Thrifty

So I could not be more excited. Today while pulling into our lane I noticed a Thrifty Food's delivery truck. Intrigued I made a mental note to check out if Thrity's does indeed deliver - and if so, at what cost.

Fast forward to this evening. Wouldn't you know - they do deliver. Next day, for $7.95. To your door. This. Is. Amazing. for so many reasons I have to tell you in point form:

1.) I don't have to take my kids grocery shopping.
2.) I don't have to be wondering down the aisles looking for a particular item, or miss an item and have to back track 3 aisles. (I hate that...)
3.) I can meal plan in the evenings, and then hope online and pick out exactly what I need, at my leisure while my kids are sleeping!
4.) I will easily save the $8 in deliver charges just on not going into the store and picking up things I don't really need.
5.) I can easily stick to a budget by seeing how much my total is as I go - instead of getting up to the till and realizing I went overboard. It's a lot easier to take it out of the virtual cart.
6.) They have their flyer online - and you can tick off things you want from the flyer and it goes into your cart. You don't have to look around the store for the deal items!
7.) I love the products that Thrifty's has.
8.) When John is working nights and I am working days - I don't have to spend precious weekend time off with my kids, heading to the grocery store!
9.) I don't have to take my kids grocery shopping. (did I say that already?)
10.) They have online recipes that also have the "tick the box" option to just throw those items into your cart.

Yup. I am excited. And if you don't want to spend the whole $7.95 for delivery, you can also opt to pick up your already bagged groceries at the store for $4.95. Win win I tell ya. I can see me loving this even more when I am 9 months pregnant and really don't want to leave the house =).

Check it out! http://www.thriftyfoods.com/

Lately......

There is a lot to catch up on. It is a bit overwhelming.

I decided to throw my resume to the wind (or actually the school district of Abbotsford) beginning of February, because they were hiring clerical staff (AKA School secretaries, and administrative type people). I noted the date cut off for sending in the resume was on Friday. It was a Monday. I figured I'd give it a shot anyways, and emailed it off.....suggesting they could keep it on hand for future recruitment. Well. Turns out they called the next day. A two week intensive training process began on February 14th - and between that and finishing up my final weekend shifts are my then current job. It was a marathon work schedule till the end of February. I am currently on-call with the sd34, as this is how they start all their clerical staff. It is a way into the system - until you secure a permanent posting. So far I have had few calls - especially with spring break thrown into the mix. I'm hoping it will pick up these last 3 school months of the year so I can make my hours needed for maternity leave!

Tomorrow marks 14 weeks pregnant with baby #3. And I am feeling fantastic. I know. Don't hate me....please. I have never felt this good during pregnancy before - which is wonderful and worrying at the same time....I don't even feel tired anymore! (besides just regular tiredness from the usual two-small-children game.) I did get to see a glimpse of the "little wiggler" (as the ultrasound tech so eloquently put it) at just over 10 weeks. So that was reassuring to know there is actually a baby in there! I'm using new midwives-to-me that are local, as the ones I used for the other two have dispersed/had babies/etc. I have only met them once so far - but they seem really good!

(Yes, I have been in maternity clothes for over a month now. I can't believe the pop that occurs with a third child. It is unbelievable.)

14 weeks:

John decided to go back to his trade as aircraft mechanic as the company isn't quite busy enough. Especially throughout the winter. He started March 1. The hours are actually quite good. Except he does have to work a rotating shift. Two weeks 7-3:30 (which is awesome!) and two weeks 3:15-11:45. (which is not so awesome.) But. It's nice that those two weeks if I get called - he is home with the kids! So I don't have to frantically get them out the door as well. The benefits are awesome as well, so that is a huge relief. Never mind the fact that his weekends are usually booked solid with bus/limo stuff. Sigh.It is funny that we have both never been in unions, and within a week of each other, both are in unions. I don't mind it though. It is nice to have things laid out and feel a bit protected for a change.

I think that's it for an update tonight, though I would like to talk more about:

1. The kids and how they are going to be 2 and 4 soon, and are just so wonderful and crazy all at the same time.

2. Our Japanese student we had come stay with us 1 day after the earthquake there.

3. My birthday and all the fun things that happened.

4. Our one night stay with the kids at the Harrison Hot Springs resort, and how we swam and swam and swam. It was fun!

But my eyes are getting tired and my book is calling me.....

Play Room

This is a fairly good sized interior room in our basement right at the bottom of the stairs. It was used as John's office for a while, but his office is better suited in a corner room that isn't a thoroughfare for children all day long =).

The walls are floor to ceiling bead board. And since we wanted to spend as little as possible on this reno, the bead board stayed. And I slowly and laboriously painted it. Brushing between every groove.

before:

after: We added trim about a foot down to break up the bead board a bit.

There is still a bit of art for the walls, and sewing projects I would like to complete for this room,

but the kids love it and come down to play daily.

Making it a success!

Little Secret

While in Princeton a few months back, my mother-in-law sneaks in to the laundry room one morning while I'm assisting one of the children with something rather, holding a piece of waffle for me to try....."do you think he'll notice?!" she asks as I try a bite.

John is a little picky. Though he has improved immensely in the last year or two. Where Thai, Japanese, and Vietnamese food used to be a no-go, now he is the one asking me to pick up a few rolls at the local Japanese restaurant.

But these waffles are a different story altogether. (Just got carried away there). They are super amazing, and yet oh so sneaky. Oh, AND super easy. I hated the old "whip the egg whites till stiff" recipe. So time consuming, and so I would always revert to the pancakes for our Saturday breakfast. Now the waffles are my quick go to, yummy, delicious breakfast meal!

And wouldn't you know, I found the recipe on my own a few weeks later in the More With Less cookbook. (I love that cookbook.)

High Protein Waffles:

Throw all ingredients in a blender, and whirl at high speed for 1 minute. Then bake in your waffle iron. (It says, or pancakes in the recipe, but they were not good as pancakes!)

1 c. cream-style cottage cheese
4 eggs
1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. milk
1/2. tsp vanilla


Did I mention John hates cottage cheese? And on the drive home from Princeton later that day, he starting going on about how amazing the waffles were? I couldn't help but laugh.

A few recent photos of

My girl!

21 months old! We are approaching the big "2"!

Conversation with a three and a half year old

I found it's hard to tell C about "bad" people. Maybe because in their sweet little world there are none - and cluing them into the sad realities of life is giving up a piece of their innocence.

A few days ago me and him were in the front yard cleaning up the last of the piles of leaves we had raked a few weeks ago. He ventures off the to side of the house, heading for the back yard. I call after him, telling him I don't want him to go where I can't see him.

He comes back to "help" me and I'm off in my own world within a few minutes. Then I hear him chirp "why do you want to see me?". I quickly try to figure our what he is referring to and remember my last comment.

I go on to explain that I don't want him to go get hurt, and that not all strangers are good. Some people are bad and could try to take him away. That would make me so sad....

I thought this was a great time to have this little chat, and ventured into some scenarios for him.

"So, what would you say if someone tried to give you candy and get you to go with them."

He hangs his head, and smugly replies with a sigh,

"thank you."

I guess some of our talks about manners are getting through. We'll have to work a little more on stranger danger at a later date.