Pinteresting Pins

Back to Organization

2012-02-14T18:39:00.000-05:00

I've been busy with things for the kids school and sickness etc so I fell off the organizing bandwagon. I've also discovered that although the 52 week challenge (and any of the others) have good intentions - they also contain many items that don't pertain to us (or I had already done those items prior to starting it). This also makes you lose the momentum on organizing!

So right now I am just trying to get things back to looking decent. It is amazing how quick a kitchen counter becomes the catch all.

Kitchen counter - almost back to looking good.
Fridge is low on food - so it looks great lol
Just need to catch up on folding laundry.....oh wait that's a never ending job!

Week #2 Organized Home Challenge Kitchen Drawers & Kitchen Cabinet Organization

2012-01-15T18:22:00.001-05:00

So I had a late start on this (in a way). DH and I had already organized & decluttered most of our cupboards and drawers before I started this. I just went through and moved a few things I don't use so much into higher cupboards and re-organized our food cupboards.

I must admit that my week 1 - counter, was cleaned again....and now you can't tell again. At the same time I will say that I don't think it is nearly as bad as before and to clean it up would be quick.

I did get a basket for the counter for extra stuff (that I think we should go through once a week). It's actually the basket that was under the toaster oven shelf, which I know have a 3 drawer storage container (that has been made pretty with scrapbook paper covering the front)

This is the paper I used.

I haven't really continued with the declutter calendar as some of it is redundant to the 52 weeks, but I will look at it and do any items that I feel really need it.

The first week I blogged about a few of the items I did - I also went through spices and discarded old ones, re-organized my canned foods. The freezer I try to keep on top of and my freezer was getting pretty low on food so I skipped that.

This past week was organizing/decluttering nightstand (has a light on top....that's about it, so not really necessary), clean out under the bed (nothing there), clear off one bedroom shelf (don't have any) and throw out junk in the junk drawer & organize (goes with the cupboard/drawer organization form the 52 week challenge and dh and I did that not that long ago).

Looking ahead on next weeks declutter calendar - I have already completed Monday (hair doo-dads), Tuesday (expired skin care), Wednesday (expired medication), Thursday, Friday and Saturday (one bathroom drawer/shelf).

For Week 3: Kitchen pantry and food storage areas. That was completed with Week 2 as I don't have a pantry and my cupboards are food storage areas, so I probably will not be working on that at all.

SuperPoints works for me!

2012-01-13T18:48:00.001-05:00

Superpoints is a rewards program that works for me! I have actively been using it since the end of September and to date I have redeemed for $105 and am very close to another $5.

There are no pop-ups with this site and no spam! You do get an email daily which awards you random superpoints. Complete your profile to basic level to get 30 clicks on the button. Get referrals and earn more clicks (up to a max of 100).

Not sure if this site is for you? - Well do you like free money?

Think it will take too long - 30 clicks takes about 5 min if you do it all at once (or do it in between surfing the net, then it would take a little longer). You also don't need to click every day (although if you don't it will take longer to earn).

It doesn't hurt to sign up...really I experienced absolutely NO PAIN from signing up ;)

Superpoints is a referral only site, so the only way to sign up is through one of these referral links (links are 1x use only, I will do my best to update them as they are used).

Visit us here for updated links and just the superpoints details.

Heart Shaped Hair

2012-01-07T21:41:00.002-05:00

DD1 wanted me to do her hair, so I had agreed to do it after her bath. I was checking out pinterest for some ideas (because she wanted something different than a braid/french braid) and she saw this heart style that was recently pinned by dh's cousin. So I decided to give it a try!

I don't have the topsy tail so I had to flip the hair by hand which caused her a little pain. It was past bedtime so I wasn't worried about perfection, but she is absolutely thrilled with it.

Clear Storage Drawer Pin

2012-01-07T16:39:00.002-05:00

I saw a pin on pinterest on making your clear storage drawers pretty. So I have a drawer (different than the one in the pin) that I wanted to use for hair ties/brushes etc and decided to give it a go!

My not so pretty plastic storage bin

My trusty Making Memories trimmer and scrapbook paper (courtesy of my website)

I don't have modge podge in my house so I opted to water down some sobo glue. No specific way - the first batch was good and the second too runny.

Glue on the inside before the paper.

Since my bins had quite an indent I needed to hand cut with a scissors to work around it.

Tried to do the folds 2 different ways.

and/or

This ended up being my preferred way to fold around

Glue over the paper again.

Waiting to dry

Finished project - OK I was too impatient to wait for it to dry completely.
Used some stickers to label the drawers. Would have loved to use book plate style but I didn't have any self-adhesive ones. For some reason I could NOT take a straight picture of it either (I tried many many times - the floor must be slanted or something).

Decluttering Pins (Pinterest) & shower cleaner update

2012-01-06T22:52:00.003-05:00

I have completed January 4, 5, 6 from the 2012 Declutter calendar. I have decluttered the top shelf of ~~one~~ (make that 2) cabinets. I have gone through my spices and threw out old ones (as well as some we tried but just didn't care for). My cupboards are really deep and for that reason I don't like having some stuff too far back because I forget about it (especially on the higher shelves where I can't see all the way back) and then I buy more. I glanced quickly through cabinets to see if there are any items I can put at the top/back, but at the moment I am not sure what to move. I will sleep on it and decide later. Kitchen cabinets and cupboards are part of Week 2 in the 52 week challenge anyways.

For the 52 weeks to an organized home - I seriously did the counter tops and table (Week 1).....you can barely tell now :( Granted dh did some cleaning in his office and that ended up on my counter tops, but I am sure I can get them back to clear tomorrow.

As an update on our shower with the vinegar/dawn cleaner - that stuff works amazing!!!! Seriously, I have scrubbed at that shower with so many different things and nothing got it as clean as this did. Personally, I think any soap would probably work because I think the soap helps the vinegar stick and do it's job (since soaking things with hard water in vinegar works). My shower hasn't felt that smooth in a long time. So I am very happy with the results of trying out that pin.

Tried out 2 new pins today

2012-01-05T22:55:00.002-05:00

DD1 and I made some recycled crayons. I picked up a silicone muffin tray at the superstore while getting groceries tonight to make some recycled crayons with the broken crayons we had sorted out of her craft supplies.

There were multiple pins (and I also googled it) on how to make these crayon creations and the temperatures in the instructions all varied. We have a gas oven and the lowest setting I read was 150 degrees all the way up to 300. I tried 230 based on the one website - well they were not melting. So I tried 250 and it took about 20+ min for it to melt at that temperature. (Most sites said 15-20 min). The first batch not all the crayons were melted and it still mixed on the top causing the yucky brown. DD1 wanted to mix up the colours so that's what we did. The second batch I tried to convince her to stick with more like colours but she still ended up doing some mixing. Both batches I had one botched crayon - one wasn't fully hardened when I tried to pop it out and the 2nd time around one (which turned out nice for colour) broke in 1/2.

First Batch -Bottoms

First Batch - Tops (you can see crayons that didn't melt at all too)

2nd batch - bottoms

2nd batch - tops

We have more crayons to melt tomorrow and will see how those turn out as well.

I also made the vinegar/dawn cleaner pin which is supposed to be good for cleaning hard water stains. We have hard water (even with our softener). I have tried my enjo (which I love) with marble paste and everything but it just doesn't get it clean even with scrubbing. I tried this spray on my bathroom since (which the most clean I have ever gotten it was with a magic eraser) and it has made a difference! The hard water spots are only where the water tends to sit, so as long as the sink gets dried off in the places the water sits it should stay fairly good without having to use this all the time. My shower is currently sprayed and waiting to see the results. I sprayed the extension from the shower head and could already scrape some of it off with my nail without any problem. I also scrubbed the tap and the water spots have come off! (Disclaimer - I did not have BLUE dawn - I had green antibacterial ultra concentrated and it still worked - I don't know if the blue would have worked better. Even though it was concentrated I also still made it based on the directions of 12 oz of each product). Sorry no pictures for this one.

52 Weeks to an Organized Home & 2012 Declutter Calendar: Week 1 & Day 1

2012-01-02T19:15:00.000-05:00

I decided to work on the 52 week challenge and the 2012 Declutter & Organize Calendar

Why both? Well, I'm going back to work near the end of August (full time with 4 kids) and we need to do some renovations. I think doing both will help accomplish what we need to get done for the renovations and will make my life easier when I go back to work.

This week (Jan 2, 2012) the 1st week challenge is Kitchen Organization: Countertops and Sinks.

Today for the 2012 Declutter Calendar it is to create a "Donation Station"- right now I have way too much to be donated - so I can't very well create a station. I intend to create one after the HUGE pile I have to donate is gone. So far it's 2 garbage bags and 4 boxes of stuff. I think that there will be more though.

I'm not going to post before pictures....no one needs to see that lol.

Small basket where I let the tupperware dry is left on the counter as it is used daily.

Going to make room in the cupboard above for the pitcher, we use it to fill the keurig instead of taking it apart. The storage tower and green bin is the girls hair accessories. I think I will find a new home for them when we renovate.

Added a basket for phone books etc and took our the white wire rack we used to have there.

You will need to ignore the glare - our large window does not have any window covering and lets in a lot of natural light. The kitchen sink and bar counter tend to accumulate a lot of stuff. I am hoping to get a small basket for mail and it will be a put in (mail etc) and clean out once a week basket.

Here is the 'donation station' at the moment, a 'real' one will be made later.

Day 2 on the declutter calendar was to declutter the top of your cabinets and dust. Since I didn't make a donation station for Day 1, I decided to do Day 2. I don't remember the last time I dusted up there (I think dh did it last time). The cupboards tops are really high and I don't like heights. Standing on a regular chair wasn't tall enough for some of them so I had to stand on a bar stool. I am happy to say it is dust free up there. The items that are decorative on the top are dusted/washed and a lot of items have been taken down and will be donated or used.

Week 1 also requires the kitchen table to be cleaned off. I was side tracked helping my dd1 go through her craft supplies as she will be receiving a desk from our neighbours, so I will get to the kitchen table at a later time.

12 things of 2011

2012-01-01T19:52:00.000-05:00

12 pictures of our family from 2011

12 Goals for 2012

2012-01-01T15:57:00.000-05:00

I decided to make goals (not resolutions!) for 2012. Some of these will also be for DH because I can't do them without him.

1) Eat out less & cook more meals at home.

2) Since I have added a new addiction of Pinterest - actually try to do a pin a week (or more than 1 a week) so that this can at least be productive.

3) Once the kids rooms are renovated (dh's job) actually decorate the kids rooms!

4) Allocate a set amount to pay extra to the mortgage each month.

5) Spend less on WANTS. Use money earned from swagbucks/superpoints etc to pay for wants.

6) Have the house in good order by the beginning of August, so going back to work full time won't be so overwhelming!

7) Try to do something fun/special with the kids once a month (dh & I together with them) - preferable free/frugal things.

8) Lose 1/2 of the amount I need to reach my goal weight (which is a very reasonably and conservative weight loss for a year).

9) Have Christmas 2012 be more minimalistic.

10) I used to be crafty....that has fallen by the wayside - try to be more crafty for things I know how to do (instead of buying).

11) Get our scrapbooks organized again.

12) Date night once a month with dh.

Supper: Tator Tot Casserole Pin

2012-01-01T14:30:00.000-05:00

Going to torture my kids with some potatoes again. Saw this pin for Tator Tot casserole and figured I had most of the ingredients in the house. I didn't have was an onion so I substituted with 1 tbsp of epicure 3 onion dip mix. I also buy ground turkey instead of beef, so turkey was used instead. I really love salt just as much as anyone else, but everything contains so much salt already, so I did not season my meat with extra salt. I also didn't measure the cheese but sprinkled a couple handfulls on.

The original recipe can be found here, my recipe has some slight alterations to ingredients but that is all.

DH and I liked it. DD2 ate quite a bit off her plate without any tears. DD1 lots of tears and bribery - she ended up eating the meat and maybe a little bit of the potatoes (I was feeding the baby by this point), DS1 completely refused to try it.

So what potato dish shall I subject them to next?

Smoothie Pin

2012-01-01T13:07:00.000-05:00

Out of the blue the kids asked for a smoothie. So I remembered a pin on pinterest with a smoothie with spinach (my kids are bad veggie eaters as am I). I had purposely bought mixed frozen fruit and frozen spinach to try a 'similar' idea of smoothie as the pin I saw.

the smoothie (not a great photo but it serves the purpose)

I broke up a couple pinches of spinach and let my dd1 pick the frozen fruit that was put in - strawberries, raspberries, honeydew, peaches, and probably a few others. I did not let the kids see me put in the spinach. We added some local honey, a small yogurt cup, splash of milk and a couple scoops of ice cream per request of the kids.

I didn't want to add too much spinach because there would be no way the kids would drink something that looked brown/green. Making the smoothie I think caused the death of my blender....there was a horrible smell when trying to blend it up (even after letting the fruit thaw a bit and blending in small quantities). DD1 was liking it, then didn't and asked for more ice cream in it, then didn't like it again....and after I just told her it was good for her she has agreed to try it again. DS1 refused to try it because he didn't like the smell (which is actually the smell of the blender dying), DD2 refused to try it, DH liked it and I liked it. I think DD1 is aware of 'something' else in the smoothie because she's complaining of pieces sticking to her tongue (there are no pieces that stick to your tongue but there are green flecks in it).

Year in Review with Rewards programs

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

For 2011 with Swagbucks I have earned:

- 23960 total SB
- 7549 from SBTV
- 1513 from special offers
- 7070 from searching
- 2796 from referrals
- 1860 from games
- 710 from surveys
- 1799 bonus swagbucks
- 354 from codes
- 309 from other

From which I have redeemed for $215 amazon.ca Gift Cards
Year end closing balance of Swagbucks is 4642
450 SB = $5 Amazon Gift Card

For 2011 with SuperPoints I have earned:

(joined December 2009 but did nothing with this program until September 26, 2011 - so earnings reflect about 3 months)

$45 in PayPal cash
$40 in Amazon.ca Gift Cards

The following 2 programs I do not try as much as I find them much harder to earn with.

For 2011 with Irazoo I have earned:
$50 in Amazon.com Gift Cards (approximately - their website is not working properly so I can only go by emails I have)

Year end closing balance 1551
(note 3000 points = $5 in Amazon.com)

For 2011 with Zoombucks I have earned:

- 3555 total ZB

From which I have redeemed $50 in Amazon.ca Gift Cards
(note 1000 ZB = $10 and your first cash out has to be 2000 ZB - so all my ZB from 2010 contributed to my redemption in 2011)

Year end closing balance of 367 ZB

A total of $400 earned from searching or clicking a button!

This is my goal to save for in 2012!

Week 46: Organize Toys & Games

2011-12-31T17:27:00.000-05:00

Well we have worked on organizing toys. The games are all in 1 spot in the closet. It wasn't as difficult as I thought to get the kids to get rid of some toys. This is just a start really though, once we start remodeling, I am sure we will need to get rid of more toys.

We have quite a few bags/boxes to be donated right now after the organization I have completed.

Right now though we have some toy bins labeled (quickly - I want to order some Lovable Label toy labels and re-label them).

Week 46 - CHECK √

Tomorrow is a New Year - which means I will be starting at #1 on the list.

Love my new purse!

2011-12-31T11:16:00.001-05:00

This is my 2nd messenger style purse from designs by vickyvk. The first one is a couple years old and well used (dd1 has decided to take it as her purse).

I asked facebook messaged Vicky to make me another purse and she showed me some fabric choices.

Here is the final result.

I love this style of purse because I prefer wearing my purse across my chest and it's big enough to throw in a diaper and let's not forget a coupon organizer. Another great thing is that since it's a dark colour it won't look dirty.

Love Love Love my new purse!

My version of 'Crack' Potatoes

2011-12-30T16:06:00.003-05:00

I found this blog on of course Pinterest and thought this recipe looked good. My kids hate potatoes (as does my dh) so I 1/2'd the recipe and also substituted some items I didn't have in the house.

I couldn't find shredded hash browns when I got groceries so I bought tater tot style, and I didn't pick up bacon bits (so I used real bacon) and I didn't buy ranch dip mix (I used my epicure Herb and Garlic spice).

My recipe was

1/2 bag (1kg bag) of tater tot style hash browns

2 tbs of Epicure Herb and Garlic

1 cup of cheddar cheese

1 tub sour cream

5 chopped up strips of bacon (baked in the oven) (mixed 2 pieces through the mix and sprinkled 3 of top)

Mixed sour cream, cheese, spices and bacon. Then mixed in the tater tots. Sprinkled the top with bacon and also decided to sprinkle a little more cheese on top.

Spread it in my glass casserole dish (8x11.5) and placed in the oven at 400 for 45 min.

(Bake bacon in the oven at 375 for 20 min and then 400 for 10 min)

Well, I forgot to take a picture before I scooped it up. DH said it was OK and the kids refused to try it....just lots of tears and screaming. I thought it was good.

Week 48: Storing China Glassware and Crystal Week 47: Creating a personal home inventory

2011-12-29T11:00:00.000-05:00

Week 48: I own a couple pieces of crystal. The platter is safely in the cupboard above my fridge, my vases serve as decoration above my cupboards. I don't feel a need to organize this.

Week 47: Create a personal home inventory. I have started this. I have also put on the COZI planner to have my dh to assist with this to ensure I don't miss anything. I have quite a lengthy list at this point and have taken quite a few pictures but there are many more that needs to be done. I feel that week 47 will be at least a week or more to do. It's one of those things that I know I need to do it, but I don't want to do it.

I am going to put Week 47 on the temporary back burner as since the kids are home from school (Christmas holidays) Week 46: Organize Toys and Games makes much more sense. Will check back with that later.

Week 48 - CHECK √
Week 47 - ON HOLD

Week 51: Organize Wrapping Paper and Gift Bags & Skip Weeks 50 & 49

2011-12-28T20:32:00.002-05:00

I have decided to work backwards on the 52 week challenge until the New Year.

Week 51, is organizing gift wrap/bags. I had already purged my gift bags about 2 months ago, but I decided that all wrap and gift bags will be kept in the 'under the bed' box I have (which actually doesn't fit under my bed but that's besides the point).

This is what I started with in the box.

I didn't take a before picture of my gift bags and tissue paper which was stored in the hall closet. I had already purged about 30+ bags, but when looking at what I still all had I knew I needed to purge more because
A) they wouldn't all fit in the box
B) I have way too many baby gift bags
C) based on the amount of children in my kids classes I had more than enough birthday gift bags.
If I am wrong with my estimates I guess I will just have to buy some.

What I got rid of.

I decided to get rid of 1 roll of Christmas wrap because
A) quite a bit of it was damaged (it was given to me for free also)
B) I only had 1 roll of it
C) the bags fit better in the box without it.
I know I still have enough wrap for a while.
I also got rid of ribbon, raffia and some seals because in the 9 years we have been married I have never used them.

What I kept.

The end result is a nice box with all my wrap, gift bags and tissue. All in one place to look for it too.

Week 51 - CHECK √

I will be skipping Week 50 - Christmas Decoration Storage and Organization - because it is all put away and really I just do the tree now and don't do any knick knack decorations.
Skipping Week 49 -Storing silver properly to inhibit tarnishing - because I don't own any silver.

Week 50 - CHECK √
Week 49 - CHECK √

52 weeks to an organized home challenge: Week 52 - Keeping a Family Calendar

2011-12-28T18:23:00.002-05:00

Saw this PIN on pinterest and decided to give it a try. Starting at week 52 (a little later, but better late than never). Some of the weeks I won't do (eg. we don't have pets) and some I may double up in one week since I would like to be done before I go back to work!

I have my paper calendar which I will write things in still but I will do my best to keep my COZI calendar up to date since it syncs up with dh and my phones and we can view it online.

I believe I have successfully put in all appointments that I am aware of, all parent helper days at school and any special/non-school days for the kids.

So week 52 -CHECK √

Pinterest & Weight loss

2011-12-27T21:53:00.000-05:00

Pinterest is pretty addictive lol. I do try to not go on it too often but tonight is a quiet evening. Since it has been snowing and more to come dh went to bed early because he will be called around 3 or 4 am to go plow/dump salt/sand (if the snow keeps up). The kids went to bed exceptionally well and ds2 is asleep in the swing. So it's just me!

For Christmas I got a gym membership (got it before Christmas but it was my present) to help beat the baby weight. I've noticed that after ds2 I have a lot more left over water weight (compared to my last 3 kids). So I was looking at healthy lifestyle tips and found a pin on a 'Jillian Michaels' thing on losing bloat. I don't have dandelion root tea in the house and I really don't feel like dragging the kids out to go find it either, so I am trying an 'alternate' recipe by leaving it out and using my cranberry/raspberry juice (that has no sugar added). I am sure a big thing for the recipe is drinking lots of water to flush the system, although I know that the other items probably help flush it better.

Tonight, I mixed up a pitcher (it's almost 10pm so there is no way I am drinking it all now). I tried a glass mixed with my monavie RVL shake mix (which I have always mixed with milk) and it wasn't too bad. I'm sure I will be OK with drinking the water mix alone as well since I like water with lemon.

I'll try to remember to let everyone know if it works later.

Decluttering

2011-12-25T21:58:00.002-05:00

Well this blog post may just be a ramble of thoughts, with little sleep last night and now being awake so no early bedtime (since I won't be able to sleep anyways), I'm not sure how well I will write this.....but hopefully you get inspired to declutter a little. (Yes, I am decluttering on Christmas).

I have started to declutter.....I have 4-5 large boxes of stuff ready to go to the thrift store. I just don't want to be bothered with a garage sale. (I will probably keep a few things for a garage sale because I know dd1 would really like to have one, but it will be more about spending the day at Grandma's than actual garage sale).

Anyways, I went through the kids toys......little do they know I got rid of some things. Kept nicer barbies, got rid of some of the older ones. Got rid of a few of the barbie furniture, yes its nice but does she really need it to play Barbies - no. Got rid of toys that they never played with much and only really played with them when I suggested we give them away, and got rid of some of the annoying toys (you know lots of pieces and they mostly just dump them and leave). Since the kids are not aware those toys are gone.....they are definitely not going to a garage sale (even though I am sure I could easily sell some of them). I don't know there is just something about getting rid of the kids toys that makes me feel guilty.....but they have enough and have so many. Maybe it's the $$ that went into purchasing the toys in the first place......or maybe it's that maybe in 2 months they will notice it's missing! (My kids seem to have crazy good memory for the oddest things at times).

Then I cleaned up my tupperware drawers (again). Donated the fake tupperware and also a few tupperware items I never ever use.

Then I went through my cupboard above the stove. Donated 4 candle holders (that were table center pieces) from our wedding, they were just collecting dust so I don't feel the need to keep it just for sentimental reasons. Donated some story Bibles and things like that as we have quite a few at the moment and hopefully some other family will be able to enjoy them as well.

Also went through my cutlery drawer and pots and pans. Donating items like an extra corkscrew (never used one.....figure 1 is good enough - don't see a need for 2), other little kitchen gadgets that you think are so cool when you get them but never use them, extra spatulas....seriously I don't think I need 8 spatulas, and things like that. Also decided to donate my old stoneware (not 'name brand' anyways) since I have not used it in quite some time and they were just plain starting to look burnt, not 'seasoned.'

I know have some extra space in some cupboards and drawers.

Baby clothes from ds2 I have set aside to possibly go with people on a mission trip, I would love to just get rid of them as well though but figured a good cause would be nice as well. I donated all of my maternity clothing to a local pregnancy support centre.

Decluttering makes me feel better....it's nice to have less stuff.

Now to work on other areas of the house.

2011-12-25T14:42:00.000-05:00

I've started pinning lots of different things.....but I have also pinned my website

Source: scrapbookingoasis.com via Sylvia on Pinterest

SuperPoints

2011-12-24T17:02:00.001-05:00

I was going to edit my SuperPoints blog post with a few new links but blogger apparently is acting up and my post disappeared - so I am writing a new one.

SuperPoints is an exclusive rewards program where you can get points from clicking the 'super lucky button', completing offers, surveys or watching videos. You also get points from your referrals. I click the super lucky button daily and will watch some videos. So far I have not qualified for surveys, but I will do one if I have time.

With SuperPoints there is Basic Level, Gold Level and Platinum Level. Each level gets you more clicks on the Super Lucky button and also gives you a lower redemption thresh hold. Platinum level gets 100 clicks and can redeem 500 points for $5.

Hints:
1) get your account to at least the Basic Level
2) try to get a few referrals (between 2-5 is even good)
3) encourage your referrals to also get their account to Basic Level
4) check your email for bonus points
5) click that button daily

Why am I emphasizing Basic Level? With Basic level you get more clicks on the super lucky button and you also move up a level (depending on how many referrals you have). Basic Level and up also get more clicks on the super lucky button.

In 3 months I have earned $75! I have been redeeming for Paypal and Amazon but there are other things you can redeem for as well.

Referral links are only valid for a limited time and are 1x use only. I will try to come back here to update with new links but if they are all used please feel free to comment on my blog or on my pin (on pinterest) and I will reply ASAP.

http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/jxelmd

http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/oty8lg

http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/evlm24

http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/qvav7i

http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/ds09kl

http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/wiof85

Shoppers Drug Mart

2011-12-06T21:06:00.001-05:00

Many of my friends know I collect optimum points and will redeem BIG! Here is how I figure it out with optimum points.

$1 = 10 points (normal day)

Sometimes they offer 20x the points when you spend $50 or more (or $75 or more)
$50 = 500 points on a normal day - on a 20x day you would get 10,000 points.

If you are using dollar off coupons (not free product coupons) and the cashier enters them correctly you can also earn points on your coupons!

When I shop on a 20x day I buy items I use that are a decent price and items that I use on sale. Often diapers are on sale for a 20x day, I also combine this with any coupons I may have.

Shoppping on 20x days helps accumulate points quickly. They also will offer bonus points for specific products at times which if it is something you use, stock up (sometimes you need a coupon from Shoppers for the points)

NEVER EVER redeem for the low level redemptions!

I always try to redeem at the highest redemption 95,000 points can be redeemed for $170. I never redeem when it's $170.
The offer a few times a year a Bonus redemption which 95,000 points can be redeemed for $200. I will redeem at this one but this year and last year they offered a MEGA Bonus redemption where 95,000 points could be redeemed for $250.
If you redeem:
95,000 for $170 - approx 559 points = $1
95,000 for $200 - 475 points = $1
95,000 for $250 - 380 points = $1

Technically, if you collected points only on 'normal' days (10 points = $1) and never received any bonus points you would need to spend $9500 to reach the highest redemption level.

Let's say you only collect points on 20x days (I collect year round as their prices for milk are always good). $475 spent would equal 95,000 points.

Obviously, spending $475 and redeeming for $250 is the best deal! But the $250 redemption has only happened 2x and you never know if they will continue with that. I personally will risk it and wait to see if they offer that again. (Note that when you redeem you cannot redeem for tax, so you would need to pay the tax on the purchase. You can also not redeem for lottery tickets, gift cards and a few other things - some depending on your province as well)

Other ways to collect points. Currently, you can earn 10 points per $1 spent on Shoppers Drug Mart gift cards (not any other gift cards). You cannot get 20x the points on gift card purchases.

Shoppers also offers other incentives such as a certain number of points when you spend a certain dollar amount - this can be a great deal on points, but just make sure you spend the max dollar amount only.

List of tips:
Shop on 20x days
Watch for bonus points on your favourite products
Use coupons at Shoppers
Buy gift cards first (and make sure they scan your card) (I buy the gift cards through my kids school instead though)
Check out the Shoppers website for offers
Check our Smart Canucks - it has a wealth of information!
Use mail in rebates on 20x the points days!

I am probably missing lots of things I could tell you about Shoppers optimum program, but here are a few tidbits.

I have not tracked my spending at Shoppers. I tried in the past but since I often pick up milk there it fell by the wayside. I do reach plus member every year (15,000 points earned without bonuses such as 20x - but keep in mind we go through a LOT of milk and diapers right now).

2011-10-23T21:48:00.001-05:00

Wow it's been a long time since I've blogged! I was reading other people's blogs and thought I really should go back to mine.

So what has all happened in almost a year!

DD1 is in grade 2 and loving her teacher (again - she is in a split 1/2 class)! I think she is improving on her reading and has started taking piano lessons. She really seems to love practicing piano and hopefully that will keep up. She has started to read chapter books at home (not sure how much difficulty she is having or how well she is doing with them) but she will turn on the light and read when she's supposed to be going to sleep. The one evening I told her to finish up and go to sleep....she asked if I meant the book or the chapter. Obviously, it was not just understood that I meant the chapter.

DS1 is in SK and also going to JK 2 days a week (so he is full time in school). He loves school. He is also taking piano lessons although not as interested in practicing as his sister. He loves lego and will spend most of his time after school playing lego.

DD2 is 3 and just ~~pretty much~~ potty trained herself. We attempted ~~kinda~~ but didn't try too hard (and it's hard with a new baby) and one day she told me she needed to go and has only had a couple accidents since. She seems to be enjoying just having mom and her baby brother home when the older kids are at school. She can be quite the clown and is always finding something to laugh about or trying to be silly.

DS2 is our newest addition. He is 2 months old now and growing like a weed. I don't even think he looks like he's 2 months based on size. He has started to improve on night time sleeping and because I typed this I am sure it won't happen again tonight! He was born 10 days early after having my water break a couple days before he was born! DS2 is finally starting to find his thumb (not very good at it yet) and I am liking that.

I have been organizing the vendor part of the kids school's Fall Fair. Other great parts of the Fall Fair are being organized by other parents and teachers from the school. It will be a great time again I am sure!

I have continued to earn gift cards with Swagbucks but have also started using Zoombucks and Irazoo (but not as faithfully as Swagbucks). I have also started using Superpoints which is an invite only site. You click on the "Super Lucky" button and randomly get points. Pretty easy - some days you get a lot of points others, not so much. Comment if you want an invite. They are one time use invites. I will also post a few invites here: http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/adbmq9, http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/6g5p93, http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/pxsetb, http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/wjy6j6, and http://superpoints.com/wrpgs/u6vki2.

I have earned a lot with these sites. On Swagbucks alone in about 2 years I have earned over $400 in amazon.ca gift cards. I've redeemed for household items, movies, wii games and paid for the majority of the cost of a tablet (if the price stayed the sale price I would have had it completely paid for by now).

I am taking my 4th (and final) maternity leave from work. Ah it's nice to be off work, but I know when the year is up I'll be ready to go back. I find that I have an easier time with getting stuff done around the house being off work. I have started de-cluttering and re-organizing so that hopefully it will continue to be easier when I go back to work.

Our new sidebar pictures (with the exception of ds2) were taken by our talented friend. You can see her work on Facebook and here is the blog post she did of our family pictures, we kind of cut it close on getting those pictures done! DS2 was born a couple days after the pictures were done. Before we had the pictures Sarah had mentioned wanting to take pictures of the girls in their matching pillow case dresses and also had mentioned liking my black maternity dress (ok my only maternity dress), so I made sure to use them for the pictures. Based on the light pillow case dresses and my black dress I had no idea what to put on the boys! DH's shirt had some yellow striped and ds1 looks good in yellow so I chose that. I think it all looks great together, so I'm glad I didn't stress too much about matching.

Tomorrow I plan on going to the gym for the first time (since high school) with friends. Got to try and lose this baby weight. Hopefully I survive.

Well that's all I can think of for updating right now....I will blame it on baby brain still.

Searching and Earning

2010-12-25T22:51:00.002-05:00

I've been actively 'searching and earning' this year with a couple of search engines!

With Swagbucks I have earned $230 in Amazon.ca gift cards to date this year!

With Irazoo (signed up in August) and have earned $30 with Amazon.com gift cards this year!

I have also signed up with Zoombucks - it is much slower for earning rewards and your first redemption has it be 2000 zoombucks (for a $20 amazon.ca gift card). I signed up in early August and am less than 400 zoombucks away from the redemption.

If you decide to try any of these I would appreciate if you would sign up under my referral links.

My goal is to earn enough next year to have an 'almost' FREE Christmas!

Lots of Fundraising!

2010-08-23T23:17:00.002-05:00

Been busy lately with upcoming Fundraising events.

The biggest is the upcoming Plowing Match being held! We've teamed up with another Christian school nearby to organize a Food Booth. The projected estimates of people coming through is staggering! If we can serve 10% of the low projected number I think we can have an awesomely successful fundraiser! This will be held from September 21-25.

I just started working on getting vendors for the 3rd Annual Fall Fair. I was contemplating not doing it at all as I didn't have the time for 'everything' but one of the teachers (who already does too much!) offered to help out this year and get some volunteers. This event is planned for October 30 from 9am-2pm.

I've also started a ink cartridge, cell phone and digital camera recycling fundraiser which will hopefully go into full swing at the start of the school year.

And let's not forget that when school starts kids start losing their items! The school also has a lovable labels website for fundraising. http://www.stccs.lovablelabels.ca/. I created a facebook event to hopefully remind people of this fundraiser.

Proud of my girl!

2010-06-18T22:04:00.003-05:00

My oldest dd had long hair - we had talked about growing it and donating it (I wanted to do this when she was younger as she had gorgeous curls but she chopped her own hair...when she was about 3 years old).

Anyways my sil was diagnosed with cancer and has gone through chemo so we explained to dd about how the medicine to treat cancer can cause your hair to fall out and I also showed her pictures online of kids who have lost there hair and people who have donated. This got dd very excited to donate her hair - which she thought was going to her aunt. She even said it was a good thing they have the same hair colour :)

My sil asked if dd would have her hair cut at her works Buzz Off fundraiser for cancer. We willingly agreed. I had measured dd's hair to be about 10-11inches the day before the event so I was glad about that - the hairdresser that day thought it may be 8inches at most - not sure on the discrepancy maybe it was because I pulled the curl/waves straight and the day of the haircut I had straightened it and the hairdresser wasn't pulling it? Anyways hopefully it was enough hair and if it wasn't we are fortunate that dd's hair grows fast and I think would be willing to try again.

DD was very brave and had her hair cut off in a room full of mostly strangers and adult strangers at that! A few pictures she looks like she was going to cry but she told me after it was because she was a little scared. DD also wanted to dress up like a princess for the haircut so she picked one of her 'beautiful' dresses to wear. She did a great job and is loving her new short hair.

Spring Craft Show

2010-04-18T20:06:00.001-05:00

Thanks to all the vendors who participated in supporting STCCS at the Spring Craft show!

Some of the supporting vendors websites are:
http://www.artfire.com/users/vickyvk

http://my.tupperware.ca/LCOTTERILL

http://www.bold4him.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/battysbath

http://www.mycmsite.com/sites/kristataylor1hope

http://www.marykay.ca/aforeman/default.aspx

http://andallthatsnice.ca/

http://www.favourboxesbykrista.webs.com/

http://www.cheekyababyslings.com

http://www.scrapbookingoasis.com

http://www.all4tomorrow.net

Swagbucks for FREE gift cards!

2009-12-10T21:28:00.003-05:00

I joined swagbucks a while back and never really did anything with it. I decided to look again and saw that they had a sale on PayPal $5 USD gift cards so I used my bucks to buy that. It came!! $5 USD is in my PayPal account. Later I realized that the Amazon.ca gift cards are actually a better deal (cost less points for $5CAD). I don't actually have them yet at they are sent out on the first and sixteenth (I think) of the month.....but based on things I have read and the fact I received the Paypal one I am sure I will receive it.

To get these swagbucks I do a few searches (apparently you can only win on your first 20 searches of the day and not more than 2x in an hour or something like that) but while I am doing other things online I just type in random search words or instead of going directly to facebook (for example) I search it. You don't win Swagbucks for every search but for random ones...you can win anywhere from 1 to 5 swagbucks for a search. The highest I won was 2 swagbucks.

Since I redeemed for my second Amazon.ca card I already have 12 more swagbucks. So that's 4 earned per day.

You can also win more from referrals (up to 100 swagbucks per referral) for each swagbuck your referral wins you also win one.

There are more ways to earn than just that but thought I would share that I am finding this worthwhile and I am hoping to earn enough to get some extra things for next Christmas.

I signed up under my friend Taunya and hope that she's also able to get lots of gift cards!

If you want to sign up it would be really appreciated if you can sign up under me :)

Lovable Labels coupon code

2009-12-02T21:45:00.000-05:00

I have a coupon code here for 10% off your entire order* of Lovable Labels products!
No products are excluded!
Simply enter the coupon code: 9942 in the coupon code field upon check out and 10% will be deducted from your order. *Minimum order of $50. Expires December 25th
Not sure if it will work with fundraisers but the school's fundraiser site ...is http://stccs.lovablelabels.ca or mine is http://sylvia.lovablelabels.ca
Thanks so much!

PS: If you scrapbook I also own ScrapbookingOasis.com and if you place a $20 label order through my site or the school's site I will send you a coupon code for 10% off ScrapbookingOasis.com...just send me an e-mail or PM after you place your order.

Wow

2009-04-02T11:53:00.002-05:00

They say it takes 30 days to make or break a habit.

Well I have given up coke for 26 days! 4 more days to go and I have hit my 30 day mark! There are still days that I miss it though!

We also gave up eating out for supper. It was to be for one month but I mentioned it to my cousin and we made a pack to not eat out for April either. So since we had already not eaten out for 30+ days (I say + because I wasn't sure when the last time we ate out was and it was for sure 30 days in March), we decided we would eat out on March 31. Took the kids to Burger King, not our unsual choice, but the playplace is much less crowded (and restaurant in general) and probably not quite as addictive at McDonald's. DS fell asleep on the way there and didn't wake up so he missed out (don't think he would really notice) but DD1 throughoughly enjoyed herself. She even ate her entire meal which is unusual for her.

I don't think I have really noticed the benefit on our bank account but we also had some big unexpected bills.

Hopefully these bad habits will stay habits of the past.

Well it's almost 2 weeks..

2009-03-20T13:03:00.003-05:00

since I had any coke (coca cola that is). Today is 13 days without it! Well coke or pepsi (I just prefer coke). Pop was my way of getting caffeine. Many days I desperately want it but I'm staying strong. Mostly just thinking of all the money I am saving (granted we are going through a lot more juice and milk though!) helps the most.

I am also happy to say we have not eaten out (well except my mom treating at Adventures on Wonderland) for at least the month of March (actually I can't remember the last time we ate out but I know for sure we haven't for March). For those who know our family - we have a bad habit of eating out too much. The kids haven't even seemed to miss McDonald's. I haven't either really.

I would like to be able to say that not drinking coke (or pretty much pop in general...had maybe 3 non-caffeinated pop since I quit) and eating out that I've lost weight but I haven't been so lucky there.

Not Me Monday

2008-11-17T07:07:00.001-05:00

Dh did NOT hit a deer with his truck a couple weeks ago. The truck did not have $$$$ worth of damage. Cailyn and Jared were NOT with dh when this happened. Jared did not sit on the deer when dh and a neighbour put the deer in the back of the neighbours truck. Cailyn did not freak out when she was shown the deers face and it's tongue was not hanging out. DH did not bring the kids home and then back to the neighbours to get some deer meat. I do not have deer meat in the freezer as I type this.

I did not have this conversation with my Cailyn last week. DD "What's that?" Me "pork" (I was making supper). DD " Who gives us pork?" Me "Pigs" DD "Who hit a pig?" DD did not ask who hit a pig because I have deer meat from the deer dh hit.

I did not brave taking 3 kids to get immunized at once. I was not totally happy dh could come to help me (although it was not planned for my mom to come help). Addison did not coo and smile at the dr until she was immunized. Cailyn did not ask to go last offering up her sister to be the first to have her needles. Jared did not scream and cry from his needles. Cailyn was not totally scared of getting her needles. She did not end up being very brave and she did not stay dry eyed. I did not bribe her with McDonald's prior to the appointment.

Gerald did not have training on Thursday for plowing and got called out already on Saturday. I am not secretly wishing we get a decent amount of snow so that he gets a decent amount of work.

I did not type this before Monday and set blogger to post on Monday....

I never knew....

2008-11-15T18:11:00.003-05:00

I would have company in the bathroom and not mind.....

I would have myself, my husband, and both daughters in bed at once and all fit!...

I would sing itsy bitsy spider in the car with actions....

I would consider any time out without kids my night/day out.......

I would let my son wear pink dora shoes....

I would get sick of Kraft Dinner....

I would have art work all over the house.....

I could function on so little sleep....

That sleeping in would mean 8am...

....Until I became a mom

See more "I never knew" blog posts here:
Everyday Blessings
My Everyday Life

Freebie Friday

2008-11-14T06:34:00.000-05:00

Yes I went and looked for a few more freebies to share.

50 free 4x6 photos from Walmart (new accounts)
http://www.walmartphotocentre.ca/home.aspx

Don't have a photo account yet? Create one today!
Create an account today and receive 50 bonus prints!

http://www.walmartphotocentre.ca/account/register.aspx

IMPORTANT: Your 50 free prints will not be available until you confirm your account from our welcome email. This email will be sent to you shortly after you've completed your registration.

For those having Babies:

When you sign up for the baby bag from Heinz for a limited time they are also offering free formula
http://www.heinzbaby.com/english/newsletter/

Sign up for Free Dove body wash here. You will get an e-mail with a link to Save.ca and you can order other coupons with it.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-12T09:50:00.002-05:00

Remembrance Day

2008-11-11T11:29:00.001-05:00

Not Me Monday

2008-11-10T09:45:00.000-05:00

Cailyn did not have a good time at the fall fair. She did not follow up talking about the fall fair with "and Linda didn't take me". She was not totally excited that mom was there at the fall fair with her. I did not then feel bad because Linda takes her to do the 'fun' stuff.

I did not buy more Enjo at the fall fair. It definitely was not my husband who called and asked I bought the outdoor enjo kit. My husband did not spend the afternoon cleaning with enjo on Saturday. I did not totally enjoy coming home to a clean house.

I did not feel bad when Cailyn asked me why I didn't give her money to go in the can for Sunday school! I did not feel even worse when she informed me she was the only one who didn't have money! I did not feel like a complete idiot that I have never given her Sunday school money. I do not know any better that kids have a collection for Sunday school. No Not Me!

I did not then question why it's always Mom's fault. Gerald did not then snicker because it was always mom's fault. I do not secretly wish that it would be dad's fault.

Freebie Friday

2008-10-31T13:04:00.000-05:00

Free 2 count Bounce Dryer sheets

Free Make up Sample

Use the coupon from Save.ca and get a free tolberone when you buy the small one at Walmart (haven't tried it but apparently there is a $0.99 tolberone you can get).

Reminder - set up a gmail or hotmail account when filling these out in case they spam.

Also if you are in the US reading this there are a LOT more free offers out there for the US.

Where do I find these? I registered at Smart Canucks message board and then I just check new posts and see what new freebie posts are listed that interest me.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-29T12:58:00.000-05:00

Not Me Monday

2008-10-27T11:50:00.003-05:00

I did NOT lock myself in the bathroom last week to enjoy a hot bath without kids. In fact I rather enjoy my kids coming in the bathroom with me at all times. I do NOT tell them to stop splashing the water at me and rather enjoy it that they insist on dumping their toys in.

I did NOT bake the yummy apple pie my sister-in-law gave me. I also did NOT eat at least 1/2 of that pie. It was NOT delicious and I do NOT want another piece right now as I type this. NO NOT ME!

Addison did NOT sleep 10 hours on Friday night. She never sleeps well for me. I really enjoy it that she does NOT sleep well at all. In fact her NOT sleeping 8 hours last night was just wonderful.

I do NOT think that 3rd babies need to be easy babies. I would NOT enjoy an easy baby. I much prefer the challenge of a baby like Addison.

I do NOT enjoy this new posting on Monday that a bunch of us ladies are doing. I do NOT find it amusing to read all the posts. I definitely do NOT enjoy the honesty in the posts. I does NOT make me feel better that other people don't do the same things as myself.

Cailyn did NOT tell me today she was cold. I definitely did NOT tell her to put clothes on. She of course immediately listened and is fully dressed. Jared did NOT run around in his diaper all morning and definitely is NOT napping with just a diaper.

I am NOT doing laundry again!

I am NOT secretly wishing that Cailyn falls asleep watching Franklin as I type this. I would NEVER let my daughter lay down on the couch watching TV.

And I definitely did NOT take the time out to take pictures of Addison in her cute dress Sunday morning. I did NOT get 3 kids ready for church while Gerald was at church for doing sound.

25 Ways I Save Money

2008-10-24T12:37:00.003-05:00

Saw this on another blog and thought it was neat:
What are 25 ways you save money?

1) Use CFL's in most light fixtures in the house
2) Buy meat when it's on sale (preferable 50% off 'quick sale')
3) Stock up on non-perishables when they are a really good price
4) Meal Plan
5) Shop with a LIST!
6) Wash in cold water
7) Use a front load energy efficient washing machine
8) Use VOIP for our phone
9) Use points programs to my advantage
10) Cloth Diaper
11) Cloth Wipes (most of the time I try at least)
12) Used the AC as little as possible this summer
13) Pay a higher deductible on insurance so our premiums are lower
14) Don't have credit card debt
15) Buy used (vehicles, furniture, clothes)
16) Run the dishwasher only on full loads
17) Don't use the drying cycle for the dishwasher
18) Use coupons (only for items I would buy anyways)
19) Rarely wear make up (therefore don't need to buy more)
20) Save leftovers and eat later
21) Clean with enjo (used to be vinegar)
22) Only develop the pictures I plan on scrapbooking
23) Use credit cards that give rewards
24) Try to do only full loads of laundry
25) Turn lights off when not in room (or not necessary to be on - kids like to turn lights on during the day).

So know what are yours..............

For those who love Freebies

2008-10-23T17:28:00.002-05:00

Free Schick Razor

Free Carnation Instant Breakfast sample and coupon Received this in the mail today.

Free Campbell's Healthy Request soup

Free Head and Shoulders sample

Not Me Monday

2008-10-21T14:06:00.002-05:00

So the Not Me Monday does NOT look like it's a lot of fun. I'll just try a quick one.

I am NOT meal planning and we are definitely NOT staying home to eat more. Of course we are NOT saving money by NOT staying home.

I do NOT let my kids run around in diaper/undies during the day at home. My oldest does NOT ask where we are going when she is NOT told to get dressed.

I do NOT leave the same hairstyle in Cailyn's hair for as long as it does NOT look good.

I do NOT enjoy it that Cailyn goes to school 2 days a week.

My son does NOT bite other kids. He also does NOT go up to them and push them over.

My baby does NOT wear the same sleeper for a couple days in a row.

I did NOT start cloth diapering.

I do NOT need a nap right now. I did NOT lay awake while my baby was NOT sleeping for 6 1/2 hours straight.

I am NOT posting this on a Tuesday.

Home again

2008-07-20T15:28:00.007-05:00

We had a great vacation. Cailyn loved the beach, park boat etc. Jared loved the park. Didn't care for the water but was pretty good in the boat.

Cailyn absolutely adored seeing the twins each and every time!

She went swimming off the boat and did really well (I was told - didn't go with)

Then she got to 'drive' the boat.

Where they went swimming there was a rope swing - Cailyn didn't go off it though.

At the beach

Jared got to drive the boat too

And liked to pretend to drive Uncle Harry's golf cart

At the park

Now the unfortunate part......we came home to a nice clean house (Thanks Cor) but we came home also to a tripped breaker (the one our deep freezer is on) and about $200 in food that had been thawed for a week. Fortunately, the freezer wasn't full and the stench from the rotten meat appears to be out of the freezer.

Also before we left I knew something wasn't right with our washing machine. Well the drum is loose and therefore the washer is broken! Gerald already fixed it once this year (2 separate problems....the one problem would cause it to run our well dry...great for low water usage). He doesn't feel like trying to fix this problem and also thinks that the drum is quite a bit of $$$ as he knows someone else who also replaced their drum (but they got it for free).

At least I had some meat upstairs in the freezer too so I don't have to go out and buy a lot of meat. So it's not an expense I have to worry about right now.

The washer - well we are looking at buying a new one - any suggestions for a front load high efficiency washer would be appreciated. We will NOT buy a Kenmore again!

For the grocery budget - I was doing so well! But then Gerald took a trip to Costco so I was about $80 over budget. I make it so that any over or under budget goes to the next week. Currently, I am $38.78 over budget.

Grocery Budget June 27-July 3

2008-07-04T22:12:00.002-05:00

Stayed $4.18 under budget! Which will be carried over to next week. Not needing milk helped a lot.

Since we do school grocery day and it was 2 months of groceries I divided the total I had to pay by 8 and subtracted that amount off for the next 8 weeks.

For Entertainment budget - past 2 weeks, I did some estimates and I was less than $1 over budget. We have eaten out a lot less than usual which helps.

For clothing budget - I needed a bathing suit for holidays so I bought a tankini and bought 2 different sized for tops so I can wear it when I am not pregnant too. They were 40% off but it still made me about $10 over budget. (Which gets subtracted from the following week). But I used my gift card from all the baby bottles I returned.

Grocery Budget for the week of June 20-26

2008-06-27T11:28:00.000-05:00

Well I had already spent $67.23 at the Real Canadian SuperStore on friday.

I needed milk and Shoppers Drug Mart (cheapest place to buy milk) was offering 15x the points if you spend $50. Since it's not a 20x day I tried to keep it close to $50. The Nativa products were also 20x the points if you spend $10. Since I never tried this product before I picked up 4 different items totaling $11.46

I picked up pull ups and good nights because although I don't need them they were on sale and there were in store coupons for $2.50 and $3 off. I only picked up one pack of each.

DD came in with me and I gave in and let her get Oreo cookies - so possibly the major over priced item of the evening!

My total with tax after coupons was $59.76. So I am over my $100 grocery budget for this week. The milk will last us into next week and I have deducted my 'over spending' from next weeks budget. Which means I have $73.01 for next weeks grocery budget.

But on the bright side I earned 11540 in points which brings me closer to a better redemption level for bonus redemption days!

FREE Milk

2008-06-23T20:05:00.002-05:00

Coupon for FREE milk
http://www.dairy-oh.com/saavymom/index.cfm

Points Programs

2008-06-23T15:15:00.005-05:00

There are quite a few points programs out there. I have an HBC card but have never redeemed, have an optimum card (redeemed quite a few times), airmiles (never redeemed and rarely shop at stores with it), collect PC points and Canadian Tire Money.

I think I did my math right for this.....but I am in no way a person who is great with math (but when it comes to money I am usually pretty good!)

So I was looking at what it costs for what you get....

Shoppers
Shoppers gives 10 points per $1 spent.
Minimum redemption buying without bonus points: You would spend $350 to get enough points to redeem for $5 off. Sounds pretty crappy, BUT if you are patient you can redeem for more.

20x the points day (usually min required to spend is $50) and redeeming when they offer more money off for the points redeemed. The highest redemption level is 75,000 points for $150 off. Normally, you would need to spend $7500 to get that many points, but on a 20x day it would be $375. (This doesn't have to all be spent on a 20x day either).

When they offer bonus for redemption generally it is 75,000 points for $200 off.
So if you shop on 20x days and redeem on bonus redemption.....you pay $375 and at a later bonus redemption date can get $200 off. So that's $575 of product for $375.

You can work the system better when you also use coupons that you have to pay tax on. Why? From what I understand you still get points for the dollar amount that got deducted because you have to pay tax on it still. This would mean spending less money and getting the same.

For those who are also participating in the Gift Certificate program where we will be sending our kids to school. Shoppers gift cards give you 2% back towards tuition costs. Not a lot but every little bit counts!

HBC (Zellers)
HBC gives 50 points per dollar spent.
Minimum gift card redemption on their website is 200,000 points for a $25 gift card (although there was a spot that said you can also redeem for $10 gift cards).
You would need to spend $4000 to receive $25 back. There are ways to get more points: HBC credit card and sometimes they offer bonus for credit card users (and I think rarely offer for non-credit card users). I don't want another credit card so I just stick to buying things I need from Zellers (since I prefer to support Zellers which is a Canadian company over another Box Store).

From what I can figure - Shoppers is a better deal for the points program but also doesn't carry lots of items Zellers has.

If you participate in the school gift cert. Zellers is also 2%. (Whereas the 'other' box store is only 1% and doesn't offer any type of points program)

PC Points
10 points for $1 when you use your PC mastercard
5 points for $1 when you use PC debit
20,000 points is worth $20. $2000 or $4000 (depending on what you pay with) would be spent to redeem that amount. Everyone needs groceries so either way not a loss.
I don't know if they are still offering it, but if you use the cloth PC bags you get 50 points for each bag used. Use the bag 400x and get the $20 off. If you think of how many bags you take home from shopping it adds up quick! The bags fit a lot of stuff too and we use them for lots of other things too.

We actually opt for using Gift cert through the school where you get 4% towards offsetting tuition costs. $2000 equals $80 and $4000 equals $160.
When I remember to take my cloth bags and ask about the points I will pay most of my bill with gift cards and then ask them to charge a small amount. This way I also get the points.

We receive points from other things as well on our card and since we started (about 7 years ago....the year before we got married). We have redeemed $587 worth of points for groceries and also a tympanic thermometer, kitchen scale, photo developing and I think that's about it.

Canadian Tire Money
I don't know what the reward offer exactally is (can't find it on their site) but I can say we have redeemed a lot.

The gift cert program is 3% but since the frequency of shopping at Canadian Tire varies so much I generally do not buy the gift certificates.

Win Free Groceries for a Year

2008-06-23T15:12:00.001-05:00

Well with all this grocery and saving talk. I noticed this little contest from PC.

http://www.fillthebasket.com/Enter.aspx

Complete Financial Challenge! and grocery update

2008-06-20T17:29:00.004-05:00

1) $100 a week groceries
2) Eat out MAX 1x a week (we go out a lot!). When we go on vacation it doesn't count because I am on vacation too!
3) Cut down on other entertainment expenses

Goal is to spend $450 a month less than last year in the following areas:
Clothing
Entertainment
Groceries

I have my monthly averages from last year so I will base it on that to see how I saved.

Ok - for today's grocery shopping. I under estimated some items...over estimated some too (but most definitely under estimated more than over).

Didn't end up buying apples because none looked good and didn't buy a couple other items on my list. I also added a bunch of items to my list, either on sale (that we use) or items that I thought about in store.

The original list would have been about $78 based on my estimates. Actual Grocery bill $67.23. I didn't buy milk as we still have lots, but will need to get more sometime this week.

How to get the Grocery Bill to $100 a week!

2008-06-20T13:50:00.000-05:00

Well after a short discussion about finances I thought…hmm could I do $100 a week for groceries. It would definitely be difficult since we have the tendency to buy ourselves treats and have 2 animals to also feed. So this is my plan of action:

1) Take inventory of food I have
2) Meal Plan (based on current food in house and sales)
3) Start a Price Book so I know what a good price is.
4) Shop Sales. Decide what’s the MOST I will pay for certain items.

I have always included cleaning products, diapers, personal items in the cost of our groceries, so that makes it more difficult. But I have started cloth diapers for Jared (just at home) because of overnight leaking issues, and since I’ve invested in 12 diapers I figured I will also use them when I am home from work. So I only need diapers for when we are out or he is being watched by someone else.

I have a pretty good stock of shampoo, conditioner and cleaning supplies. I am also trying to use more natural products for cleaning since we are on a septic system and we are 99% sure ours was not properly installed by the last owners (it’s a straight long run instead of rows) so I really don’t want to aggravate the system at all since it would cost a lot to replace. I also bought a box of diapers last time they were on sale and goodnights/pull ups for Cailyn last time they were on sale.

1) Food Inventory: Well I have on hand probably enough meat for 3-4 months. I have some side kicks and rice packs…not a lot. I have a few bags of pasta. So our food needed right now is mostly fresh items (fruit, bread).
2) Meal Plan: Meals will be based on what meat I have and what’s on sale. Since I work 12 hour shifts I don’t plan a meal for days I’m working. It’s hit or miss whether Gerald is the one feeding the kids, and I know from past experience he’s not likely to eat anything I have prepared for him. So if he has to feed the kids he can resort to KD, hot dogs or grilled cheese (all things the kids will eat!).
3) Start a Price Book: I have NO clue what prices are. Usually if I see a good price and know it’s good it’s because someone else told me! So I glanced at a few bills for meat prices. Boneless chicken breast I paid 8.55 KG, Pork Schnitzel 12.10 KG (but paid 50% of the sticker price), Pork 8.80 KG….and that’s all I know right now. So if any of you wise shoppers out there know better prices – let me know.
4) Shop Sales: I am already ok for this for some part. I’ll stock up when I see certain items are on sale (that can be frozen). Like hot dogs and pizza pops. I know not healthy but quick and easy for if I’m not cooking.

I have started my grocery list for this week and my ‘meal plan’ for the days I am home (4 days). So far barely under $100. We go through at least $18 in milk a week though! And I go to Shoppers which is the cheapest. Of course this doesn’t include buying meat or food for the cat or dog (since we have lots right now). We shall see how this goes....

Any suggestions?

2008-06-05T16:22:00.003-05:00

We had Jared's appt with Dr Brydon yesterday. The main concern was that one eye would be weaker than the other - so far so good. Go again in Sept (or if I'm having the baby finding someone to take him).

If anyone wonders whether there is improvement....here is a picture I found from before the sugery. (Sept 2007 - surgery was in December)
So yes the surgery did help.

I was going through pictures for the upcoming crop and found one of Cailyn's long hair from last summer. I think this was probably the longest it ever was.

2008-05-27T12:23:00.002-05:00

Had my OB appt yesterday. Everything is fine. I'm just starting to look more pregnant. In a few weeks get to go for bloodwork again and get my rogham.

Decided (because of Laura's blog) to cook supper tonight. Was looking through a recipe finder online and found a slow cooker meatloaf. Instead of the slow cooker I thought I would try it in the oven. I didn't put the stuff overtop but mixed the brown sugar and ketchup right in and opted to put cheese on top (and in).
http://recipes.bestsimplerecipes.com/eRMS/recp.aspx?recid=35371

There were some ingredients I didn't have (and some I don't like anyways) so I just left out or substituted. Cailyn enjoyed trying to help me.

I didn't care for it, but also wasn't that hungry....Cailyn refused to eat supper but Gerald and Jared liked it (Gerald had 3 pieces so I guess he liked it).

Doing meal planning would be a little more difficult for me since I'm gone a few suppers a week and don't know where the kids will be eating or whether Gerald will eat it. I can meal plan for the days I am home though. Now to find things they (that includes Gerald!) will eat!

May is here

2008-05-08T15:13:00.003-05:00

Well it's a new month. So far surviving work (since I didn't work much last month). Just got trained on inputting information into the new computer system we are using (ok we weren't on any computer system before....I am so glad to start getting rid of paper!!!!). Anyways I enjoy that although I do it along with all the other things we have to do in the day. According to another co-worker the 'boss' is pretty impressed with how quick I am at doing it. But I enjoy doing things like that (should have went into a different profession).

The kids are enjoying playing outside now. Can't wait for it to get a bit warmer (it's really cold out today). Got to love my deck (that I can lock them on) and fenced in yard! Don't have to chase away from the road or off the driveway!

Cailyn is really starting to recognize her letters. We sure didn't teach her...maybe Linda or her boys? She says no one told her. She was never interested in letters/numbers at all before so it's nice to see that now she is. She's getting so big! Hard to believe that in September she can start JK.

Baby is kicking away (mostly my bladder). Cailyn likes to put her hand on my stomach and say she felt it (although the baby hasn't kicked anytime she has). She also tries to look in my belly button and talks to the baby through my belly button. She had the revelation that maybe Jared would like a brother, but she still picked a girl baby. Then with wide eyes she points at my belly and states - maybe there is a boy baby and a girl baby in there! So I had to tell her that no there was just ONE baby. I think she will be a good big sister to the baby. Hopefully not too helpful (with Jared she would try and pick him up... she was only 2!) Jared has no clue about the baby. I'm starting to show more (finally) pulled out my maternity shirts (can still wear some non-maternity shirts but not many) but I am still wearing my normal jeans.

Laura had a meal planning Monday post from orgjunkie.com. I thought I would check it out since I love organizing and making lists....it's just keeping it that way and actually doing what the list says! I've thought that I need to get more organized especially with summer coming. Gerald was very helpful this winter and even started doing laundry!!!!! But as the season progresses he will have less time to help me out and will be working more and more hours. So I NEED to get more organized. I'm working on a 2 week schedule (since my work is based on a 2 week rotation) and then I have to add pulling and shipping orders into that mix for the website. I am going to have to leave any pulling of orders until after Gerald gets home because Jared liked to pull out the colour dividers (with the name of the colour) for the paper and he also likes to throw eyelets on the floor.

Borrowed some cloth Bumgenius diapers from Laura since Jared leaks through overnight (head to toe..strip the bed kind of wet). They worked great. Checked them out online and they are on average $4 a piece cheaper in the states - but the manufacturer new rules are no shipping internationally. But my cousin has friends in the states and said I could ship to them and he would get them for me. So far all the stores I found (with other items I liked) are completely sold out! Also found that Medella breast pumps (which are BPA free) are half the price in the states.

Working on getting Cailyn to help more. She loves to fold washcloths (she's pretty good too considering). Today I had her clear the table after lunch. She said she was too little to bring the breakable dishes to the sink but I assured her that she could. She didn't even complain...instill it in young when they think it's fun right?

What happened in April...well a brief overview

2008-04-29T20:32:00.003-05:00

Well it seems like I didn't work very much! Was sick for a few days, had bereavement leave for a couple and then also took one weekend off for the Spring Crop. I think I will have only worked maybe 8 days this month! (out of 15 scheduled shift) Of course working would have been much more preferable to the reasons I took most of the days off.

We had the spring crop this past weekend and it went well. A lot of work though!

I had my US yesterday. Everything looks fine with the baby and the baby weighs 1 lb. I think I have only gained about 4-5lbs so far this pregnancy. The baby has been kicking (definite kicking) which is nice (since now it's not jabbing my ribs yet etc). Cailyn is still adamant that it HAS to be a girl because she picks a girl and she already has a brother....she needs a sister. When you ask her what to name the baby it's the last baby that she saw (heard of)......so it's been Hailey (cousin), Jaelyn (another cousin), and Addie (a cousin she just met since they live in the US).

Returned my Avent bottles, pump and sterilizer. I don't think there is an official recall yet, but some store are doing voluntary recalls taking them back (at their loss I think) because the products contain BPA. Which can cause fertility problems, breast cancer and prostate cancer. With a family history of BOTH cancers - I'm not willing to take the risk. Some sippys are also beign accepted but I haven't tried to return those yet. Also in looking up BPA I discovered my Tupperware Rock N Serve also contain BPA. Wonderful - they go in the microwave often to heat up our food! So I am seriously looking at getting rid of a lot of plastics in my house and looking at alternative items. There just seems to be so many people getting cancer younger and younger and with all the junk we put in our bodies I am now questioning the safety of a lot more things that we use.

Discovered this past week what I feel like if I forget my thyroid medication......I usually take it at around noon. Well I notice I forget by around 8:30pm; I am super cold and want to go to bed! I finally at 9pm realized it was because I forgot my pill. Being on the medication definitely makes a WORLD of difference. I am not freezing cold (this was before the warm snap we had), I don't feel the urge to go to bed at 8-8:30pm, and I actually feel like going out and doing something!

Well I'm going to watch some NCIS with dh before I go to bed......

2008-03-26T21:02:00.002-05:00

Well today I had my first Ultrasound. I asked the tech where the placenta was, she said nice and high up - so no worries about another placenta previa!

She also said I had my date wrong (I was kinda guessing anyways) and I am due September 8. (The day after my b-day). With the date moving up - we will have 3 kids birthdays within 1 month.

While I was at my appointment Jared was cranky but he had wet his crib (everyday pretty much) and I forgot to strip it and put new sheets on, so Gerald decided to lay him down in the bottom bunk and Jared went to sleep! So we decided to try again tonight and so far so good! He has always been an early to bed child (unlike Cailyn) so hopefully this will keep up. Tonight both kids are in Cailyn's room and all is quiet. The real test is to see what happens at about 3-4am - Jared's normal time to start chatting (or at times crying). We have tried to do a later bedtime to prevent this, but late or early it doesn't make a difference.

Also while I was gone Cailyn decided that she was going to take out the big foam letters out of Jared's room. Why? Well because the baby needs to sleep in Jared's room and isn't going to like Jared's letters in HER room. No, we don't know what we are having, but Cailyn is quite insistent that it HAS to be a girl because she already has a brother and needs a sister. I'm working on the 'you can't pick' what kind of baby you have with her. Girl would be handy though because we don't have any clue what to name a boy.....well I have a name....Gerald doesn't like it.

Cailyn also asked why I had to go to the Dr (my OB appt was right after the US because they do the US right in the OB office now). So I told her that they would be taking a picture of the baby. The first thing she asked when I got home was to see the picture of the baby. I showed her the US and at first she seemed a little confused. But when I pointed out the baby's head she seemed to clue in to the odd looking thing on the US.

This is my first day off for 7 days! Of course it will be busy. I am going to be a vendor at a fundraiser crop the weekend (2 days) and we have a baptism to go to. So the time off is really for preparation for the crop.

Interesting tidbits about Early Easter....

2008-03-17T11:19:00.000-05:00

As you may know, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20).

This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Found out a couple of things you might be interested in! Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare.

Here's the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier!

Here are the facts:

The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now).

The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).
The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now).

The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

Expecting

2008-03-12T18:17:00.002-05:00

Yes (as we announced on Facebook) we are expecting again. Due September 15. Now if you are thinking we 'messed' up on our having babies in August (Cailyn and Jared are both August).....Jared was due in September.

I go for an US the end of the month. And of course am curious as to where my placenta is (Jared was a complete previa). So upon looking up stats....
1 in 200 pregnancies are previas....or some stats say risk for Aged 20-29 years - 0.33%
for me to have one again stats say 12x the chance and others say 4-8% chance.
Another stat is Placenta previa occurs in 0.3-0.5% of all pregnancies and out of those pregnancies the chance to have a complete previa ranges from 20-45%.

We are hoping that I don't have this complication again - but we are also completely aware that I am at a higher risk.

To us all that really matters is the baby is healthy. All Cailyn wants is a girl baby sister because she already has a brother so she doesn't need another brother. We are working on explaining to her you can't pick whether you get a boy or a girl.

Mark your calendars for the 2008 Spring Crop!

2008-03-06T06:29:00.001-05:00

Mark your calendars for the 2008 Spring Crop!

Fundraiser for the St Thomas Community Christian School.
School Website http://www.stthomaschristian.org/

April 26, 2008
Held at Fellowship CRC
9am - 5pm
$30 per person/$40 at the door

Crop for the day, get a goodie bag, lunch and bid on silent auction items.

There will also be stores to shop at while you crop.
Stores/Consultants
Nikki's Kraft Shack - http://www.nikkiskraftshack.ca/
Aileen Pennings - Creative Memories
Linda - Stampin Up (stamp rental available)
Sylvia - www.scrapbookingoasis.com

Purchase your tickets online

Jared's Eyes

2008-02-21T21:03:00.002-05:00

Just realized I never updated after his last eye appointment.

It was hard for them to make his eye stray when they were assessing him. The Dr said he is right where he should be at his age and they are happy with the results.
Jared no longer needs the eye drops at this time.

His Dr though is going into semi retirement this summer. We have our 3 month follow up appointment booked with him but if we can get into the local ophthalmologist we will be switching unless Jared needs another surgery (which would require a pediatric ophthalmologist). Jared saw our local Dr prior to his current and I know it took a LONG time to get in.

It will be nice to go local (first off I won't have to pay a fortune in parking!)

We are glad that everything went so well with his surgery. He is definitely a different child since it!

Wisdom of Children

2008-02-04T21:00:00.001-05:00

thought I would share this - it's been about a month since Cailyn and I had this conversation....

Cailyn is at the stage of never ending questions! Cailyn recently realized that she has a grandma with a trampoline and a grandpa with a trampoline (aka Gerald's parent) and has a grandma with a pool...but where is grandpa (aka my parents). So I tried as basic as possible to explain to a 3 year old that Grandpa with the pool died and is in heaven. She asked where ....I said with Jesus. She then said why did he die? I replied with he was really sick. She then proceeded to say "Jesus is a Doctor" .....and then after a few more repetitive questions her conclusion from that conversation was that Grandpa was all better.

It's amazing how you can say so little but they seem to grasp so much!

Post Appointment with Specialist

2007-12-14T23:15:00.000-05:00

It will take about 6 weeks to know how successful the surgery was. We told him that Jared seemed happier and that he seemed to be running more (he never ran too much before...or at least he's faster now). The Dr said that many parents notice both those things after surgery. I also mentioned that at first he had the depth perception problem at first which he wrote something down after I said it but didn't say anything to us. So I suspect he will look into that more at the next appointment.

So Jared doesn't need to see the Dr until February and then we will know better how well the surgery went.

Pre and Post Eye Surgery

2007-12-10T13:25:00.000-05:00

Jared's pre-admit phone interview was to be done 2 weeks before surgery. I left the message with all info including our phone number (and a second message with my work number). When the 2 weeks were up and I hadn't heard I called. I was told they like calling the week before. OK so they really shouldn't tell people 2 weeks and then do it a week before.

Well the Wednesday before his surgery I called again since I still hadn't heard. She informed me she had called work and gave a phone number as our home phone that she called. Well, that number was our phone number about a YEAR ago! I informed her that was NOT the number I had left with her. So she asked for our number and I thought corrected it.

This means that our family Dr's office never changed our number when I asked them too. Just like they didn't change our address when I asked them to (we moved when I was 3 months pregnant with Jared) and when he was about 6 months old I received a new health card for him with our old address. The ministry told me that was the address our Dr's office supplied. Just new health cards for the kids...not for Gerald or I - so that means they changed our address and not the kids. Anyways not too impressed with the family Dr's office right now.

We had to get up bright and early for pre-admit (where we changed our phone number with them again). The surgery went well. He whimpered when they put the rail up (which would be scary a huge stainless steel crib!) When we were taken to the waiting room someone walked through another set of doors towards the OR and we saw him again he was standing in the crib while they rolled it down the hall. He wasn't fussing or anything. The Dr came to speak to us after the surgery and said it went well and he would give a call and Saturday (another story there). The post-op nurse said he has a great temperament because most kids are fussing before they give them anesthetic and are quite angry when they wake up in the recovery room. He was fine when we came in she was picking him up and he wasn't crying or anything. After he drank 4 oz of diluted apple juice there they took us to the paed post op area. There he was a bit more squirmy and a little fussy. Turned out he just wanted to sit with his dad. He was really tired but there were too many strange noises and he kept rousing. He wanted to walk around and he was a bit too wobbly at first so we got him some toys. We had to wait about 2 hours after he woke up before we could take him home because they had put a tube down his throat when he was under and since babies airways are so small they wanted to make sure he didn't have any breathing problems. He downed a bottle of milk and started drinking water too. He didn't spit up at all (which can happen after anesthetic) which was good. The Dr came again to see us and Jared in the Paed post op as well.

When we got home Jared was sleeping. I woke him up at 3pm. When awake he was his usual self. His eye is swollen and blood shot but so far no bruising on his face.

Then around 5pm we took a spur of the moment trip to Burlington. The 52" RCA I got for free didn't match for parts with our other RCA so Gerald looked it up online and the part for the TV is a $30 part. There was a store in Burlington who had one in stock. After that we gave Kathryn and Shane a call and went for a visit. It was a nice break for a long drive and a long evening.

We got home and Gerald fixed the TV. So we know have a big screen TV that works. (Wonder how much hydro it's going to suck!)

Anyways, the Dr said he would call before noon on Saturday to see how Jared was doing. We left for Chatham at 2:30 (first of many Christmas parties) and realized that he didn't call. So I am going to guess his office had the wrong phone number too! Since Jared is fine I don't think it matters too much. His post op appointment with the Dr is this Thursday anyways.

For those wondering what they did to Jared. Since his eye turned in they loosened the muscles on the inside of his eye and tightened the muscles on the outside. Gerald liked to tell people that they take his eye out and put it back in but that's not true.
I found a link for what they actually do
http://queens-ca.sitepreview.ca/Strabismussurgery.asp

His eye already appears straighter although it will take some time to know the effectiveness of the surgery 100%. I have noticed that his depth perception is off. He tries to grab for items about 2-3" in front of the item. It was worse the day of and after the Surgery. Today, it's not as noticeable.

Jared has antibiotic eye drops that he needs 2x a day. Since it's hard to get drops in his eyes I just drop a lot in and if they happen to get in his other eye it shouldn't hurt it (unlike when he had atropine...that was important to not get it in both because it would defeat the purpose of putting it in!)

He doesn't really have any restrictions. Just not to be outside so dust doesn't get in his eyes. And no swimming for a few days - but I think we won't have a problem with that one.

Well its time I go put in the eye drops (he's sleeping).

Jesus Tender

2007-11-25T18:49:00.000-05:00

Cailyn has learned the prayer Jesus Tender and really loves singing it.
For lunch today she improvised:
Jesus tender shepherd hear me
bless this little lamb to eat
through the darkness be though near me (then some singing I couldn't quite make out)..it's not dark it's good morning time
amen

This was all sung by her.

I thought it was cute how she tried so hard to make it a meal prayer.

Sylvia is....

2007-11-16T11:39:00.000-05:00

unable to update her status on facebook
unable to write on walls
unable to message

What is a girl to do!

2007-11-13T18:41:00.000-05:00

So this past weekend was my first weekend that I actually worked my normal weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun - 12 hour shifts). It wasn't near as bad as I anticipated.

Today, was Cailyn's first dentist appointment! After she saw me have my teeth cleaned it was her turn. She was so good! The hygenist said her teeth were really clean and looked good. Which I am so happy for! I was worried because she insists on brushing her own teeth and rarely lets me help or even check. Our dentist office gives a little coupon for a free pizza and milk from Boston Pizza for the kids (I don't know if this is just the first appointment or all appointments). Cailyn tried to pay for the dentist bill with this pizza coupon. Which was really cute.

Tomorrow I'm working and Thursday I am preparing for the 2 day crop in Chatham which I will be at this weekend.

Next week proves to be busy with something I have to do/go to every day.

I feel too busy

2007-11-03T21:57:00.000-05:00

It's been one of those times I just don't want to look at the calendar. Although some of the things only take an hour or so out of my day.....it's just been one of those 'it seems too busy' times.

This week, I worked Wed and Thurs...taking off early to take the kids out for Halloween. Cailyn got cranky fairly early. She's so tough for some things but gets so sensitive (and stubborn) for others. She was getting upset because she was usually the last to the door and didn't get to ring the door bell. Part of the reason she was last was because she walked a STRAIGHT line up and down driveways (also making sure not to step on grass and sometimes the cars in the driveway were in her way). Granted this was only after we had told the kids to not cut across lawns but she was pretty obedient for that one. Gerald met up with us shortly after she started getting cranky. He took Cailyn ahead a couple houses so that she could ring the door bell and then to Jason and Laura's while I walked back to Linda's (carrying Jared) to get the van. We were almost at Burwell road so it was a long walk carrying him. Then on the Gerald's parents and then one set of grandparents. Jared fell asleep in my arms there he was so tired.

I have no pictures because I forgot my camera - but Linda has some on her facebook account.

Early Friday morning our water softener regenerated.....there wasn't enough water in the well for it. Fortunately, we didn't burn out the pump again. But Gerald did have to go and get a load of water. Since he did that (and I knew I had lots of water) I did 3 loads of laundry and ran the dishwasher. Gerald has said that a few people said our Willow probably sucks a lot of the water from our well (the well isn't too far from it) but it is such a great shade tree and we don't have air conditioning our house would be a lot hotter in the summer without the tree!

Friday night - we dropped the kids off at Gerald's parents to go out and surprise Laura for her b-day. Jason sure had her fooled (her b-day was Thursday and he didn't make a good impression on her Thursday!) That was another late night and Cailyn (probably wired from sugar still) just wouldn't settle and go to sleep. She was still awake at 12am!

This morning she woke up fairly early and didn't nap. She was pretty good considering. Gerald worked in the morning and then when he got home, did work outside around the house. Getting firewood and he climbed up into the willow and cut out the big dead branch (and some 1/2 dead ones). The tree now has a 'bald' spot look to it where he cut it out, but if he didn't cut it who knows when or where it would have landed. At 5pm We went to Jordan's 2nd b-day party tonight and Cailyn just absolutely LOVES b-day parties (I think mostly for singing Happy B-day and the cake) so she was good for that part. But after Super, Cake and presents she was starting to become cranky. After the b-day party back to Gerald's parents so Gerald could help his dad set something up. While he was doing that I ran out to get some much needed groceries. I also picked up some halloween costumes on sale...perfect for play clothes! Got home around 9pm and both kids sleeping.

Looks like tomorrow we need to go to my mom's because I have some stuff that needs to be there soon and my mom will be working full time and more for the next few months. Thankfully for the extra hour of sleep it hopefully won't be too bad getting ready to make it to church there in the morning.

Next week: work Mon, Tue, Fri, Sat and I will be working my first 3 day weekend since I went back to work and will be working Sun (my second Sun since I came back so not too bad). Wednesday will be the first grocery day since I started working that I won't be working on, so that means I actually have to go pick up my own groceries. So that leaves Thursday my day to do absolutely nothing....oh wait that doesn't happen.....but I definitely won't plan what I will be doing because if I think I am going to do Laundry....it's more likely that I will end up playing Dr with Cailyn for the morning (she loves playing Dr ...which consists of giving needles and checking your heartbeat).

After next Sunday: I am only working Wed - but that week I have a dentist appointment and Cailyn will be having her FIRST appointment, nervous about that because she rarely will let us brush her teeth (she wants to do it herself!) Usually when she lets me check they don't look too bad...so I am hoping they are ok. Then the weekend I will be at a Fundraiser crop for Fri/Sat in Chatham.

Jared had his appointment with the specialist (a couple weeks ago...I think). Anyways, his measurements are staying the same (which is important for the surgery). I think the more the measurements stay the same the more accurate they will be on adjusting the muscles. From what I understood (between the 2 Dr's talking in front of us) it sounds like he isn't favouring the one eye over the other as much. We have been noticing this ourselves as well. Hopefully the surgery will go well and he won't have problems with his vision later.

He's getting to be more difficult to get eye drops in because he's a stomach sleeper and has been waking up fairly easy. If he doesn't wake up he rolls onto his stomach again before I have a chance to get the drop in - so I am going to need to become more creative.

Jared now says mama, and baba too. Sometimes it sounds like he says other things....like tonight it sounded like a 'i love you' and he was giving a hug at the same time. So it very well could have been. He's definitely my little 'pip squeek.' I am positive Cailyn was a lot bigger than he is at that age. He's seems too little to walk etc.

Jared also had his first taste of skittles. Cailyn had sour skittles and I had reminded her to not let Jared get them (which she is usually good with since why would she want him to eat her candy). Anyways I saw him chewing on something and proceeded to swallow with no problem. Then I smelt his breath....skittles. He had pulled the container off the kitchen table....he was very ticked off with me for taking them away.

Cailyn....potty training.....well when we went away for our anniversary....Cor said she didn't change any diapers - Cailyn just went on the potty by herself. We get home and she peed in her diaper. The next day she went on the potty all day by herself.....and then it STOPPED! She very rarely will sit on the potty again. She has no desire for treats (of any sort), doesn't care about praise, the promise of going to school doesn't seem to be working either. There have been some toys she wanted (a puzzle set and dress up clothes) told her that she would have to wear big girl underwear all the time to get them.....nope she's still not using the potty. She will tell me things like 'I want to use Jordan's potty' and things like that. She also will say I have to pee on the potty to have the puzzle....but still doesn't go and do it.

Our website - we've made it secure.....next to accept CC payments without PayPal! Gerald's been looking at some optimization things for sales. The one thing he changed...after the change I had 4 orders in one day.....3 of the 4 qualifying for Free shipping. So it may have helped (hard to tell just from one day).

Fencing - Gerald's keeping busy.....probably will as long as there is no frost in the ground. Then for when the snow flies he will probably end up plowing snow.

I think that's about it here.......got to add some wood to the fire.

Canadian Tire

2007-11-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

If you need anything at Canadian Tire this is a good deal.
$10 off $40
OR
$20 off $40 if you use your Options Mastercard

I thought this is perfect for our $10 gift exchanges we are in!

Here's the Link http://canadiantire.ca/affiliates/promo/holiday/CT_HolidaySavings_Coupon_EN.pdf?icid=D345EarlyHolidaySavingsCouponEN&atr=SOURCE_AMAZING&subid=1401772&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fcanadiantire.ca%2faffiliates%2fpromo%2fholiday%2fCT_HolidaySavings_Coupon_EN.pdf

What's new......

2007-10-20T20:09:00.000-05:00

Well Gerald and I celebrated 5 years yesterday. Cor offered to watch the kids and got us a suite. We went out for dinner and a little shopping and that was it. It was nice to have a break from the kids.

Today, we went to a financial seminar/thing at Fellowship Church. It was really interesting (given by a Christian who works for Crown Financial which is a Christian company). It covered pretty much everything...debt, tithing, work, budgets, teaching kids about money etc.

We've been doing a facebook flyer campaign for our website. We've seen a large increase in traffic. At first a large number of new registered members as well but no so much lately. Hopefully, this will result in some sales. The facebook flyers aren't a bad price and are really specified for target market. I can pick gender, age, education and even interests......so I of course put scrapbooking down for interests.

Gerald and I have been on line (lately and in the past) looking at basically things that are FREE that pay you. Which is why I posted 2 things here! I got paid from the Bloggerwave and it didn't take long at all to write something simple up. It was $10 US....so not much but it took no time as well. (of course $10 us is less than $10 cad right now!) All you need is a paypal account to receive the money.

Cailyn...well I guess Cor didn't have to change a single diaper while we were gone. And she never asked Cailyn if she needed to go either....Cailyn did it on her own. NOW why won't she for us!!!!!! She is so strong willed!

Jared....is saying kitty (well change to K to a t - but he's calling the cat that) and it sounded like he said "ailyn" (to Cailyn more than once the past couple days)....Linda tells me he says "ada" for her....of course dada...but will he say mommy or mama....nope the only times I have heard mama is when he's crying and then he does want me (not Gerald) ....he calls me and Gerald dada in general..... He is most definitely a daddy's boy though.

Futura Rewards

2007-10-20T20:02:00.000-05:00

May as well share about Futura....I know Linda does it too. It used to be that if you signed up under someone you both got a $5 bonus. I don't know if they do that still.

The Futura Rewards Program lets you earn free cash rewards just by doing your everyday shopping! Futura Rewards can be used to save for education costs, retirement savings, student loan repayment and even charitable giving!

To learn more about Futura Rewards visit www.FuturaRewards.ca

It's free to join....you just have to save and mail in UPC's from participating brands.

Hits4Pay

2007-10-20T19:54:00.001-05:00

A website where you get paid to read e-mails

Bloggerwave

2007-10-20T19:44:00.000-05:00

Bloggerwave is a blogging opportunity where you get paid for writing about things. It's true I already got paid once. That's why I am posting this opportunity here!
It's easy to sign up for and just takes a few moments of your time. There are different opportunities you can chose from when approved. All you need to do is select the opportunity you are interested in, add the links requested and type about the product or service. It’s as simple as that!

Saw this on Laura's wall - watch it....

2007-10-03T19:56:00.000-05:00

Jared the dragon Slayer

2007-10-02T13:01:00.000-05:00

Cailyn was playing dragon and Jared was having fun chasing her (until he bumped into the cabinets). You can see him walking in here too, since I never took a video of that when he started to walk.

Ouch

2007-10-01T14:22:00.001-05:00

Cailyn doesn't nap for me often. Today though she decided to nap in the doll bed. This is a wooden doll crib my dad made for me when I was younger so it's pretty sturdy.

Mega Crop - November 16 and 17

2007-09-21T13:38:00.001-05:00

Click on the Image to Enlarge for all the details.
November 16 and 17 we will be at a Mega Crop - Tickets can be purchased through the crop organizer (contact information on the flyer).

What's new - walking, work, water etc

2007-09-20T20:26:00.000-05:00

Jared has been doing steps for a little while.....and I think today I can say he IS walking. Linda what do you think? When I came home from work he walked to me (with one fall) but he got right back up and continued on. It was from the hallway doorway too the far side of the island (so closest to the door to the house). A pretty good trek for a little guy.

Yesterday, I didn't get to see his walking progress as he was asleep when I got home. I woke him up to change him since he wasn't changed before bed and he barely woke up and went right back to sleep.

For his eyedrops it was suggested to put them in while he was sleeping. I did that yesterday and it worked wonderfully! I have been 'sitting' on him with Gerald holding his head and myself trying to pry the eye open. And he fights for all he's worth! I'm pretty used to putting in eye drops (even for people who don't want them) and I have to say he is awful to get them in - so this give them while he's sleeping is an excellent solution!

Cailyn has been the same old self. Nothing new with her really. Her vocabulary sometimes amazes me. Her foot got bumped by the door and she said the door 'striked' her. Where she come up with striked?? (must be from your house Linda!) Her new obsession is Care Bears which is a nice break from Dora.

We have run out of water again (not too long ago) all I did was 2 loads of laundry (front load so doesn't use much water) and ran the dishwasher. We paid for water to be put in and watched it the next few days. Quite a bit went into the water table (so not in our well anymore) and after a couple days the water was down and staying consistent at a pretty low level (from what I understand from Gerald). We think it's just because we had such a dry summer. So this week Gerald ordered/bought/picked up a water tank for his truck and we will be getting water ourselves when we need it (in the long run it's much cheaper than having water brought to us...even though the person who does it just lives down the road from us).

I've been back to work for 3 weeks now.....not much has changed since I left. As always good days and bad days....and people that I enjoy working with and people who make me want to tear my hair out (had one of those tonight). The kids seem to have adjusted well. Monday (I wasn't working) and Cailyn was asking when she was going Linda's. I worked yesterday and today and she's quite happy that I am home tomorrow (well all weekend). I've already had the chance to work overtime....um no thanks!

Well back to playing scrabulous for all those people who have been waiting days for me to take my turn........

Anyone that buys Pamper

2007-09-08T12:27:00.001-05:00

P&G brand saver coupons - you select what you want and they mail them to you.
http://www.save.ca/brandsaver_sept_2007/

Pampers, pringles, tide and a bunch of other products from them.

Airplane Ride

2007-09-03T20:02:00.000-05:00

We had our plane ride for buying and selling our house today. It was expiring the end of this month.I told Cailyn to suck her thumb for the way up. She had no part of sucking her thumb on the way down she was so excited.

Our House

Doesn't she look excited!

Gerald's Parents

My work

Gerald's Oma and Opa's

Gerald's Grandma and Grandpa's

This shows Jason and Laura's, Our old house and Linda and Mark's
If you click on it to open it you may be able to see better.

Greenview Aviaries

2007-09-03T18:54:00.000-05:00

Linda and her kids, Gerald and I with our kids all went to Greenview Aviaries last week. It was a lot of fun (and really hot!)Jared kept trying to grab at the deer

Linda and Sav in the lookout tower

Albino Raccoons - very ugly!

Cailyn

Jared

Cailyn and Sav chasing the poor duckling.

The kids got tired.

Bouncing around

Dinosaur rides

Trying to grab more animals

No clue what Sav is doing here!

Savannah didn't want to get wet...at first

The boys had fun

The 3 W's

2007-08-30T06:24:00.000-05:00

Last week, myself (with a few others) started a diet with each other. We are all following our own plans but have to report to each other. I still have my baby weight from Cailyn (and then some from Jared too). So it's needs to GO. Everyone who is doing this is doing (at least who reported in) is doing really well. Now my challenge comes with trying to incorporate not eating crappy at work. I know I bring my own food - but there are vending machines and other tempting goodies. I am not doing weight watchers, I'm 'kinda' counting calories. Rule #1 for me - don't count until before supper or after. Why? Because if I count during the day I feel like I am starving all day. I know weight watchers is kinda like counting but just with the points system. But if you think like me 1400 or 1700 calories sounds like SO much more than 20some points. I think I may have to start pen and paper for the food journal when I start work in case I add some extras - seeing it written down will probably make me stop pretty quick.

So far with the weight loss - I have tried eating about every 2 hours and that worked pretty nice. But isn't practical for me. I have been successful at stopping eating Chewy Chips ahoy cookies after 2 instead of eating the entire bag.....or at least a row! And Gerald has been pretty good too at not tempting me. I had said at the start no eating out for 1 month (and we eat out a lot) - Gerald's incentive is that I said the money from not eating out can go towards us going away for a weekend. My sil insists I must exercise - and I have. Took the kids for a walk towards Dalewood Rd. Had to stop when the gravel got too thick (but the total walk was almost 1/2 hour). Pushing 55+ lbs of kids in an old double stroller on gravel with a daughter who kept resting her feet on the wheels (and I didn't notice at first...so 8 min into the walk I was getting tired and then realized why!)....and then have a bit of an incline on the way back, is definitely exercise! I also actually took the dog for a walk too. I have also cut back on coke to 1 can a day. Yesterday, it was 1/2 can. With what I drink in coke - if I cut it all out but 1 can it's about 1lb a week. I am not substituting with diet because 1) it gives me horrible headaches 2) it makes me feel more hungry 3) sil told me that research shows even diet pop contributes to belly fat.

Today was my first practice 'wake up' day for work. Yes, I need to practice to get up. I start work at 7am which means I need to be out of the house at around 6:45am (Gerald brings the kids away). My plan was to wake up at 5:55. Jared decided to help me this morning by waking up too early (shortly after 5am) I got out of bed and got him up at 5:45. The whole time thinking I want to go back to sleep - but I feel ok now (just yawning a little bit). I am so not a morning person!

I am starting work a day earlier than anticipated. I had scheduled this past Monday, Tuesday and this Friday (tomorrow) as vacation. On our way to Greenview Aviaries work called - Do you want an orientation day? Well, it would be nice (considering the turn over of people...lack of name tags.. in my job!) So Friday I will be heading in to get some orientation - I think I pretty much get to arrange it how I want - so since I work in 2 main areas I will spend my morning in the one and my afternoon in the other. I'm only going to spend an 8 hour day tomorrow though. I get my vacation day back which will be handy to have for when Jared has to have his surgery.

Gerald pointed out to me on Tuesday that I was getting paid. It was kinda nice to think about it that I was getting my normal wage again.

I have also made up a schedule which I hope to be able to follow for my days at work and my days off. Hopefully I will actually follow it! Usually, the plan fails and I throw it in the recycling.
I will post some pictures from Greenview aviaries later. Those on facebook can see my husband...the albino raccoon (his new profile pic)

First Birthday and First tooth

2007-08-25T17:40:00.000-05:00

In the tradition of our children...Jared's first tooth has FINALLY poked through. I saw some white glistening when he smiled...stuck my finger in his mouth....something sharp - so yep a tooth. (Cailyn got her first the week of her first birthday). So today is Jared's birthday and he got his first tooth.

Oh
Happy Anniversary David and Cathy and Tim and Jannyne

Jared's Eyes

2007-08-24T11:23:00.000-05:00

August 20 we went to see the specialist again. Jared's eyes have not improved but also didn't get worse (so the patching helped a little - just not enough). Because of Jared's age he is not very compliant with letting me put a patch on or keeping a patch on, we now have eye drops for him. They are the same eye drops that they use for an eye exam (dilate your pupils). Basically, the drop goes into his good eye once a day. This causes him to not be able to see well out of it and therefore forces him to use his bad eye (the eye that crosses..which is also a lazy eye). We noticed that when he was patched his bad eye would straighten right up. With the drops it is not as pronounced but does straighten a little. He obviously does not like the eye drops and today was the first time I put them in and he didn't fight (ok so his hands were occupied with a bottle) and he did cry after. The Dr ordered them for every day but said even every other day would help (but doesn't order it that way because most people forget which day it is for giving them). Yesterday, I skipped them because we were going out and the drops make you sensitive to light. We can also give them at any time of the day (because the effects of them last a long time!)

We also discussed the surgery, risks etc. He said that we could go home and discuss it more but I booked the surgery that day. So I have a date but that can change (as with any surgery in the hospitals). We were able to get in much sooner than I anticipated. The surgery is just a mechanical adjustment, so there is a chance that he may need more than one surgery. That of course won't be known until after he has the first one. It's a day surgery so barring any complications he will go home with us after. The surgery will not correct his lazy eye but will just correct (hopefully) the cross eyes. (The drops are for helping his lazy eye).

We have one more appointment with the specialist before the surgery. Hopefully the drops will be helping and his lazy eye will have improved some.

Birthday Party Pictures

2007-08-24T09:55:00.000-05:00

Yes we had no water! It was fixed by around 8pm.

Eagerly waiting for her friends to arrive!

Since they don't give free mess cakes anymore and one Dora cake wasn't enough cake - I ordered a Thomas Cake for Jared.

I don't think he ate any of it - he just liked mucking around in it.

An abundance of presents!

Cailyn's Famous!

2007-08-21T21:45:00.000-05:00

Watch the Awesome Cartoon I made

I like the second one better
Watch the Awesome Cartoon I made

Cailyn and Jared B-day Photo shoot

2007-08-21T09:16:00.001-05:00

Our photoshoot - some of the really cute ones are too dark - tried to lighten but looked bad still. Will try again later.

This is neat

2007-08-17T12:24:00.001-05:00

Roses made from leaves
http://haha.nu/creative/how-to-make-roses-from-maple-leaves/

Hint Hint.....

2007-08-16T14:24:00.000-05:00

Creating Keepsakes is having their reader's choice awards. Submit your vote(s) for items you like and online stores you like as well ;)
Vote before Oct 15, 2007 and you could win a prize from Creating Keepsakes
http://www.iboutique.com/cgi-bin/myers/start.cgi/iboutique/orderform/ReadersChoice/ballot.html

There is an Internet Retailer and a Mail Order/Online Order section - there is an 'other' option in that section - Hint hint.......

felt the need to blog

2007-08-14T14:48:00.000-05:00

Over a week ago - Jared pinched his finger between a 2l pop bottle and the floor. The cupboard he got into usually just has light weight items that he can't get hurt from/break. So I didn't think about putting a lock on the cupboard (and he hadn't emptied cupboards before this). This was the best I could do to get a picture (a day later). It looks worse now (we think he will lose the nail). He cried for about 1/2 hour straight after it happened....I felt so bad for him.

Sunday we started by going to Gerald's parent's church as we had a birthday party to attend after it. The kids were well behaved and Cailyn spent a lot of time in their pool (when the rain cleared). Jared did exceptionally well considering he didn't nap in the morning and was awake until 3pm (and then had his nap).

Monday was the first day of VBS. I am a teacher helper. So basically I sit there and make sure the kids behave lol. Cailyn went along as well. I think she enjoyed herself - but I wasn't with her and she was tired (and filthy) at the end of the night. Then off to the Superstore or order Birthday cakes. The guy behind the counter had no clue what I was talking about....duh it's a birthday cake! So I had him take my number for them to call me. Cailyn is so excited about her birthday coming up and is very willing to share her party with Jared. And well Jared has no clue what's going on - so I'm sure he won't mind.

Today....after lunch gave kids bath...girls from bakery called - got my cake order in......put kids down for nap. Now the fun part. Nope it's not Cailyn doing something interesting. Some of you may remember the 'incident' with Cailyn and the pack n play (which went to the car wash to get cleaned). Well, Jared felt the need to out-do his big sister and start at a younger age. Face, body, toes, fingers, crib, ocean wonders crib toy (other crib toys appeared to be ok).....not as big of a mess as Cailyn's incident...but still gross. So Jared gets another bath....the crib gets cleaned (well hopefully all clean....dark wood crib is not a good colour for something like this)....crib bedding etc gets taken off and put in wash......ocean wonders crib toy in garbage....batteries and all (it didn't work right half the time). Now if you think I am wasteful for throwing it out - or that I should have at least saved the batteries. You are more than welcome to come on over to take it and clean it.

Patching Jared's eye is going horribly. He ripped it off so many times the one day (I went through about 10 patches...and used paper tape to restick some on) that he also ripped open his skin. So I didn't patch for a few days. It is now healed and if he rips it off more than 3 or 4x I take a good break since I don't want his skin to reopen. So he figured out how to take it off with fingerless fleece mitts....but Cailyn's fleece mitts that are too big - he can't take them off or the patch. Sounds great- I found something that works. No not really that great. If I had our camera with video here I would video and upload it to Utube - He screams, whether I hold him or not. I managed to tolerate it for an hour (ok he took a few breaks...so maybe tolerate for 40 min) and then took the mitts off - within about 10-15 min the patch was off. I don't think I can tolerate 2-3 hours of screaming. I have tried distraction, holding him etc - those little hands are quick at taking the patch off. And once the patch is on - you need a new one because they don't restick well. I tried gauze and paper tape - worse than doing a patch - harder to get on. Hopefully, when we see the Dr there will be some improvement in his eye.

Any tips on having a baby keep on a patch and I'd be happy to try them....but I think I have probably tried almost everything.

2 weeks and 4 days and I am back to work (I'm taking some vacation days). Linda tells me I got a raise....got some retro pay, no clue what my raise is. In a way I am looking forward to going back and in a way I'm not. Usually it depends on how the kids are behaving LOL. I enjoy work - just don't enjoy the politics/drama. Oh well every job has that.

Our fence (that was started over a year ago) was put up on the holiday weekend and Yoda's kennel made a weekend later. He isn't in it much because the dog house isn't in there yet and there isn't any shade (yet). But it's really nice to have up. I can let him off the leash when we go outside and he can run and bring his toys to me (he would before but if I threw them too far I had to go get them).

I was ambitious yesterday and made 2 casseroles (not for when I go back to work) one to eat yesterday and one to eat today (2 different kinds). When I go back to work I work till 7pm so I don't make supper and Gerald probably won't reheat anything I leave in the fridge (from past experience!) I did take some out of each to freeze now and eat at work.

Now I should be cleaning etc for the birthday party this weekend......

edited to add....he had only babbled mama on rare occassion (when crying)...well today he was babbling mama without crying! Finally :)

Balloon Festival

2007-08-06T21:07:00.001-05:00

Last year these went over our house. This year they didn't but we happened to be in London and managed to see where some landed. Cailyn kept asking to go for a ride. We still had the camera in the truck from the weekend so we took a few (ok a lot...that's why we have digital lol) pictures.

Family Reunion

2007-08-06T20:55:00.000-05:00

Avery, Bryce and Jared

Linda getting some action shots

Playing in the sand

Food came out and Cailyn moved her chair to a better spot!

Jumping on the trampoline with one of the relatives from Holland

This week

2007-08-03T07:53:00.000-05:00

Pirate Jared - as Cailyn likes to call him. The patching went great (considering his age) the first week. It has been a challenge since! He can get the patch off with fingerless fleece mittens on. He doesn't like it at all and doesn't get distracted from it for too long. The best day was taking him in the swing and to see the dog etc. But it's been so hot I don't want him outside for 2-3 hours just so I have an easy time with the patch. The first week we were pretty much getting the 2-3 hours in consecutively. Since then it's a hit or miss. Sometimes it's 2 hours straight (well with replacing the patch a lot). His skin is starting to get irritated and I wish there was an alternate - but the only thing I can find online is a patch over glasses. He doesn't have them and won't keep on sunglasses.
11 Months - Jared was 11 months on July 25. He still weighs about the same - weighed him at home and the scale was 20.2lbs. He's cruising, finally starting to push things to cruise and will walk a bit when you hold his hands. He's so cautious he generally just laughs and sits down when you try to get him to walk a little. His crawling is funny as he now crawls normal with one leg and the other he puts his foot up to push....have to see it - hard to describe. Can't take a video because my MIL has our camera with the video capability.
Well this week Pam called us up (sister-in-law - for those who don't know) and we went to Storybook Gardens in the morning. It was hot. Cailyn loved it and really enjoyed pretty much everything. We didn't spend too much time looking at animals as she was more interested in the play equipment and the splash pad. We missed walking out past Humpty Dumpty and the seal - but that's ok since the kids weren't too interested in the animals anyways. After we had a leisurely lunch at McDonald's and then a visit at our place where they played on the deck, trampoline, sandbox and in the house. We were going to visit with Pam the next day but the kids were so tuckered out still.This is about the only picture that Cailyn is looking (by herself - I have pics of her with her cousin but don't know if it's ok to post so I'm not going to)
Jared - not to impressed. I took him out and let him pick up twigs etc. But mostly pulled mulch out of his mouth.
Cailyn went down that slide by herself. I was quite impressed - she loved it. She's the one climbing with the kid in the red.

Cailyn loved the splash pad. Jared was much more cautious (as usual) but seemed to like splashing a little. He was definitely NOT at all like Cailyn was when we went 2 years ago (they were probably about the same age for comparison). Just shows how 2 kids are so different....and mine definitely are. I don't have pictures since I was taking Jared in (got soaked) and too busy making sure Cailyn didn't run into change rooms etc.

Wednesday - Gerald had to pick up a payment for work out of town (1/2 way to my mom's) so we went after work. We still had a 3rd car seat in the back of the van and Cailyn wanted to go in it. On the highway (so no pulling over) she decided she didn't want to be in it and was screaming pretty much the whole way. So when we got there we switched her and she must have bopped herself in the face when we were driving because the poor girl had a small bloody nose. She was crying for Grandma the whole time (when mom and dad say no - it's I want my grandma) so we got her a popsicle - Gerald went to pick up the money and since it was 7pm and not far from Grandma - we took the trip to my mom's. Cailyn and Jared went swimming and my brother stopped by with some of his kids. Cailyn never sees the boys much when we visit because they are always downstairs playing on the computer - and she was scared of them. This was the first time I have ever seen her scared of someone. She kept calling them 'those kids.' (keep in mind she will also call a 60year old a kid).

Yesterday we did nothing and it was nice. I showed Cailyn my collection of Disney and let her pick one out to watch and she was so excited.

No plans for today - Linda gave another invite for Storybook - but since we already went on Tuesday I decided to pass this time.

How does it look?

2007-07-25T16:28:00.000-05:00

We switched shopping carts for our site. The old one we used...most of the features we wanted had to be added and took a while for Gerald to figure out (I didn't have the patience to) and then some of them never worked. I also had a hard time editing the template to get it how I wanted.

So this new cart many of the things I want are already in it....I added some new features (that I don't think the old one had) that will come in very handy for me. AND I am adding most of them! Gerald had to do a couple fixes for me and there are 2 more things I need him to figure out. But for the rest I managed to figure it out (well posted on the forum for help on the one.....turns out there was a piece of code not there....and I figured it out....very surprising for me lol).

I even added a favicon (it's the little icon in the address box.....I just learned today that, that was the name for it)

I know I sound like a computer geek right?

Anyways
Here is the new main page
http://www.scrapbookingoasis.com/
and the new catalog page
http://www.scrapbookingoasis.com/catalog/index.php

Oh and I was inspired enough to do a little graphic.....it was kinda a trace.....and then some additions. The colours are made to match the custom business cards I had made from vista print.

I also made the website blogs to match.

Jared's appointment with the opthamologist

2007-07-23T21:46:00.000-05:00

We had his appointment today. Jared has convergent strabismus (which is the cross eyes) and amblyopia (which is a lazy eye). His eyes in general are healthy it's just that because the one eye turns in he doesn't use it the same and the brain ignores the improper focused image. So he sees perfectly fine....it's just that he's only using one eye to see it.

We are going to have to put patches on for 2-3 hours every day until the next appointment (which is in about 4 weeks). If anyone has tips on how to keep him from ripping them off I'd love to hear them!

He will also have to have surgery. Which will be discussed more at the next appointment. The surgery is to just straighten out the muscles it won't correct his vision (which is why we have to patch). He may need more than one surgery and it's preferable to have the surgeries done before he's 18 months. So all this will hopefully come up quick and go well.

The Dr said that at this point we don't need to think about glasses.

As a bright side. Jared took ONE step while at the appointment (when we were waiting).

Elim

2007-07-23T21:14:00.001-05:00

Ok so my pictures are in no particular order. Linda definitely has more pictures than I do as she was more faithful in taking her camera with. A few of my pictures are dark....but I didn't take them...I won't say who did lol.

We had a lot of fun. Cailyn loved the snackery and 'play park'. She only had one trip to the beach as after she was sick (sort of....happy and appeared perfectly healthy...she just doesn't react well to the water..).Jared spent a lot of time in here or being carried. We did put him on the ground and he loved to eat the dirt, twigs and grass.

My mom sitting outside of our motel. We 'roughed it' it even had air conditioning although it wasn't really necessary. We did put it on because the windows didn't open and it got stuffy.
Waiting in line to play a game and the Family Fun Fair.
Look at all my tickets mom!!!
Gerald helping Cailyn get her shot.
Not too happy.
He has started sticking out his tongue a lot.....'deJong tongue' - we'll have to wait and see if he will be able to touch his nose with it.
Alex, Maya and Cailyn at the park.
Tubing as a family (well without Jared). Cailyn went on earlier with Gerald and loved it. I have pictures from the shore of that. Amber (my cousin's girlfriend has some pictures from the boat of them I think)
Cathy and Maya's turn was cut short due to a storm that came in quick.
Behind Grandma's trailer was a perfect sandbox.
On Maya's bicycle. She did actually pedal it a bit. She was too short for it though and was mostly peddling forward and then backward (which is the breaks).
Jared's form of tubing.

First day at Elim and at play park!

Jared and Grandma
Sylvia and Cailyn
At the beach

I wasn't a faithful camera carrier (and even though I took our other camera that can do video I didn't take it). But I took pictures with my mom's camera too - so I will have to get them from her.

We discovered at Elim 2 white spots under Jared's top gums....so teeth may be in his future. (He doesn't have teeth yet).

Horseback Riding

2007-07-23T21:05:00.000-05:00

Before we went on holidays Cailyn and Gerald went over to the neighbours to feed the horses a treat. Cailyn kept saying she wanted to go on the horse and Gerald kept telling her no. Well the neighbours were planning on letting her go on the horse. She was grinning from ear to ear. The neighbour took a few pictures too and are going to give them to us (don't have them yet) but she has some nice pictures of Cailyn by the fence looking at the horses.
If you wonder what's the white thing sticking up from her dress....it's the tag....she wanted to dress herself.

Worthy of Blogging about.....

2007-07-20T20:01:00.000-05:00

Cailyn lost one croc on the way to fireworks, I had posted on a local mom message board hoping someone may have found it. Well someone posted back that they saw one black croc at m&m meats for about a week now.....missing the jibbits but everything else matched Cailyn's croc (from what she remembered from the post). Cor was nice enough to go swing by and get it for me. Cailyn will be so happy that she has her lost croc back. In the meantime she has 2 pairs of fake. A lavender that I got for free, and hot pink ones I got on holidays (they feel like the real ones). So now she has 3 pairs....although her black ones fit the best.

I'll update on our vacation later as we can't take off our pictures from the camera to the laptop.

Pages Completed on Friday....

2007-07-10T12:34:00.000-05:00