Come Out Ahead of the Game: De-Clutter 06/30/2010
 Do you practice one in – one out in your household in terms of things? I continuously come back to this because I want to de-clutter as much as possible, and in order for that to happen when I bring something new into the house something needs to go or it will probably get worse. It is a great way to maintain your home, especially if you have already managed to de-clutter...it’s a work in progress for me :O) It occurred to me too that if I want to bring in something new and I have something of any value I want to let go of why not sell it? To be honest it is not something I have done before. I think my husband and I have sold maybe 1 thing before, but it makes sense doing it in a lot of ways. Even for the small things. Why not bring in money when you can to purchase something new? The latest thing I would like to buy for our home is a new broom. Mine has seen better days. Seriously I have no idea how long it has been since I bought a broom??? It is not an expensive purchase (under $20) but why spend money when you don’t need to, and if I can sell something and de-clutter at the same time, even better! For this reason I am going to try selling a pair of my husband’s golf shoes – when he is not looking! Just Kidding!! J He is completely on board with it. My husband owns lots of pairs of golf shoes and the ones I would sell are in great shape but he never wears them because they don’t fit his feet very well. I think we have been holding onto them mainly because they are like new. Kind of silly considering he never uses them and has plenty more. Keeping them really doesn’t make a lot of sense. Less stuff, less to take care of! There are so many things around our house we don’t need or use. I think I am going to try to start selling things to fund other purchases we would like to make in order to keep the amount of stuff down. Who knows sometimes we may have to sell a couple of things to purchase one new thing and in that case we’ll be ahead of the game. Going through the process of selling something just to make a $20 purchase may seem like a bit of a hassle but the truth is it cuts down on our spending and our clutter so it sounds like a win-win to me. There are a lot of other things I would like to do with $20 than buy a broom, and if you save $20 more that month because of it, $20 over many years adds up to a lot more! The less stuff I let weigh our family down the better, and that includes the excess material things. Now for the hard part, turning words into actions and de-cluttering! J Have a WONDERFUL day! Do you sell items you no longer use? If so, where is your favorite place to sell them? Please share in the comments. 
Add Comment Be Proud 06/29/2010
 Are you proud of who you are? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Does it feel ok inside for you to be proud of yourself, the way you live and what you stand for? I think a lot of the time we are told not to be, not to give ourselves the love we deserve, but opening that door and allowing yourself to be proud of you, to believe in you, may just be what you are looking for, and if that is the case it could be right at your finger tips! If there is something stopping you from being proud of yourself, what is it? Is it certain areas of your life you want to improve, is it past mistakes, or maybe fear of what thinking in a completely new way would mean for how you see yourself, the image you have become comfortable with? Past mistakes or struggles don’t have to bring you down. They are a part of your growth for the better; you can appreciate them for that. Being scared of changing your view of the world, your view of yourself, and the vision you have become accustom to does not have to stop you from changing your perspective anyway. In great risk there is often great reward. Being uncomfortable with changes can really be viewed as growing pains, and who knows you may find those growing pains very worthwhile in the long run. Celebrate what feels good to you and change or learn from what does not, and that is the best gift you can give yourself. We are always evaluating what makes sense for our own lives. It is OK to change your mind along the way, to be open to new growth and change, and you can find happiness in that. Take a risk, believe in yourself, and give yourself forgiveness for what you have not yet, making room for new growth, just as you would do for those you love most in your life. You ARE worth the risk! What is something about yourself that makes YOU proud? Please share in the comments.
What’s Going On 06/28/2010
It has been a while since I wrote any updates about what the kids are up to. One of my favorite things about blogging is that I have these posts to look back on as an easy way to recall some of my memories with my children. There have been a few messes (who am I kidding...A LOT of messes!)  At least this one was soap. It was a joint effort between Big Brother and Little Sister. It took me a while to realize the soap from the kitchen was missing.  Do you think they were trying to clean their playroom? Both kids grew out of their shoes...again! ;-)  Little Sister made some new discoveries recently. Her love for dirt any and every where she can find it!   Oh Yeah! Smearing it around J  And of course sitting in it! While Big Brother was learning how to use the computer with Jumpstart (Don’t forget to enter the giveaway here!)  Little Sister also discovered her love for the computer.  Oh No! Especially turning the power button on and off J She also discovered hitting. I knew this one was coming sooner or later! Here I am protecting Big Brother.  Yes that is piles of laundry in the background ;-) It is interesting trying to explain to an 18 month old why hitting is not OK. This was also one of her first ponytails. Her hair is growing slowly but surely.  I still think she is younger than I was when my Mom could finally put a hair tie in my hair. Little Sister also discovered that some of the best toys aren’t actually toys at all.   It you are looking for something new to entertain your kids, consider a box! Daddy didn’t get pens for Father’s Day but he did get shorts for golfing, so I think he was pretty happy about that!  I’m saving the pens for a ‘just because I love you’ present. I know he still really wants them ;-) Big Brother also had some big moments recently. He had his last day of his first year of pre-school, and he is excited to go back next year already! “Mom is it a pre-school day today?” he asks excitedly most mornings. Little Sister LOVED walking him to the door, and I could tell she REALLY wanted to stay! Big Brother has also just started to learn how to ride his bike without training wheels.   It is going smoother than Hubby and I initially anticipated, and before we knew it we were running to keep up.  I think he was ready. June has been a lot of fun! The kids are now at an age where they really enjoy playing together. One of many forts they created together.  As much as we can we have been stopping to smell the roses along the way.  Or whatever flowers we can find! J Did you love building forts as a child? Please share in the comments. Jumpstart.com Review & Giveaway! 06/27/2010
 Recently Jumpstart.com contacted me to see if I would be interested in checking out and reviewing their online adventure, a place geared towards 3 to 10 year old kids to discover and learn. Our son does not spend a whole lot of time on the computer so I was curious as to how this computer based learning was going to go. The first few times using Jumpstart I did most of the navigating so we could visit as many different areas without being on the computer for too long. Jumpstart has done a very good job creating all sorts of different worlds for your own avatar that you can customize to visit!  Future Land Of all the places we did go to over several weeks our 4 year old was most drawn to the Enchanted Sanctuary. Here you find a dragon egg and take care of it until it hatches. Then you have to play, feed, and wash your dragon until it is ready to go to flight school. After flight school you can ride your dragon as it soars around. This was definitively the highlight because what is cooler to a 4 year old boy than a fire breathing dragon?!  After a week or two I was amazed as to how well my son was able to navigate around using the mouse given he had very little previous experience. He even figured out how to get to some of the learning games and play them all on his own. Jumpstart.com provides different learning games with a variety of age ranges on them so you can easily select the best age appropriate ones. Memory games, numbers, and letter games were some of the ones we were doing, but there are math and language games for all ages as well!  Story Land - Number Games There are so many things to see and do on Jumpstart that we have only scratched the surface after a month of exploring it. There is not a day that goes by that our son does not ask to play. It has been not only a good tool for him to learn how to use the computer, but has been a big help turning learning into fun.  Daddy & Big Brother playing Jumpstart.com As far as our take on using technology to learn with our children, we feel that technology is going to be a very important part of their education, so we both embrace and manage it in an amount that we personally feel comfortable with. Parents can also visit the Jumpstart Blog, which is a great fast and effective way for parents to go and learn about new activities Jumpstart has to offer. We look forward to spending more time exploring Jumpstart and I think it is fair to say our son would recommend Jumpstart to everyone who will listen! ;-) Giveaway Time! I’m really excited that Jumpstart has given me the opportunity to give away a three month membership to Jumpstart.com to one of you for the children in your life, or a special gift for a kid you know and love. It is perfect for that extra time at home during the summer, for a rainy day, or a little quiet time. To enter simply leave a comment on this post, that’s it! Be sure to leave your email address in the comment form so I can contact the winner. Don’t worry your email address is completely private! The contest will be open for 1 week, and will close at 12 Noon PST on Sunday July 4th! The winner will be picked randomly using The True Random Number Generator on Random.org Check back Monday morning on the 5th of July to see who won. If you are interested in sharing this post or passing it along please feel free to do so! Have a wonderful week, everyone! J Disclosure: I was provided with a JumpStart membership at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided. Homemade Croutons in Minutes 06/24/2010
 Lately, I have been making soups in my Crockpot and for me nothing goes better with that than a fresh loaf of crusty bread. If I had to pick a favorite bread for dipping it would have to be sourdough! I find the more intense flavor of sourdough bread holds up well against most soups and stews. These days (mainly because my kids are not teenagers yet :0) we don’t go through a whole loaf of bread at dinner. There is something so wonderful and comforting about fresh bread, it reminds me of Grandma. It is especially good when it is still warm, and I love how there are no preservatives! However, for those reasons it doesn’t hold up well for long. There are a couple of options you can do with the left over bread. You can freeze it, although it will never be quite the same again OR you can make home-made croutons. It is extremely simply to do and takes very little time. I love to add fresh croutons to my salads at lunch. It adds flavor, texture and helps keep me full longer. Next time you are staring down at a half eaten loaf of stale bread try making homemade croutons. Homemade Croutons in Minutes Ingredients: Cubed pieces of your favorite loaf of bread (use your day-old or leftovers) Olive oil Butter (optional) 2 cloves garlic minced Seasoning (I used a blend that I had on hand - Pizza seasoning) Salt & Pepper Directions: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Coat the bottom of the skillet with olive oil. If you like the flavor of butter on your bread a great combination is using olive oil with a dollop of butter mixed together. When the oil is warm (and butter melts if using) add the 2 cloves of minced garlic stirring for 1 to 2 minutes, just until it is starting to lightly brown. Next add the bread cubes. Toss in the garlic-oil mixture to coat. Add your salt, pepper, and seasoning and lightly coat the cubes of bread – there are no amounts just a light coating will do. Toast bread cubes until you start getting a golden brown color in spots.   These croutons even taste fantastic warm on your salad. Instead of throwing away stale bread it is a great way to stretch your grocery budget and turn it into something wonderful and delicious! Happy Cooking & Happy Friday! Create a great weekend, everyone! What do you like to do with your stale bread? Do you make it into French toast, or maybe you know a few hungry ducks? Please share your ideas in the comments. Do You Have It All? 06/23/2010
What does having it all mean to you? Does it mean having a successful job, or one you’re passionate about, maybe both? Does it mean having time to cherish with your loved ones? Does it mean owning your own home, or maybe no roots and letting the wind take you where it will? Does it mean a nice car, or a bike that gets your heart pumping from place to place? Does it mean a family with kids? A spouse or the single life? Possibly having it all means wanting a significant other, no kids, and more freedom. The ways to live happily are as infinite as there are people - past, present, and future. Having it all, that is a BIG question! Do you already know what that means to you, or do you think you need time to reflect on it? Are you somewhere in between, meaning there are some things you know for sure you want, while others still need figuring out? Maybe the path to having it all means focusing on a very few top priorities at a time and letting the others rest for the time being. What are those top priorities? Is it travel, is it your time with family, is it your work? Are you comfortable being in a job that provides security, can you allow yourself to be happy there? Or are you itching for change but scared to do it? If it is time you crave to do the activities you love is it possible for you to cut back in order to achieve more time? Does it mean needing less, wanting less, but doing more of what you love? Who knows what can happen when you follow your heart. Do these questions ping something inside you that you try to suppress, a place that you know you want change but haven’t acted on it for one reason or another? What is stopping you? If it is fear, is living with that fear better than taking the risk? Maybe for you it is, or maybe it is not? You’ll know when you’re ready, just believe in yourself more than the fear you have. Is it also possible you are defining happiness in ways that don’t really make sense, and you need to consciously decide to change your opinion on it? Do you have to want everything? Do you believe that your all doesn’t have to mean the same as anyone else’s all? Can you simplify it? Is it time to stop letting the world’s definition of all define your all? Is it ok if you let yourself change the definition along the way to reflect the growing you? Do you see life as continuous difficulties or do you view it as your playground?  Can we have it all simply by changing our definition of ALL? Please share your thoughts in the comments. Happy Reflections! J
Hi, friends! Do you remember when I asked yesterday could it be you are most beautiful when you are doing the things you love? Well today my husband had a wonderful opportunity to be striking doing something he loves, golf! Although my day felt long flying solo all the way through the kids’ bedtime, it does make me happy to see my husband so happy doing something he is passionate about. Especially because it is not something he gets to do as often as I’m sure he would like to (phew!), but on the upside he really appreciates it when he does.  Honestly, it is very cute how excited he gets to go golfing. He is usually a solid sleeper, and when I say solid I mean out like a light and he does not wake up easily. A part of his DNA that both my daughter and I do not have, my son on the other hand seems to have received that gene. However, when he knows he is going golfing the next day he often has a hard time sleeping. The excited boy in him! J The golf event he attended today was the 9th Annual McDonald's Challenger Celebrity Golf Classic that was held at Meadow Gardens Golf Course. The main charities supported by the tournament fundraiser were the Challenger Baseball program in BC (the Baseball Division for children with mental and physical disabilities) and the Canucks for Kids Fund. In the tournament Hubby’s group included 2 co-workers and B.J. MacDonald, a retired NHL hockey player who currently works for the NHL central scouting, and is a nice guy – in my husband’s words. J It was a shotgun scramble event, so his group started on the 16th hole, and their team placed 7th at 12 under par (detailed info for all you golfers out there ;-)  Each hole was sponsored by a different company. There were 3 cars you would win for getting a hole in one on 3 particular holes. No cars went home with anyone at today’s event. On one of the holes instead of hitting the traditional golf ball with a driver, they hit a rubber ball with a baseball bat. Golf was followed by a dinner, that my husband brought me a cookie home from. What can I say? He knows I like cookies! :-P I hope all of you have a wonderful day and fit in an activity you love! What are some of your favorite ways to spend your free time? Please share in the comments.
 Do you think you over complicate certain areas of your life? Do you think more happiness can come out of living a simpler life? Are there times when you over-analyze conversations or experiences that are best let go? Do you overbook yourself? Do you put too much pressure on yourself to be everything to everyone? Maybe we are looking at things backwards. Maybe instead of putting a huge amount of effort into doing everything, having everything, accomplishing everything, we can lose 2/3 and focus more simply on what we value most. Would that lead to a more fulfilling life? Do you think your happiness is conditional on too many factors? Could that hinder how you view your experiences? There is going through tough times, such as losing or being separated from those we love, or unexpected disappointments that happen to all of us. There is nothing wrong with having times of sadness, but do you find yourself struggling with happiness in moments where you have a lot going for you? Could it be that your happiness is overcomplicated? Are you letting things that could bring you joy pass you by? Let’s face it, life isn’t always simple but does it have to be as complicated as we make it out to be? Many of us are on a constant quest for answers: What is the perfect diet? What is my perfect weight? What is the best beauty routine? What would make me the best parent? How many things should I help my child excel at? What is the salary I would be happy with? What is the perfect amount of hours to work each week? The list goes on and on, and I wonder are we listening to our inner voice? The voice that doesn’t answer to anyone else’s expectations. Both choosing and putting effort into letting go of the many things you are conditioned to measure happiness in could actually make you happier in the long run. Instead, think outside the box, go against the grain, and make your own measurements for happiness. These measurements don’t have to make sense to anyone but you. Could it be you are most beautiful when you are doing the things you love? In life I am constantly inspired by others, many times different thoughts whirlwind into a combination I never would have expected. For example I believe in part my writing today came from reading a newsletter on GOOP – Vitamin D, which made me wonder in everything we over complicate do we over complicate sunscreen use? Should our goal simply be to take precautions to prevent burning? I have no medical training but want to live a healthy AND balanced life so I’m often left wondering how complicated things actually need to be. This article I believe mixed with another article I read 2 weeks ago about Tiernan from Just Write on The Make Shift Revolution, and in her words she is inspired by “...anyone who trail-blazes in any forum. If you do something unexpected or against the grain and just keep moving forward in the face of adversity, I am inspired by you.” Those words really stuck out to me because I thought they were great! I believe much of the time people are facing adversity when they are trying to do what is right, or when they follow their heart in a way that makes most sense for them, something that is not always understood when we judge one another. Often they deserve a lot more love and support than they get. All that together with an outpouring from my heart and the way I view of the world and it became a new post. Put simply in an effort to not over complicate things J, I’m living in a world of inspiring people! What is it that makes you beautiful? Please share in the comments.
Food is a topic I enjoy writing about because I like to cook, even more than that I love baking, and then there is my love for eating! A few days ago I was watching one of my favorite shows The Doctors; those of you who have been with me for a while have probably heard me mention it before ;-) I love when I am watching TV and I feel like I am learning something...inner geek again, or put more nicely an inner thirst for knowledge! The show was talking about salt and how most Americans take in much higher than recommend amounts of salt each day. A huge source of salt intake comes from the processed foods we eat. Sodium is something I am aware of but not something I pay attention to as much as I probably should. I am more conscious of sugar intake than I am salt. I try not to take in large amounts of sugar, but I’m definitely not afraid to indulge sometimes, as you can see here, here and here. Other times I go for slightly healthier sweet indulgences, which you can see here and here. Personally I believe in the balance philosophy, and although there are no perfect set of rules (thank goodness!) I think a lot of the time we are aware somewhere down in there when we are over-doing it or need improvement in certain areas. One of my favorite Michael Pollan philosophies is that if you are going to eat junk food you should make it yourself, not that I always follow it but I really like it! This crosses my mind when I decide whether or not to indulge in something. Do I want it bad enough that I am actually willing to make it myself? Many times the answer is no, and that helps me to move on. What surprised me about the show is that sometimes seemingly healthy foods can be loaded with salt. One example on the show was cottage cheese – a food we usually hear about as a healthy snack. Another example I did not realize contained a lot of salt is pudding, who knew? When trying new foods I often look at the sodium content, but what about old favorites? The show taught me that maybe I need to go back and re-evaluate some of the foods I buy regularly and no longer look at the nutrition label. When I need a quick meal for a busy weeknight one of my favorite go to things is soup. Some soups have a lot of sodium, which made me realize there is really no reason I can’t make more of it myself, even in large batches to freeze half. Here is the thing; soup is for my busy nights. A quick dose of vegetables, legumes, and maybe a slice of bread and you’re good to go! So how do I make soup work for busy nights when I know I’m not going to have a lot of time to cook? My Crockpot of course! J Just throw everything in the night before and you are all set for the next night’s meal. Make a large batch and put half in the freezer for the un-planned busy or tired nights. This way you can control how much sodium you take in. It is a great way to use up extra vegetables that have been sitting around waiting to get eaten, or pantry items you may have forgotten about. Last week I made soup in my Crockpot ahead of time for my husband to use on boot camp nights.  I diced a yam, an onion, 4 carrots, and baby potatoes. Added a can of pinto beans, and 2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix. Next I covered the mixture generously with water, and added a few random spices (seriously random, I’m not afraid to get crazy in the kitchen! :-P). Set the Crockpot to Low and the timer for 10 hours.  In not much effort I had a couple of nights worth of dinner! Sometimes my soup creations come out a little bland, in which case Hubby and I think hot sauce can go a long way to kick it up a notch while still keeping it healthy, and the kids don’t seem to mind when it is bland at this stage. Another great addition to boost the flavor is sprinkling parmesan cheese to the top of the bowl! Too much salt is hard on our system, and can work against us when trying to maintain a healthy weight. Thanks to The Doctors show I am going to be a little more conscious of my salt intake too, especially in old favorites I had previously written off as healthy. Did you know some drinks have a crazy amount of salt in them as well? Here’s to living well! Are there any common foods you know are high in salt? Please share your fantastic knowledge in the comments. *Disclaimer – I am not a registered dietitian (RD), this post is based on my own personal knowledge and opinions. The weekend is almost here, and with it being Father’s Day on Sunday Big Brother has been hard at work making his Daddy a special card. Making homemade cards is an activity the kids really enjoy, and I love the time spent with them helping. Truth be told we go back and forth between making cards and buying them. It is not always easy to fit in making a card, and when that is the case we buy a card because for me it’s not worth stressing out over. Daddy specifically requested a home-made card, and this is what Big Brother (with a touch of Mommy love ♥) has come up with.     This card was 100% free to make! Our local Michael’s Store hosts events for kids frequently. You can go online and check for them at your local store. Making Father’s Day cards was one of the free activities, with no purchase required. The woman overseeing the event said to me “We do more elaborate activities for kids for Father’s Day than we do for Mother’s Day because we find a lot of Dads don’t have the patience.” :-/ How many of you are surprised?? I must say this is not true for ALL Dads though. I just happen to be married to one of them :-O The thing is my husband puts just as much love and energy into things as I do, he just shows it in different ways (yes that is 7 years of marriage, and 10 years of relationship wisdom for you! J) I truly mean it though, but sometimes I do need to remind myself! That old saying you get out what you put in applies to a crazy amount of life. Little Sister on the other hand...  Well we haven’t quite figured that one out. She might take the buying a card route! I know what Daddy would like most from his little girl for Father’s Day and it is not a card, it is a kiss. She is 18 months and she is going through a stage of holding out on the kisses for everyone but Big Brother. Truth be told I think she likes the attention she gets out of NOT giving a kiss. When it comes to special days for my husband there is no one way I do it, sometimes I surprise him, sometimes I ask what he wants, and sometimes I do a little of both. This year for Father’s Day I asked my husband what he wanted. He said to go to the driving range with Big Brother (OOOH! I already had this one planned out!) Yes, I guess I just know him that well ;-) So much for a little of both:-/ He also requested cheddar jalapeno smokies, which is a good special treat for him. You can probably guess how often those are in the shopping cart??? Here is a hint, I do the shopping. However, I can’t help but be very glad it is a super simple request. J Lastly, I asked him if there was any special (hopefully not too expensive) gift request. His response was, and I quote “Pens.” Pens, are you kidding me!! :-? If you couldn’t tell he is not much of a help when it comes to gift ideas - it has its pluses and minuses I guess. On the plus side he is a good guy and he really doesn’t expect a lot, on the other side when you do want to do something special once in a while you are completely left in the dark for coming up with an idea... Pat, I can feel you with me on this one ;-) If the idea had come to me ahead of time I would have contacted my Uncle who has made some seriously beautiful wood carved pens so that I could give him literally what he asked for, but I didn’t think of that until just this second. In case you are wondering, when my husband says pens he isn’t requesting a fancy collector’s pen with maybe his initials engraved on it, he means regular every day BIC pens because “(he) doesn’t like the ones at work”. At least I can get those when I’m at the grocery store, right? ;-) For Father’s Day I really want to give my husband a day that he wants, one where he feels special and appreciated because he is a great Dad. I think it is funny sometimes the responses I get when I ask him what that is though! What it all boils down to is this... I’m one lucky girl; he makes me laugh A LOT! Happy Father’s Day to my Husband, to my Dad, to Aaron (FIL), to our Grandfathers! Happy Father’s Day to each and every one of you Dads out there! The biggest wish is that you know how much you are loved even when we don’t show it enough!  Have a wonderful weekend, friends! Do you like to surprise the people you love or ask them for what they want? Please share in the comments.
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