy your wants.
The key is to have balance in your life. Try to attain your personal and financial goals but make sure you're not paying too high a price in the quest, especially when it comes to financial goals.
Think about people who suffer through a disaster such as a hurricane or an earthquake and their home, their possessions and maybe their business are demolished. Are their lives over? No.

Listen to the words of survivors of disasters and you'll hear how "thankful" they are that they and their loved ones survived. It's at moments like these that people appreciate what they do have.

Do you want to be successful? Here's the secret. Do your best, appreciate what you have and you may be richer than anyone you know. Beware of the addiction to always want more.

Source:http://www.canadaone.com/ezine/may00/minding_your_money.html

Wow, that was GREAT. That one spoke to me and I don't think I need to say any more. I will end with a verse that has been on my mind. "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." This speaks to me because it reminds me to slow down and "be still", to be thankful and to trust in God's grace.

Long Version:

Psalm 46:1-11 - God is our refuge and strength, an ever- present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah. Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah.

Perhaps you have some good advise or have read a good book on the topic of "being happy with what you have?" Please share your comments and stories here or email me here. Hope to hear from you!

Here is a book I found on Amazon. I have NOT read it and can not offer my review.

PHOTOHUNTERS: Theme - Sweet

2007-06-29T22:36:00.000-05:00

[June 29th/07 11:39pm]

The PhotoHunters theme for Saturday, June 30th is SWEET! Just wondering if I can take picture of jubes and other candies and then eat them all up???!!! I am having some cravings tonight! Anyway, will think about the theme and take some photos tomorrow. Trying not to always just post pics of my kids, but they are such SWEETIES :) :) :) (speaking of sweet!)

Anyway, will be back tomorrow...

Sleeping Baby Boy, what could be sweeter than that?

If you like Blogs by Moms, I have a small list of a few that I enjoy. I think we like to read each others blogs so that we know we are not alone...in our quarks, our trials & tribulations, our craziness, our joys or our sorrows. The Internet Network!!!

You have to check this out: http://sahmbles.blogspot.com/

MARRIAGE MONDAYS: July 2007

2007-06-29T21:52:00.000-05:00

July 2, 2007 will be our SECOND-ever MARRIAGE MONDAY. I hope that you will choose to participate by thinking about a way that you can go out of your way to do something GOOD FOR YOUR MARRIAGE OR RELATIONSHIP on Monday. Don't stop there though - keep the ball rolling and open yourself to the possibilities of relationship bliss, all week long!

It is always great to hear from people who's marriages have lasted the test of time. I found THESE tips (below) from pair of experts on the Internet who interviewed just such people!

Have a great Marriage Monday everyone and PLEASE send details on what you plan to do, what you did, or both!!!

Why Relationships Last

In talking with couples who have been married for many years, these aspects of marriage (not listed in any type of priority) are listed as necessary for a long lasting marriage.

Continue to build intimacy -- both sexually and emotionally -- throughout your marriage.
Create passion for life and for one another.
Continue to be committed to each other and celebrate your sense of commitment.
Like one another and be friends with each other.
Have fun together, laugh together, and use humor in healthy ways.
Comfort, encourage, and affirm one another.
Be able to stand on your own feet as a couple and not be dependent either financially or emotionally on either of your parents.
Respect one another's need for privacy and space.
Parent together.
Deal with a crisis and adversity together.
Fight fair.

==========================================================================

SOME IDEAS FOR MARRIAGE MONDAYS:

Cook his/her favorite meal, make it a surprise!
Book a babysitter and plan a dinner out.
Send a nice note in his/her work bag or lunch.
Call part way through the day and tell him/her that you miss him/her or were thinking about him/her.
Take on a household chore that your spouse would usually need to get done on Mondays.
If there is something that you have been "bugging" about, don't mention it on Marriage Monday!

===========================================================================================

[June 30th/07 11:55pm]

Update: I have signed up on behalf of all of us for:

10 WEEKS TO A BETTER MARRIAGE!

Yippie - this is week ONE :)

Week 1: Talk About Your Expectations

Unrealistic Expectations Have to be Faced
Everyone has expectations. However, unrealistic expectations will end up being direct paths to disappointment and unhappiness in your marriage. These include having false expectations, believing in the myths about marriage, thinking that someone else can make you happy, trying to read one another's mind, wanting to do everything together, and wanting to have a perfect marriage. When these are not identified or verbalized, they can create great barriers in your marriage. Hopefully, your expectations will include being able to lovingly resolve conflicts, to appreciate your differences as individuals, to respect and cherish one another, and to be able to discuss values and priorities.

COMPUTERS 101: Your Profile Picture

2007-06-28T14:34:00.001-05:00

These days, most of us are on the computer for one thing or another. You may or may not already be using a profile picture for applications such as MSN Messenger, Facebook, Blogs, Epinions or other sites and programs. Perhaps the reason you do not have a profile picture is that you just don't like most pictures of yourself. You are not alone. As I mentioned in a previous entry, there are edits that you can do in common picture-programs that may be of interest to you and help you to come up with a profile picture that you like.

By the way, if you don't have a profile picture because you are worried about security or accessibility issues, you should investigate the application further to see if you can find out more about the ins and outs. One option if you aren't comfortable putting your own photo up is to select a scenery photo or free image from the Internet or your own picture files. To look on the Internet, go to:

http://www.google.com/

"images" - search

If you type in the type of image you want and add "+ free images" to your search, you may get non-copyright protected pictures that you can choose from. You can also type in "free clip-art".

There are lots of sites that provide free images, especially in lower resolution or clip-art. Yahoo Search also has an "images" option.

BACK TO PROFILE PICTURES:

- use your digital camera to take several face and full shots of yourself

- I suggest outdoor pictures with a scenic background (pleasant, but not distracting)

- Take the pictures in "your element" (though, I still recommend outdoors).

- With the proper lighting and a solid, plain background, you can also take good indoor close-ups.

- upload the pictures to your computer

- Use Microsoft Picture-It, Adobe or Picasa2 (free download) to edit your pictures

- try things like cropping, changing to black and white or sepia. Each time you make a set of edits that you like, click "save as" and save the file as a new name. This will ensure that you keep your original photo and can continue to try different edits.

Example of starting photo:

Photo (below) cropped, sharpened and saturated:

Photo (below) sharpened, cropped and sepia:

Photo (below) cropped and regular colouring:

Other ideas for profile pictures could be:

- scan in an old photo of yourself

- take a picture of one of your favorite items such as shoes or purse

- take a picture of your feet or other body part (discretion, please :)

- take a picture of your pet

HINT: User higher resolution when taking photos so that you can crop in closer, while still maintaining photo quality. This is useful if you want to crop in really tight, for example, to just a part of your face.

Time to go, company is here - can give more examples later. I LOVE trying to come up with good profile pictures. Check out the web and you will see that this is an art in itself. I have a long way to go...but enjoying the process of learning and experimenting...

PARENTING: I Love You Rituals

2007-06-28T07:09:00.001-05:00

As a mother, one way that I would like to turn a new leaf is to actively seek out and begin to lay down the ground work for memorable family traditions. This topic came up recently in a parenting group that I was part of. Not everyone grew up with a whole lot of traditions, but those that did seem to think very fondly of them. I think traditions give children structure and security and connection to their family. I am thrilled to now have the opportunity to lay this groundwork with my boys. I know that my husband is also eager to give this gift to our children.

Let's get started. One way to start thinking about traditions on a small day to day scale is to implement "I Love You Rituals". I found this great book for only $1.00 at a local discount store that used to get boxes full of books, I am assuming from close-outs. Anyway, I just found the book on Amazon and they also have a feature where you can access citations and other contents through their website. Interesting.

I like this book because it begins with a chapter or two full of background information on why rituals are good for kids and how they tie in with discipline and also boosting brain potential. Who knew!? I will let you take a look at the book yourself, if you are interested. I don't plan on being on the computer all day today, so I think that I will just give you one ritual to try. I will look for something that is appropriate for a two year old and will try it with my own son.

Here's the Beehive (Interactive Finger Plays)

Here's the beehive, where are all the bees?

Hidden away where nobody sees.

Watch and you will see them come out of the hive.

One, two, three, four, five

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'll catch them and keep them alive.

Preparation and instructions: Start this game with the child making a fist with the thumb tucked inside his or her hand, so no "bees" are showing.

"Here's the beehive, where are all the bees?"

Hold the child's fist and look all around the hand with an inquisitive expression.

"Hidden away where nobody sees."

Say this line with a sighing voice as your shrug your shoulders, looking at the child's closed hand.

"Watch and you will see them come out of the hive."

Showing anticipation and delight, prepare your other hand to "remove the bees."

"One, two, three, four, five."

Pick out one "bee" at a time as you count the child's fingers being opened. As each finger is extended, make the "Bzzzzzzzzzz" sound.

"Bzzzzzzzzzzzz"

Once all the "bees" are out, continue making a bee sound and move the child's hand in a fluttering motion.

"I'll catch them and keep them alive."

Pretend to catch the bees by gently tucking the child's fingers inside your hands. When the "bees" are caught, stop the buzzing noise. Check the "bees" several times to make sure they are still alive by opening your hands and looking at them. Each time you check, show the child that the bees are alive by making the "Bzzzzz" sound.

PARENTING: Our Top 10 Baby Gear List

2007-06-27T08:04:00.000-05:00

[June 27/07 9:47pm] I don't have the time I need to post details at the moment, but I do want to post our list of TOP 10 BABY GEAR ITEMS. This list would have been our pick during the first twenty-two months of parenthood, when we only had one child.

1. EuroPrimo Bath Tub: The best baby tub. Good from infant to toddler. I think we used it from 4 months to well over a year. Loved it. Great for fun baths that are also safe (baby can not fall back and hit their head on the porcelein tub). It fits right in your bath tub and can hold lots of water for babies or toddlers that are a little bit older. You don't have to waste water filling the entire bath tub.

2. Fisher Price Healthy Care Booster: Just a great booster seat! Great colours, great design, fits securly to almost any kitchen or dining room chair. Tray snaps on easily. has a strap that can be used to carry it over the shoulder. We have taken ours everywhere! I know moms that have used these instead of a traditional, bulky high chair. I highly recommend this product. Read my Epinions review here.

3. Britax Roundabout convertible car seat: I can not say enough about this amazing car seat. It has great safety features, great fabric, great design, great comfort, great portability, great everything! Went into our cars rear-facing with ease and has the awesome push-button strap release that I don't think you can find anywhere else. Has a little bit lower back that some other seats, was great to take on the airplane. Fits SNUG into any vehicle that we have tried. Goes in REALLY easy with the latch system, but we use it with the seat belt in my husband's car. We chose the denim fabric and love it. It is a little cooler in the hot summer temperatures and came recomended by the lady at the store because of that. It is also very easy to clean because it does not have various extra pieces of fabric and unnecessary attachments such as headrests to worry about. Got great safety ratings and ease of use ratings. Check out Consumer Reports here: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/child-car-booster-seats/car-seats-4-07/overview/index.htm (No report currently available on car seat safety). Check out 2007 ease of use ratings here.

4. Graco Travel System (stroller, infant carrier, base): I think our is a Quattro Tour. Anyway, we got it because it came recommended by a family member for it's ability to travel on rough terrain, such as paths and sand. It has worked out great for us and we are on baby #2 using it. The infant seat is standard and all equipment seems to be holding up well. We like the big basket and full recline position on the stroller.

5. Safety 1st Bouncy Chair: I actually didn't pick this up until our second child, but I am very glad we did. I prefer this seat over the first one that we bought, which was the Fisher Price Infant to Toddler Rocker. It is a great chair as well, but I like the bouncy chair because the baby gets it moving with their own motion, rather than just having the vibration mode like the Fisher Price one. I think our new, Safety 1st, also has a vibration setting, but we haven't even used it. What I really like is that the baby is cuddled right in but sits in an upright position. We had also had a Bumbo, but I recently sold it as the bouncy chair is all we need.

Will have to post the final 6 and our new favorite items list (toddler) another time. Please visit again soon.

SAVINGS: Toonie Tuesdays - Deals

2007-06-26T18:06:00.001-05:00

Here is an idea, if Marriage Mondays doesn't take off -- TOONIE TUESDAYS...a day to share ideas on saving money, thrifty shopping and deals, deals, deals!!! At least I feel somewhat qualified to write on this topic, since I do happen to be an extremely thrifty (conscientious) shopper! I guess it could way beyond shopping to facts about saving money on household bills, deals on insurance, savings plans and SO MUCH MORE! I think there are probably lots of families that could benefit from sharing knowledge about SAVING MONEY!

So, what's my TOONIE TUESDAY TIP OF THE DAY? Well, I just found out that where we live, McDonald's has Hamburger Happy Meals for $1.99 on Tuesdays! I never saw myself as being a "McDonald's parent", and we really don't eat a lot of fast food, but check it out...

For $1.99 you get a hamburger, toy, fries OR apple slices and a drink. For a drink you can choose from a small white milk, small chocolate milk, juice or child-sized pop. ALSO, parents get a free coffee! That is a cheap trip to McDonald's and kind-of a fun outing, especially if your McDonald's has a Play Land, which ours does not. You can even feel good about promoting healthier choices by getting the milk and apples. We got one fries and one apples and split :) The coffee wasn't bad either!

Please submit your thoughts, ideas and thrifty secrets HERE or email me HERE and I will post them for you.

HOMEPAGE: MARRIAGE MONDAYS

2007-06-26T13:32:00.000-05:00

This is the Non-Official Button Link for Marriage Mondays.
Please visit again soon.

This page is being reserved for Marriage Mondays.

This page is under construction. Contact me for more information.

Update: Marriage Mondays

2007-06-26T13:17:00.000-05:00

6/26/2007
Refresh yourself as a mother by going on a women’s retreat or a night out with Dad.

It looks like the concept of Marriage Mondays is officially being kicked off, so to speak! I will continue to give thought to the purpose and potential of this idea. I am also working on a button, in hopes that you will choose to post a link on your site. It would also be great if you would drop by on Mondays to see what's new and read the Marriage Thought of the Day. We would also really like it if you would share your plans to do something special within your marriage on Mondays, or any time at all. If you have any other ideas, such as posting themes or other information each week, please contact me.

Once I have enough thoughts together, I will create an official homepage for Marriage Mondays, with links and comment sharing. We will have to see where it goes from there and hopefully the ideas will take on a life of it's own. Again, your feedback is welcome.

Did anyone participate in Marriage Mondays yesterday? I did. My original idea was to email my husband and have him choose the dinner menu, but he was too busy to reply. I had also considered not emailing him with any to dos or other rants throughout the day. I got off a bad start with my first email, which included a request to fix our home computer; however, from there on in, I held myself back and did not send my usual stream of emails - until late afternoon, anyway....Hey, you have to start somewhere! I think I made up for it later and I think my husband is feeling pretty enthused about Marriage Mondays. I don't think it is too much to ask to give a little bit of thought and care to the marriage, at least one day of the week!

Hope to hear from all of you on ideas for keeping your marriage strong, especially through difficult or stressful times, such as the infant and toddler stages!!!

Have a great day!

PARENT REVIEWS: Diaper Bags

2007-06-25T14:04:00.000-05:00

Who knew that this could be such a life-alterting topic, post-baby!? Wow. The diaper bag is this whole entity in itself, isn't it? Personally, I have gone through several diaper bags, many of which were not actually on the market as such. I started with a baby blue bag from Zellers.

Pretty Baby Diaper Bag - Zellers

I think it is called "Pretty Baby". I don't know who makes it. I bought it because I figured I was having a boy (I was right), but thought that I could still use it if I didn't because of the light colour. This bag worked well for travels in the car and with the stroller. I found that in the beginning I needed a bigger bag because I had no idea what to bring or what I didn't need to bring. I am an over-packer to begin with, so once I had an infant to take along as well, it was trouble! I think the packing peaked when I had to also start bringing snacks for baby.

Some time after that I saw that a friend was using a purse-style bag from Old Navy. I purchased that and found it really handy for trips to the mall. This was the post-baby phase where I wanted to get some of my "womanly identify" back anyway. Did this happen to you? That point where you want to where some of your old clothes or put on perfume, even though you hadn't been doing these things for various reasons? Okay, I'll stop right there. If you are wondering what the heck I am talking about, new moms are actually told to cut out the smelly soaps, body lotions, shower gels and perfumes because a new baby has a sensitive nose and might be turned off from nursing. I was a very "by the book" kind of first-time-mom, so I obliged. Anyway, back to my review -- The purse was good and could fit some diapers, my wallet, a small blanket and some snacks. I think a sippy cup would even fit - or I would just pile all the overflow into the stroller basket!

Over time, I have also had the little, black back-pack style bag. I didn't really like it for my purposes. I think I have actually had two of them circulate through here, and both of them I passed along via yard sale or FreeCycle.

Since then I have been pretty creative with what I have used. I have found that my needs have changed over time and also it depends on what we are doing and where we are going. A friend recently gave me a big black purse that I love because I can fit all of my usual purse-type items, PLUS diapers (2 sizes now), wipes, toys and whatever else. I also have a red travel bag that I use. This probably looks really dumb - but it hold a lot and either my husband or I can carry it. We usually use it for longer outtings and when going to church.

The diaper bag I would probably get if I felt like spending lots of money or I had it to do over and could register for it is one that is sold at Toys R Us. A mom I met at a friends house had it and I asked her about it and then looked it up. It is called a Black Messenger Bag by Diaper Dude. Anyway, it is black and stylish and sits on your hip. I think it would be great. If you have one, please leave a review here.

Diaper Dude Diaper Bag

My friend, Cathy, submitted the following tip regarding a bag holder that she uses with her diaper bag:

"I bought a eddie bauer bag holder that is small and it clips on to the diaper bag so I always have bags on hand. They come with refills etc. I also bought sunscreen that stays in the diaper bag so I know that I will have some."

I hope that my friend, Sarah, will write about the new super-delux diaper bag that she made!!! I will post a link to her blog if she wants to tell you about it there!

MARRIAGE MONDAYS: Let's get started

2007-06-25T09:08:00.000-05:00

Here are my NON OFFICIAL BUTTONS for MARRIAGE MONDAYS!!! Stay tuned for the real thing!!! Thank you for your interest.

Here's an idea - Marriage Mondays. What are they? Marriage Mondays are an opportunity to do something, anything, that will benefit your relationship and marriage with your significant other. Why is this important? I think it is obvious, but let's discuss anyway...

I think as a parent it is easier to address parenting issues than it is marital issues. It is also easier to put energy into being a good parent than it is a good spouse. Have you had any experience with this? Chances are, if you have children, it has been a relevant topic in your life.

My suggestion for Marriage Mondays is simple...do something, however simple, that will have a positive impact on your spouse. What a great way to start the week off on the right foot. I don't know about you, but when my relationship with my husband is in balance, everything else seems easier. I feel connected, supported and loved. It is so much easier to face things as part of a "team", rather than feeling alone or even worse, being at opposite ends of the spectrum and wasting valuable energy butting heads.

I should admit right now that is an area that could use lots of work on my part...which is why I am interested in a journey of change. Someone recently pointed out the fact that we do preventative maintenance on our cars (and other possessions), but not on our marriages. I think this is a valid point. Let's not sit idle and wait for a major catastrophe, especially if we know we could do things to make things better. Maybe on Mondays you want to identify more than one way that you will enhance your relationship throughout the week...all the power to you. PLEASE TELL US what you have decided to do (well, within reason) and if your plan had the expected results.

I already messed up my plan for Marriage Monday. My idea was to not email my husband at work ALL DAY with any "to dos" or other rants. I was going to ask him what he would like for dinner and nothing more (except nice things). Oooops, I forgot about these details and did email him about dinner, but also asked if he could fix the Internet connection on our home computer. Do you see how this request will take away from what I was hoping to accomplish? Better luck next time. And by the way, I have not heard back about dinner.

Marriage Mondays TIP OF THE DAY:

Sometimes we can get so caught up in the "stuff" of life that we forget to take time to continue to discover the person we love. Remember the first days of love and the hours you spent talking and getting to know each other? No matter how long you have been together, it is important to continue the discovery. Take some time and ask each other these questions: What makes you happiest in our relationship? What is the one thing you would like to change in our relationship? Listen with an open mind and you may discover something new about your spouse.

Source: Church bulletin

PHOTOHUNTERS: Time for a change

2007-06-23T16:33:00.000-05:00

About Theme: Shiny Roll

I have chosen to post pictures for this weeks theme of SHINY on Photo Hunters that keep with my theme for this BLOG. I did not actually know how I would pull this off when I logged on and found out what the theme was - but luckily my walk around the block and into the forest (with kids and camera in tow) proved successful when I looked down at my shiny watch. Before having this seemingly simple (yet broadly meaningful) discovery, I had taken pictures of ever thing shiny that I came across, including:

shiny Canada Post mailboxes
shiny lock
shiny litter
shiny rims
shiny motorcycle
shiny car
shiny glass on trail
shiny spot where sun filtered in through the trees

The watch and the leaves are both representative of my Blog theme, which is Time to Turn a New Leaf. If I'm lucky, I may even be onto something here that will lead me to some good design edits for my blog template, but we'll see...I don't really know all of the ins and outs of that stuff yet.

I played around with these photos on Picasa2. I am loving that program. I have not been back on Microsoft Picture-It since I discovered it. I am, however, wondering if I can add text or borders in Picasa??? I would like to add stamps to my photos like I have seen on TN Chick's pictures, on her website. http://tnchick.com/

The watch is shiny and so is your future! Take hold and turn a new leaf today!!!

You can do it!!!

I also liked this picture of the shiny lock. Locks represent so many things, especially in the hearts and minds of us humble humans. One of the things that I hope to get out of my blog journey is to become a more "open" person.

Maybe we need to free our old habits or old ways of thinking -- or whatever...
I guess the key is to always be moving forward...and though I am not exactly sure what that means in my life right now, I am confident that the secrets will reveal themselves as time goes on.

Speaking of "secrets", these are the shiny mailboxes that I check EVERY DAY in hopes that I have not been totally jipped by an Internet person who took my money through PayPal for a DVD copy of THE SECRET! I had read half of the book and thought I was on the path to "attracting" things to myself when I lost an Ebay auction but was in contact with the seller who said they had another copy of the DVD that they could send me. Ahhh. That was over a month ago. When I filed a PayPal dispute, the person emailed me and said that there was a family tragedy and the package had been returned. They said they sent it again and asked me to lift the block thing in PayPal. I did not do this, but I also did not get the Pay pal email that said I only had a few days left to escalate the dispute, otherwise they would consider it resolved and close the case! Ahhhh. The case was closed and I have not heard from the seller or received the DVD. I am still hopeful, but I think I might also be naive. There was no tracking information given. I'll keep you "posted" so to speak. In the meantime, watch who you are paying for what if you use PayPal!!!!

SELF HELP: The Weight Challenge

2007-06-22T10:56:00.000-05:00

I don't have much time to blog today, but I do have lots and lots of topic ideas that I would love to write about. The first one that I thought I'd better get going with is my First 10 or Last 10 Weight Challenge. I am now 4.5 months post-partum and think that I am finally getting into the swing of things enough to deal with my nutrition and fitness issues. What does that mean? It means that I will try some old tricks to lose a few more inches in hopes of getting back into the loads of clothes that are awaiting me in bins and stacks in my closet.

I don't get on the scale very often, but I did today and it seems that I have about 10lbs to go to get back into at least one batch of my old pants (I have a very wide range of sizes!). Having said that, most of us with children know that it is not all about the weight, but in fact, it is also about the changes that happen to our body shape.

Anyway, I am calling this First 10 or last 10 because it doesn't really matter where you are on the spectrum...all of us with some weight to lose are bound by many common strings. Do you have trouble staying motivated? Eat more when you are tired? Poor nutrition because of being so busy chasing kids around? Buying snacks because they look so good in the store or are on sale? Crave sugar? Addicted to chocolate? I just described myself!!!

Okay, so what I wanted to write about is the little things that I think I can do (perhaps you also) to get things moving along on the post-partum weight issue. Most of these are things that all of us have heard a million times, some are new ideas. Regardless, I find that I can be so tired and busy so much of the time that reminders can be helpful. I will be doing the following (if I can stay committed and motivated). I will keep you posted. Please let me know if you decide to "play" along:

- Substitute sugar in coffee with sweetener or Splenda: (Oprah suggests Splenda instead of sugar or sweetener in baking and everything else. I find it makes my coffee a little fizzy and sometimes I can't stand it, but I have a box that I will try to use. It is supposed to be a healthier alternative than traditional sweeteners.)

- NO full-fat ice cream: This has been my weakness lately. It doesn't help that Zehrs has Nestle ice cream on sale for $2.50 this week. We are just polishing off the Rolo now. I say "we", but I mean, "I". I think Chris has had one or two servings. On my "Last 10" plan I will only eat fat reduced ice cream or No Sugar Added Fudge Pops. The fudge pops were also featured on Oprah. They are so yummy and great. They are only 50 calories in one serving and are really great for satisfying chocolate cravings. Chapmans makes a great low-fat ice cream. I like the chocolate fudge swirl or Neapolitan.Yummy. It seriously has almost half the fat,but still tastes GREAT...Not as great as Rolo, but great. Speaking of which, I actually allowed myself to walk by the $2.50 Nestle ice cream at Zehrs today without picking up a container to "re stock" before the sale is over (today). I will keep you updated if I can get through until store closing (10pm??) without running over there to get some. You see, for me, the fact that it is so cheap is the real draw. I would never pay full price, but on sale and so yummy - let me at it!!!

A chocolate lover's dream - rich, creamy and low fat ice cream with a fudgy ripple swirl and 40% less fat than regular ice cream. Available in 2 Litre plastic containers.
Ingredients:Concentrated Skim Milk, Cream, Sugar, Glucose, Chocolate Sauce (corn syrup, water, glucose-fructose, cocoa, soybean oil, caramel, salt, sodium alginate, natural flavour, potassium sorbate, soy lecithin, disodium phosphate), Cocoa, Mono and Diglycerides, Carob Bean Gum, Guar Gum, Carrageenan, Natural Flavour Source: http://www.chapmans.on.ca/products.aspx

My list (continued)

- Water, water, water: I do not know why I have not felt like water lately, but I am going to try to get drinking a glass when I wake up and one with every meal (minimum).

- Fruit: Again, not sure why I am off of the fruit - but I am going to eat at least one fruit per day. Gosh, do I ever sound unhealthy!

Anyway, it was important for me to embark on this journey because I did not want this blog to be all about just the easy things to do. I really do have some areas of my life that I need to look long and hard at and start making some plans to "turn a new leaf". (I am looking for a blogger application that would allow me to keep track of a list in my sidebar.)

The weight thing is not one that I have to put too much thought into, which explains why I have chosen it today, and not one of my more difficult issues, behaviors or thought patterns!

I would love to hear from you if you are "turning a new leaf" in your life today!!!

MEALS FOR KIDS: Healthier Hot Dogs

2007-06-22T06:22:00.000-05:00

I thought I was being really smart when I decided that I would make "healthier hot dogs" for supper last night. I felt that this might be of real interest to other parents who have kids that seem to put wieners at the top of their list for favorite meats (why is that anyway?). The fact of the matter is that I did accomplish part of my goal by adding the broccoli and cheese, however, I thought the meal was really not good at all.

My husband calls these things "piggies in a blanket". I bought the special Pillsbury dough on sale at Zehrs. I will never buy that dough again. I think I will stick with whole wheat bread or buns. Anyway, I steamed some broccoli and added cheese before rolling the wieners. I also cut the wieners length wise so that they were not such a choking hazard. The meal was served with corn on the cob and fries. For my families sake, I am sorry to say that the whole meal was a disaster. This tends to happen to me most frequently when I leave planning until 5:00pm! Bad idea.

Truth be told, the fries were no good either. You will notice that "gourmet" is not one of the labels or search words that I am attaching to this post, or any other post that I do for that matter. I feel so bad about it, that I took the "as a cook" part out of my Blog description (I replaced "cook" with "wife"). I don't plan to give up all-together, I have cooked some good food in my day, I just need to get "back on track".

Back to the meal - the corn was not good. It was on sale at Zehrs this week for $0.50 per cob. In retrospect, a LOT TO PAY for cattle corn! Yuck. The fries were not very good because they were either undercooked (took longer than the piggies) and/or they were freezer burned. We don't eat fries very often PLUS they were in the door of the fridge. Two strikes.

Pilsbury hot dogs with veggies

Well, there you have it - the honest truth about a dinner gone wrong. I hope that I will have success stories to write about in the future. I should probably spend some time reading the blogs of my friends that CAN cook (see side-bar).

RATING: I give the success of this meal a 3/10. Having said that, Ja1 ate the piggies and the corn! Yuck.

Snack Idea (below): Just thought I'd mention this snack idea for raising the healthy factor on an infant-toddler staple, CHEERIOS! Just sprinkle cheese on top and bake or microwave.

Cheerios and Life Cereal baked with cheese

RATING: Sounds like a great idea (8/10) and did work for us when Ja1 was eating cheerios morning, noon and night. Tried it last night and he was not interested at all (2/10). The Life cereal has not gone over at all. It is very bland. So much for trying to stick to cereals with very little sugar. I bet if I baked brown sugar into the cheese he'd eat it! Yuck.

BY THE WAY: Check out the top photo for a new (new to me) cheese by Kraft on sale for $1.99 (where else, Zehrs). I LOVE it. 10/10 for cheddar!

SANITY: Where to park at the park

2007-06-21T19:25:00.000-05:00

Many different groups of parents (mostly Moms) that I know have various mornings where they (we) meet at parks around town. I have had some fun and some serious stress at these outings. For most of my upcoming summer park adventures, and for my own sanity, I will now be most likely to join up with the group at parks that cause the least stress. Call it picky or silly or crazy, but I call it survival.

Some of my tips for morning park outings with a toddler and an infant include:

- plan ahead and pack a bag (but not too much) the night before

- apply sunscreen on youngsters before leaving the house
- bring snacks
- bring a blanket for sitting (or wiping noses, or playing the parachute game!)
- pack Kleenex (to avoid above, nose wiping comment)
- bring a plastic bag (or 6) for disposing of diapers
- go to parks that are not too busy
- go to parks that are not close to busy streets
- choose parks with walking trails nearby if you are taking a stroller or wagon
- even better, choose parks with a coffee or ice cream shop nearby and DO bring a stroller
- pack some spare change (see above)
- go early to avoid the sun
- go with people who will understand if you suddenly disappear (because of cues from your kids you have packed up your car and sped off for home!)
- choose parks that have age-appropriate play equipment for your child or children

- choose parks with close parking...the closer the better
- bring a sand toy or two and a ball or other toy if appropriate

- be prepared with "back pocket ideas" such as songs or games to amuse the little ones

(what a hit you will be)

RATING: If you know the above park, I give it a 10/10 for parking, shade, equipment and even location. The only thing I would change would be the sand to that really cool, special new park flooring that they have. Sand can be fun for the kids, but you never know what is "hiding" in there.

GAME IDEA:
RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT
In this game, one person plays the "stop light" and the rest try to touch him/her.
At the start, all the children form a line about 15 feet away from the stop light.
The stop light faces away from the line of kids and says "green light". At this point the kids are allowed to move towards the stoplight.
At any point, the stop light may say "red light!" and turn around. If any of the kids are caught moving after this has occurred, they are out.
Play resumes when the stop light turns back around and says "green light".
The stop light wins if all the kids are out before anyone is able to touch him/her.
Otherwise, the first player to touch the stop light wins the game and earns the right to be "stop light" for the next game. Source: http://www.indianchild.com/outdoor_games.htm

OTHER LINKS:

http://www.kids-fun-and-games.com/toddler-party-games.html

FAVORITES: Car Seats!

2007-06-21T11:12:00.000-05:00

On our way home from the park today I glanced back at my two boys in their car seats and knew that I should post something about our love-affair with our Britax car seats. I got turned on to these seats when we were looking for the rear-facing (and beyond) car seat for Ja1, I guess when he was about 6 months old. I think that my friend had already bought a Britax and had told me about how much she liked it. I did extensive searching on the web of reviews and also looked for safety ratings. I think at that time I could access Consumer Reports safety ratings on car seats. I believe you have to pay and subscribe for that now. Anyway, the Britax seats that are available in Canada are the Roundabout and the Marathon. We went with the smaller and slightly cheaper of the two, the Roundabout. This seat has great reviews and great features. One of my favorite features is the push-button strap release! All seats should have this. I will copy the features of both from the website.

Anyway, we really loved our Roundabout and found the size especially handy when we took it on the airplane. The fabric is also awesome. We chose the Denim and it is really neat. The drawback is that it fades over time in the sun. I like it because it is easy to clean. The REALLY great thing about these seats is that the fabric part is simple. There are not a bunch of different inserts and flaps that you often find on other seats. The Roundabout fit snug into our car with the latch system and is VERY simple to install. It is easier to get it in really tight forward facing, but it still goes in nicely rear facing. It also has a special tether system for rear-facing so that you can tether it to the bottom of the front seats in the car. All in all, this seat has great safety reviews, great ease of use reviews and two THUMBS up from me, for sure!!!

Britax Roundabout Seat

[The legendary Britax Roundabout® convertible car seat is renowned for safety, comfort, and convenience.
Rear Facing:5 lbs. to 33 lbs.Forward Facing:1 year old and 20 lbs./ up to 40 lbs.
Unique features including a sculpted base, push button release LATCH system with patented Versa-Tether®, and built-in vehicle belt lock-offs, make a tight installation in your vehicle quick and simple. The tangle-free polyester 5-point harness and push button harness adjuster help you effortlessly secure your child every day. The Roundabout® also offers a cozy, washable seat cover for that ultimate comfort experience for children rear-facing from 5 to 33 pounds or children forward-facing from 1 year old and 20 to 40 pounds.]

Source: http://www.britaxusa.net/products/detail_roundabout.aspx

When it was time to think about getting a second car seat, we were undecided about spending the money on another Britax. I really wanted to, but we thought that we would explore our options first. I did look at Sears and Toys R Us at some of the seats that convert to boosters. We thought that the new baby could use the Roundabout and Ja1 could graduate to one of these seats. I bought a Safety First seat that I have only seen at Sears. It had the simple but sturdy design, which I like. I forget now what it was called, but it is black with some silverish-blueish colouring. The thing I did not like was that it sat really low in the car. We ended up taking it back. When a sale came on at our local baby-specialty shop, my husband lined up at the door and got in to buy our Britax Marathon. Very cool. This seat is bigger than the Roundabout and the child can stay in it to 48 lbs. Also very cool because the 5-point harness is the safest way to go. We bought the seat in Denim blue. The Marathon does not have the push-button strap release, but it does have tangle-free straps. We love both seats. Oh, the kids seem to love them too. They actually look comfortable, and we feel good about the safety features.

Britax Marathon Seat

[The legendary Britax Marathon™ convertible car seat is renowned for safety, comfort, and convenience.
Rear Facing:5 lbs. to 33 lbs.Forward Facing:1 year old and 20 lbs. / up to 65 lbs.
The Marathon is also one of many Britax products renowned for its ability to keep your child in a harnessed restraint up to 65 pounds.
Unique features including a patent-pending rip-stitch tether - reduces G-force effects on the head and body in the event of an impact, a sculpted base, push button release LATCH system with patented Versa-Tether®, and built-in vehicle belt lock-offs, make a tight installation in your vehicle quick and simple. The tangle-free polyester 5-point harness helps to effortlessly secure your child every day. The Marathon™ also offers a patented HUGS™ system, belly pad, and a plush & washable seat cover for that ultimate comfort experience for children rear-facing from 5 to 33 pounds or children forward-facing from 1 year old and 20 to 65 pounds.]

Source: http://www.britaxusa.net/products/detail_marathon.aspx

Please feel free to post your comments about your favorite car seats or other baby gear. "What not to buy" can also be helpful to new moms. For example, I knew MANY first-time moms who HATED the Eddie Bauer car seats in rear-facing position.

ACTIVITIES: Nature Sack

2007-06-21T07:48:00.000-05:00

Nature Sack is an activity you can do with children of almost any age in almost any location. We incorporated it last night while going on an evening walk. The concept is simple: find items from nature, but them in a bag one at a time, have other participants feel inside the bag and guess what is there. Twist: for a fun twist, try to choose items that will "trick" the other players.

We had more fun that even I expected with this one. After one round of me finding the objects and the girls guessing, they were off and running with the game. Throughout our ENTIRE walk, they looked for objects to try and trick eachother, my husband and myself. Once they found something, they would put it in the cloth bag and then ask someone to reach in, feel the object, and guess what they were touching. This is really fun if you can find an object that feels like something along the lines of a worm or bug!

Neat objects to try:

- a stick that feels like a bone
- a snail
- a small piece of litter (might feel like a leaf)
- moss

MY RATING:

Nature Sack: I give the success of this activity for us (last night on our walk) a 10/10

Everyone stayed engaged and had fun all the way home. We even continued the game when we got out of the forest and found things like mulch, a rubber band and a piece of plastic while walking on the sidewalk. The girls loved getting my husband to reach in the bag and would try to make him think he was touching things like worms or bugs! Lots of fun, a real hit!

DINNER FOR KIDS: Tacos & Cupcakes

2007-06-21T07:36:00.001-05:00

If I haven't mentioned it already, the kitchen is not my domain. Having said that, I do enjoy cooking and do have high hopes of having more time and ambition to experiment with tantalizing recipes some day. In the meantime, cooking in our house is usually pretty much a means to an ends. We need to eat, so we need to cook. This normal routine did take a turn recently when I had mentioned to my neighbours that they could help me cook dinner sometime. When they mentioned it the next two weeks in a row, I knew I had struck a cord. These girls come over once a week for supper with our family and I guess they thought it would be fun to assist with the preparation.
I decided last minute on soft tacos. Nothing from scratch, just the shells, hamburger and taco mix from Zehrs. The girls helped with the tacos, though I actually had them more engaged in making muffins.

What you need:

- Package of taco spice ($0.99) Zehrs, or Taco Kit
- Tortilla shells (soft) or hard taco shells
- Hamburger, ground turkey or ground chicken
- Cheese (shredded)
- Lettuce (shredded)
- Tomato (chopped)

Note: make this meal healthier with whole wheat tortilla shells

The cupcakes were really fun. Baking is even less my forte than cooking, but I find it pretty easy to use a cake mix to make yummy cupcakes. The girls were eager to help crack the eggs, mix the batter, fill the cups, ice the cupcakes and of course, top them with sprinkles. This also gave them something to take home and share with their Dad or take to school.

You need:
- cake mix (or a "from scratch" recipe)
- icing
- sprinkles and/or smarties, jubes or other toppings

Making the tacos

Some of our ingredients

A happy pair!

MY RATING:

TACOS: The tacos were a 4/10 in my opinion. I did not have all the ingredients ready to have the girls help with chopping and shredding. Also, I warmed the shells, but they got a little hard around the edges and were difficult to wrap. The girls had not had tacos before, I don't know if they were overly thrilled with them, but I think they had fun in the process.

CUPCAKES: The cupcakes were a 9/10. Making cupcakes with kids is always a hit.
Please feel free to add your own recipes or suggestions or links for great meals and desserts to make with kids.

MY NEW LEAF

2007-06-20T19:10:00.000-05:00

And so it begins...This is my first entry to what I am hoping will be a fun and rewarding blog. I was seeking an idea on a concept with purpose and am grateful that my prayers were answered so quickly. After spending some time with a friend today, talking about blogs and web pages and children and life, the idea for this blog suddenly came to me. The brainstorm I was having initially was around turning a new leaf in our thoughts, our habits and our behaviors. This also lead me want to think about new things we can do with our children so that all of us are having quality experiences, while also building relationships and creating happy memories. I am a firm believer that if it is not working for you, you have to act to change it (turn a new leaf). I think that this can be particularly true when we are at home managing our households and trying to do our best to raise our children and keep ourselves all together in the process. Children may thrive off of routine, but they also thrive off of new activities that challenge and stimulate them. I want this to be a place where I can provide new ideas, resources or links for a wide range of daily situations, such as:

- activities for parents and children

- activities for just children

- family outings

- sharing your time and talents

- photography

- meals and cooking

- buying and selling household stuff

- motherhood stuff

...and much, much more

I am not claiming to be an expert in all or any of these areas - but these are things that affect my life, so why not share in the process of learning what works and what doesn't! I have a few subjects in mind - and have actually introduced them to the concept already today (next post). All new ideas shared on this blog will be categorized with bold and capitalized headings. I will also try to post or update you on what has worked (or not) for my family and friends. Please feel free to share your own thoughts, ideas and feedback as well.

Welcome to...
NEW LEAF TIMES
"Turn a new leaf in your life today :)"

Meet my subjects:

My better half (I mean that)

Our first born (Ja1)

Our newest cutie-pie (Ja2)

Favorite neighbour 1

Favorite neighbour 2