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.

Year in Review

2010 was a good year. A huge year. So much happened in 2010.

January 1st we started potty training C, and he was quickly "trained". It's hard to believe that was only a year ago....

February the Olympics came to Vancouver, we joined family to watch a local torchbearer run by, and John and I got to spend the day in Vancouver soaking up all the Olympic fun! We sold our house - and began the process of looking for a new house.

March 1st we moved into a condo while continuing the new home search. I turned 26, and John, baby girl and I took a quick trip down to Tulalip to do some shopping. John quite his job in Richmond, and took a new job in Abbotsford. No more commuting!


April - We bought our house, and started gutting and renovating. Huge job. We celebrated Easter, N's 1st birthday, and C's 3rd birthday!

June- We moved into our renovated house, and continued to make it our home. I started working a few shifts back at work.

July - We hosted two Japanese students for 3 weeks. Lots of trips to the beach and parks were made. We made use of our deck with friends and family, and ate lots of Popsicles and freezies, raspberries, and strawberries. (according to my pictures archives...) John and I celebrated our 5th anniversary.

August - John quit his job, and we decided to pursue the limo/bus business full time. We took a family trip to Mayne Island. The kids and I also headed to Mayne with some friends! I canned pickles and peaches with my mom, and C spent a week in Princeton with Opa and Oma.

September - John and I spent 3 nights in Penticton celebrating our Anniversary (a little late), and the kids stayed with Opa and Oma! C started preschool at Wind & Tide - one of the best decisions I made to transfer him there. It is such a wonderful place, and he loves it!

October - We celebrated Thanksgiving with family, and were so very thankful to welcome a healthy BOY cousin into the family. The kids dressed up and enjoyed Halloween =).

November - John went to Florida to pick up the newest addition to our limo fleet.

December - I (finally) finished the kids new playroom in the basement. We celebrated Christmas with family and friends. School concert, trip to Van Deusen Gardens, hosted a Christmas Eve party, and headed to Princeton to enjoy some snow and relaxation!

And now the New Year is here. Remembering 2010 and looking through the photos makes me a little sad to see it go. We were so blessed this past year.

That being said, I am also looking forward to settling into all the newness that 2010 brought. Enjoying our children, our home, and growing our business. Slowing down and taking it all in.

Happy New Year to you!

Baby Ethan

Here he is!

The newest member of the family.....

Born Oct. 27th,

7 lbs and 7 oz. of perfectness =)

So, let's count....

that makes 4 nieces

and 4 nephews!

And a boy and girl of my own.

It doesn't get much better than that.

a load a day

I am a once-a-weeker when it comes to the laundry scene. However, I'm starting to re-think my methods. For a couple reasons I guess. First of all - the once a week method means many many loads in one day. And supposedly no washer is made for load after load. It is bad for the machine. First time I had heard of that - but hey. I guess it makes sense. And, well I love folding laundry and putting it neatly in the hamper, I don't love putting away in the closets and drawers. Maybe having just a little bit to put away at a time would combat that.

Then my sister informed me of her new load a day system and since I had never seen her laundry area so perfectly clean, I thought. Maybe I should give this load a day method a try.

So I'm curious.....what do you do?

young to old.

Today when I got home from work, it was a quick dinner, and then John was off to work. I was so tired today. I don't usually find it hard to keep my eyes open during the day - but today......oh, it was just one of those days. Unfortunately 18 month olds and 3.5 year olds don't like to just sit around after dinner and relax....so I tried to keep them occupied to the best of my ability. Off to the bath they went, and then after multiple nude laps around the house it was pj time and bed time. Ah. With very little difficulty, they went to sleep. Thank goodness. I don't think I could have sanely handled a lot of "difficulty" this evening.

And then I realized. I'm getting old. Not because of the tired part, but because of the next part. I tried to physically force myself to just leave the dishes alone. Just leave them there - all messy all over the table, and clean them up tomorrow. Yup. That's right. Just leave them there till tomorrow at 6am when I will get my wake-up call. But I couldn't do it.

A few years ago, I would have had no problem leaving them there. But slowly it has happened. Year after year, day after day, I have become this person. This wife and mother and woman, who can't handle a table that hasn't been wiped down after dinner. Or can't help but pick up 10 random toys/socks/shoes/books/fill in the blank while walking down the hallway. Who makes the bed every morning, and meal plans. And all of the sudden I feel so "responsible". Sometimes being an adult is so surreal.

Fall Photos

If you are interested in seeing the latest photos of the kids - check out Stacey Malleck's blog! It has been added to my sidebar.

Enjoy!

Because it's been a while...

I will update. Maybe just for the sake of an update. And I'll try to make it as interesting as possible =).

I am finished day 1 of working 4 days in a row. I know I know, it isn't that much, but I still find it a little bit more of a challenge to make sure dinner is prepped, or in the crockpot, or that I at least have a faint idea of what it might be before I head off for work. Because when I come home after 5, the last thing I want to do is try to figure out what to make for dinner! Having the mornings at home with the kids is great though. And boy, we have lots of morning time together since their new wake up routine is 6:30am. Sigh. Too early for my liking!

Today I bought the House & Home magazine, which happened to have a 2011 Ikea catalogue in it as a bonus!! That alone pretty much made my day, and I saved it for work where I got to browse through it with no kid distractions. I have so many great ideas...and such a hard time spending money on all this decor stuff.... even though I absolutely love it. Sigh.

I'm loving our house so much (even though I have a huge list of things I want to do =). It's such a great layout for our family - the kids play downstairs all the time, which is so nice! And C rides his bike in the culdesac every sunny day with the little neighbour boy. I think he was out there almost the whole afternoon today, with John working on some vehicle in the driveway. ha.

Making the basement area with the fireplace into a cozy family room is one of my top priorities. And I don't think it will take too much effort. Paint mostly, and some reorganizing. I figure the more inviting I make it, the more we will want to go down there. Actually, the rest of the family is down there a lot. I guess I should say the more I will want to go down there =).

N is walking 100% of the time now. And I am so happy. Having a crawler for 5 months really takes it's toll on pants! She wrecked so many pants. And now she can wear dresses and skirts and walk around. Dresses and skirts don't really work on a crawling baby that well.....
Her talking is getting better everyday. Yesterday she added the words stuck and tickle to her vocab. Probably the cutest thing she says right now is husha...while begging for my hand, wanting to do ring-around-the-rosy. Last night before bed I was sitting with her in the chair in her room, and she kept looking up at me with the saddest face saying mommy! Husha, Husha! Pleading with me to play a couple more rounds. Those babies sure know how to pull at your heartstrings...

There you have it - lots of random ramblings. Until next time...

First Day (kindof).

After much thought and consideration,

along with some stress and mommy worrying,

I made the decision to withdrawl C from the preschool he was at all last year
after I took him back on the first day - and he clearly didn't want to be there.
This had been going on all of June, and I just passed it off as nothing.
But figured when he went back in September, he would be ready to go!
But the teacher that he loved had moved away.
And none of his good friends were in his class anymore.

I thought it would be so hard on him to take him out of the routines that he knew,
and try something new.

So off we went to his new preschool.
And he never turned back. He was so excited!
And I knew right away I had made the right decision.
It wasn't the easiest (or the cheapest) decision
(as the old preschool is not refunding Sept or Oct tuition!)
But I am so relieved that he is happy.
And I can see him having a great two years at this new preschool.

My little guy.

Penticton

John and I headed to Penticton for a few days after dropping the kids off (well, C was already there) at their Opa and Oma's house.

I have many highlights of our trip - but didn't take a ton of pictures.

1.) Sleeping in. It was fairly difficult actually. It has been a long time. But I did succeed. The weather was dreary, and I think that helped.
2.) Going to the bookstore. No time limit. Just looking. Paging through books. This is something we both love, and after finding a few books each, we were satisfied.
3.) Going on a scenic drive around Skaha lake, and looking at all the beautiful houses right on the water.
4.) Coming across a sign for the Painted Rock winery, and stopping in to do some tasting.

This is a picture of the vineyard from across the lake.

An unbelievably gorgeous location.

Us in the vineyard

Rows of grapes high above the lake

Loaded full of deliciousness.

5.) Stopping in at a condo show home and checking out the local real estate market.

6.) Finding a restaurant we liked so much, we went two nights in a row =).

(and they had a Thai Green Curry that was delish).

The Hooded Merganser (right on the lake).

7.) Going in the hot tub everyday.

8.) Walking through downtown Penticton and going in all the little shops.

9.) Having nothing to do.
10.) Knowing our kids were having a great time without us!

I actually feel like this was a true "vacation". And it was lovely.

Kids.

....my almost 31/2-year-old-

lover of all things trains and trucks,

riding his bike,

inquiring about everything,

and giving out hugs and kisses....

and my little 17 month old.

With a ready smile and an easy-going nature,

she can play endlessly,

loves reading books and calling for her daddyyyyyy!

Though some days seem long,

and I question if I've taught them enough,

played with them enough,

fed them well enough,

or shown them how to be caring and kind,

I know these days are moving quickly.

And I'm so proud they call me mom.

Week "off"

As we are down to one kid around our place this week - I have gone on some sort of a "fall-is-coming" frenzy. I'll show you what I mean in pictures.


This is the front entry to our house. The interesting thing is - no one uses this entrance, except the mailman (and it is a man, and I don't know the gender neutral term =).Everyone has to come to the back of our home where our driveway and parking is off a lane. However, this looked awful. As you can see. And I like to the think the mailman is so grateful for the improvements.

Before: After:

Took off the hideous screen, painted the door, frame, and post.

New lights, door handle, mailbox, and house numbers.

Still not sure about painting out the brick. Thoughts?

The main bathroom needed another coat of paint, and all the trim and the door needed paint as well. Also, a toilet paper holder, towel rack, and a few pictures where hung. The biggest job in here was digging out all the grout above and below the tile tub surround so we could caulk it. The no caulking was driving me crazy - especially at bath time when I was trying to be careful no water was getting in behind the tub.

(not the greatest shot of the bathroom, but she kept sitting there saying "cheese" so I couldn't resist)

Ahhh, the playroom. Really should have taken a before picture of this. sigh. There are usually toys strewn from one end to the other. And I don't have to look at it =). I love the play room. And since the main culprit of toy strewing is gone, it will sit clean for a few days anyway.

And just so I didn't get too bored, my mom and I canned! Pickles and peaches.



Oh, and I ended up working a lot too. Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday (tomorrow). So I have definitely kept busy, and am ready for our mini vacation. We leave Sunday morning. Yippee! More on that coming soon.....

A boy and his toys

....and this is how they sleep.

{almost} every night.

What I'm loving today.....

1.) Making my kids mickey mouse pancakes for breakfast, and them thinking it was the greatest thing ever.

2.) Listening to C and his big cousin S play together, and dress up as Indiana Jones and Superman.

3.) Buying C a new board game at Toy's R Us, and realizing at the till it was 50% off.

4.) Both my kids falling asleep on the way home in the car, and carrying them into their beds. (and both of them not staying asleep - but that doesn't belong on this list....)

5.) My husband hooking up my clothesline while I was out!!

6.) Hearing a new song on the radio that I absolutely love.

7.) Not feeling so tired by 2pm that the only thing I can think about is sleeping.

What are you loving today?

Quick Update

This summer has been great, awesome, wonderful so far. After getting through that awful moving/renovating/moving again, exhausting slump, I feel like I am back! And it is summer! And life is good.

So what have we been doing? BBQing every night possible, going to the beach every day possible, and getting into a nice groove. C completed a week of morning day camp last week, and next week he will be in swimming lessons.

John and I went away for the night earlier this week to Harrison Hot Springs resort, and it was so nice. We spent all of Wednesday beaching, going on a boat tour, and going out for Thai food. Getting upgraded to a huge suit, and taking full advantage of their awesome outdoor pools. My cousin spent the night at our house with the kids, and they did really great! I was mostly concerned for N, but of course she slept better than she every does for me. We returned a short, but still fantastic, 24 hours later - and later that day we picked up our two Japanese students who are staying with us for a total of 10 days.

Tomorrow is day 4 of their stay, and I am really enjoying having them at our house! I didn't know how it would be - and I would do this again in a heart beat. They are gone usually from 9-4pm, and then we spend the evening together. They are the sweetest girls, and are 14 and 15 years old. I have been having lots of fun taking them out after dinner to different places in town to see what life is like in Canada. Tomorrow they have a day off from school and touring, and we will go to the zoo and to a few family events. (My grandpa's 85th birthday!). It is great to have people here - especially when John is out in the evenings. Tonight we chatted and made origami together after the kids went to bed. It was a really great time. They were curious when I would do their laundry - as in Japan, their mother does their laundry every single day! Oops! I will be doing that tomorrow as well. ha.

The last two days me and the kids have been at the beach. Friday with friends, and today with John! We went back to Harrison today- and it was so great! C had a blast after he made a few friends, and N was a dream. She was getting a bit fussy (we got their around nap time....) and I put her in the stroller, walked her down the road, and within 10 min. she was fast asleep. She then slept in her stroller for almost two hours and we enjoyed the beach. Awesome!

I am excited for what the rest of summer will bring. And the best thing about the end of summer is FALL!! Oh, how I love fall......

Find of the day

I love a good thrift store find - and when I spotted this little treasure in the basement of the local mcc shop, behind the swinging doors reading "staff only".....I nicely asked the man how much for that one?! He said $12. I wasn't sure. It was very dirty. The more I thought about it, the more I knew I would regret leaving it behind. So it came home, and with a little bit of elbow grease, it cleaned up very well! And, well, you can see what Miss N. thinks of her new toy bench! She climbed on and off that thing all afternoon.