Christmas, back to the basics.

Christmas is different when you are a kid, you have the excitement of every little thing. Somewhere along the way it becomes a little less fun, little more chaotic.

Things are simpler when you are a child and that's ok. They don't care that you tried to make your tree look like one out of the sears catalogue, or the presents don't have bows because you forgot. 

I think children are the key to Christmas and to truly be happy you need to channel your inner child and let the rest go.

I came to this epiphany after leaving Chapters the other day with Charlotte. She wanted to buy a book by Usborne that was filled with pages of patterns to cut, fold and glue. Pages and pages of Christmas joy long forgotten by me.

Over the next few days we spent hours folding papers and cutting pieces out to make snowflakes, folding angels and makings garland. Remember that? Cutting out strips of paper and taping them together to make paper chains to decorate the tree?

Spending that time in front of that book brought back memories of a simpler time when Christmas meant more than perfection.

Whenever I would question something, like two coloured being alike on the paper chain, Charlotte would say, " But that's ok," and you know what? it is.

I have decided to try to let go of the ideals of perfection when it comes to the holidays, the fun in the process is better than the end results.

I will let Charlotte wrap presents, sometimes they are horrible balls of paper crumpled and taped beyond recognition but she is having fun. I will make cookies and let her decorate them however she wants, I let her put her paper chains and hand painted wooden ornaments on my "perfectly" coordinated Christmas tree and didn't lose it or cry when one of mine shattered on the floor. (Only a few tears shed on the inside)

When it comes to Christmas it seems the key to be happy, at least for me, is to be 4 years old again. Or at least to relive that though Charlotte's eyes. 

Off the Wall Photo Wall Collage

When I moved into my house in April I looked at my blank living room wall and thought "it needs something." I then looked at the massive amount of photos the movers, aka hubby and friends, left in the office and I thought I have to find somewhere to put those.

Wall meet pictures, pictures this is wall.

Now that they have been introduced I got to work putting as many together as possible. I had always wanted a wall collage but thought the frames needed to match and I didn't have the money for all new frames. Guess what? They don't need to match. These are all the frames I already had except the 3 photo frame on the bottom, that was a gift to myself :)

Focus on what you want to see and where, you can buy guides, find them on line or cut out paper in the shapes of your frames and tape them up first. Me being who I am did none if these and decided to wing it, I will never take them down in my lifetime or hubby will see all the holes in the wall where I put in the picture hanger and then needed to move it 2 inches to the left or so. So don't be me and follow one of those suggestions for having a plan. 

I showed my sister my creation and she said " how very Pinterest of you. " 

Does she spy on me???  

So I like Pinterest, I am pretty sure stealing ideas if what it is there for! See my big C? ( For Cummings if you are wondering) Pinterest steal. I also saw someone have other things beside photos on the wall and I thought that was cool. It feels good to have my little carved turtle from Belize on display instead of in a drawer. 

So there. I managed to get multiple photos on the wall and still look like I had a plan from the start. I love when that happens. 

Money For Cruising Update

A little while back I set out on a quest to get the $738 dollars I need to pay the deposit on a cruise for myself, hubby and Charlotte by selling unwanted items in our house. Big goal but my credit card will thank me!

Read the original post Here if you need a refresher!

I just thought I would give you an update and where I am so far!

1. Sold the old laminate floor from our remodel; if it comes up good people may want it for basements or cabins! Cruise Money: $100
2. Sold a scrapbooking tools I did not use. Cruise Money: $5
3. Another remodel deal- sold the old exhaust fan from out kitchen. Cruise Money: $40 
4. Sold Miche purses I no longer used. Cruise Money: $50
5. Hubby sold a winch that belong a an ATV we no longer have, Sold for $100 but he only let me have $50! He will be a few drinks less on the cruise then! Cruise Money:$50
6. Sold a ride on car Charlotte has outgrown, hey she is going on vacation too after all! Cruise Money:$10
7. Sold Charlotte's outgrown clothes by the bag. Cruise Money: $10

Total to Date: $265

Yippee! I love seeing the balance go down on my credit card! If you are doing this with me, make sure the money makes it to your credit card! No cheating and buying more stuff that you will just sell a couple years down the road!

I currently have $100 worth of stuff listed on Kijiji and on various Facebook buy and sell groups. Facebook can have great resources for selling your unwanted items.

Want to save even more money? Don't forget to look on Kijiji or other pages when you need something yourself. I needed a new microwave when we moved and I refused to buy a new one so I found one just like new for $80 on Kijiji instead of $180 in the store. 

I am 1/3 of the way to repaying the despot I put on the cruise. Very exciting! Has anyone else tried this as a way to pay for an item?

Hold on Cruise Ship! I am coming!

My Fabulous Junk

First off this is not an article about my derriere. Wrong junk get your head out of the gutter.

My Junk Before

I have become my father's daughter. I hauled home someone else 'junk". While looking for a desk on Kijiji I found an ad for a few items that were out to the side of the road free for the taking. In it was this solid wood pedestal table. I love pedestal tables!!! My budget loves free ones even more.

So off I go with hubby in the truck to claim my prize.

It is flaking, water damaged and stained, by all means.. junk.

I can do junk, I think.  I have somehow convinced myself I a a savior of old wood. It started with a set of very old chairs that I got from a flea market. Just a coat of paint and some new material on the seats, easy peasey. Never mind I can't sew a button none then less reupholster anything!
Well months later I am still working on the first one! Who knew I would haev to remove all the old paint from every tiny crevice I thought made that chair look so unique, I kinda hate them now.

But let's move on to a success, shall we? 

I had a vision. Black pedestal with a cream coloured top. I was a woman on a mission. Could I do it?

Yes!!!!

My Fabulous Junk After

Woohoo! Look at that fabulous table! The best part? I did this, me, not me and my hubby, all me. I wielded a hand sander, used a deglosser to get off any leftover stain and laboured over 3 coats of paint. My father will be proud.

I love that the table was stamped handmade in Eastport on the bottom. This table is not only solid wood but it was made right here in Newfoundland!

 

Keeping it Canadian I painted the bottom, not just black, but "Hockey Sweater" black. Can't get much more home grown than that! 

 

The top colour is antique quilt leftover from our cabinet redo. So the grand total on this table redo was $ 20.

I am officially a savior of wood! Now if I could just get those chairs done I would have somewhere to sit....

Little House on the East Coast

Those who have grown up in Newfoundland and other parts of Atlantic Canada are aware of our distinct and rich history. We have memories of life before many of today's luxury's.
Thanks to stories and photos from my grandparents are am also aware of a time before mine, where life revolved around fishing and often relocation for many.

I recently had a chance to read a short novel written for youth that had passages that took me back to my youth and back to my grandparents youth.

Wishing Stone and Other Myths: Learned on Gull Cliff Island by J.M.Lavelle may not be written based on a Newfoundland childhood (it is based on the Lower North Shore of Quebec) but the similarities still rang through with me. Especially the part when they moved their house across water to a new home. I have a painting on my wall of this spectacular undertaking as my grandparents lived throughout this.
Imagining the sheer manpower it took to move your house frown to the waterfront, get it on barrels and then have a boat tow it across water, praying every minute that it survived. Is amazing to me. I wish the book had gone into this remarkable feat a little more bit I am glad to see it in there anyways. Youth today may see an episode of "Big Moves" on television and watch amazed as they move houses with trucks and trailers, well how about moving it with none of that? That's amazing, that's our history.
The book moves quickly, weeks, months and years go by, in less than 100 pages, but it has an allure to it to see what life was like back then during the different seasons of the year. It reminded me a little  of a Little House on The Prairie book, Canadian style.

It is refreshing to see a book geared towards tweens that does not have sparkling vampires, hobbits or other imaginary creatures. This book has real history from the first page to the last. The main character in the story, Dot, has to come to terms with many of the pains of growing up that a teenage girl still deals with today; boys, love and finding your true self. She just dealt with then in the 1960's instead.

If you have a tween at home or you are just an individual proud of our heritage, take a look at Wishing Stone and Other Myths: Learned on Gull Cliff Island. You can purchase it at the link below.

http://morningrainpublishing.com/project/the-wishing-stone-and-other-myths/

There is also still time to enter a contest being held by the publisher, act out your favourite scene from the book and send it for submission. Sounds like a great class project for those teachers out there. Here is the link for that

http://morningrainpublishing.com/a-special-wishing-stone-and-other-myths-video-contest/

**I recieved a free copy of the book but the opinions are all my own** 

Growing Up and Growing Old

I seemed to have aged a little faster than I have liked. Don't get me wrong I am not old. I mean I am only 32, but that doesn't matter. What does matter is that I am no longer in my 20's.

I can no longer do crazy things without having to deal with consequences.

Crap, I partied until 4 last night, now I have to get through this work presentation and all day meetings. Or I just had to have that $700 piece of electronics now the mortgage payment will bounce.

Besides the number on your drivers license there are signs that say " yup I'm no longer 20 something". 

For me the first one came when I picked up an edition of Cosmo after not reading them for a period. I used to read them every month, they are the Bible for many woman. Now that I am in my 30's and married with a family I find the contents of Cosmo to be down right comical. 10 places he wants you to touch, what he really means when he says this and 15 sex moves to try. Umm yeah right, If I find time in my day of working, supper and kid duties to touch anything on anyone, it should be celebrated. 15 moves? How about how to do it in 15 seconds while Dora is on. Silly Cosmo. I got further away from my 20's when I bought my first Better Homes and Garden.

Drinking is no longer a game. Once drinking games were a must, what else was the point of drinking. When you get older it becomes more about enjoying what you are drinking and enjoying the social time with another adult human being. Last year was another "ah ha" moment whe we returned a drinking game given to us for Christmas and bought a butter dish. My husband said "I can't believe we just did that." I could, I needed a butter dish.

It's not all bad, you don't just "get old" you grow up. You know who you are and what you want to be, you become more comfortable with yourself. People tend to treat you with more respect like you actually have something to contribute to society.

But I still have that little glimmer of hope at the liquor store check out. " Please ID me...."

Just because I like being in my 30's doesn't me I want to look like I am! 

My Kitchen, My Way

Earlier this year I saw a quote "If you don't like where you are in life, then move." I took that a little more literally than they probably meant it to be and sold my house.

It was a brand new build in a brand new subdivision and I hated it. I now live in a wonderful thirty-year-old two storey house in an established subdivision.  It is not quite as new and shiny and it is a little rough around the edges after 30 years on the earth, I mean so am I right? (My ego is hoping you are all correcting me right now about how wonderful I look).

But here's the thing, I love renovating, I love having a concept and making it come to life, I love when everything in my house is made for me! Not something that was mass produced for profit by a builder.
And I can love this type of stuff because of my wonderful husband who puts up with my visions and ideas and constant plans.

Project Kitchen

Original kitchen

I hated those old light wood coloured cabinets and don't get me started on the fruit tiled backsplash.
Spending $15,000 on a new kitchen was not in the stars for me. Unless I win the lottery, since I don't play that will be never....
But the cabinets were solid so we decided to try our hand at refinishing them. What happens if we ruin them? We have to replace the cabinets anyways, back to square one.





So off we went to Rona to pick up a refinishing kit. This is where I lose my husband. I decide I want a vintage  cream coloured cabinet. He just stares at me for  a minute. See we have always been lovers of dark wood so this is a little out there for me. But my new house has windows everywhere and I have this urge to make everything bright and cheery!
"Just go with it, I have a vision," I say. He shakes his head and allows me to follow my whim. Love that man.

So first of all don't attempt to refinish your cabinets if you are on a short timeline! It is actually a really easy process it just requires about 8 steps and drying time between each one to finish the job. But we did it! I can say we because I did actually help with the painting and glazing. I earned the right!

Ta Da!

I picked out my tiles from the discounted table at Kent. The glass tiles were regular $25 a sheet! Who pays for that! I paid $5 a sheet for two boxes and $10 a sheet for two unopened boxes. the small subway tiles were also on clearance for .75 each.

My big splurge in this kitchen was the new hood vent. We took out the small cabinet that was not being used above the stove and put in a beautiful stainless steel chimney style vent. It may have been my splurge but if it was still online of course! I saved $110 off and another 10% off the $440 price tag on a scratch and save event.

Since the countertop was fairly new we decided to leave it for now. My dream there is corian stone one day. You know when I win that lottery again....

Kitchen Reno Breakdown
Cost to refinish cabinets $225
Cost of tile & grout $390
Cost of hood vent $410
Total for my makeover: $1035

Not bad for a completely different look! I could get another decade of of these cabinets now. Talk about stretching a dollar.

Now what can I move onto next????

Family Vacation

Ahhh vacation. The sun and the sand, the tropical drink in my hand, the toddler calling out my name. Wait a toddler? Why is there a toddler on my relaxing vacation? Oh yes that's right I brought her.

Crazy as it may seem I had decided to let this little person in on my tiny bit of annual vacation joy. 

It was actually fun- four hour plane ride with a 3 year old not included in said fun. Non-stop is not always a blessing when they are sick of looking at the same 3 inches of space hour upon hour. A brief stopover 30-40 minutes was great on the way back. Gave a chance to stretch, change scenery and buy the very important crayons in the gift shop that you may have forgotten to pack!

Smells Like Roses..... and Olay

As the parent of any toddler knows, nothing is sacred in your house any more, especially the bathroom privacy you once thought must a been a right. Well no, apparently it is a privilege and they make sure you know that.

I actually get a little claustrophobic now when the bathroom door closes behind me!

I was in the bathroom one day and Charlotte walks on in. She promptly screws her face up. "Mommy your bum smells"

"GET OUT!" I exclaim. Mental note: teach Charlotte it is not nice etiquette to wander in people's bathroom and comment on their "business".

A little while later, Charlotte says she is itchy so I get her some lotion for her legs.

She sniffs the lotion. I say "smells nice doesn't it?"

She ponders on this and looks and me and says.

"Yes, you should put some on your bum."

Sigh...

Take a Hike

View of the "Narrows" mid hike.

The weirdest thing happened to me recently. I decided I liked hiking. 

Someone mentioned hiking once and my husband laughed and said "Jennifer, hiking? Ha!"

But I do! Now don't get me wrong I still hate running, not a fan of walking either. 

But there is something about hiking that gets me. I love that we have amazing trials here in town. I love to walk the East Coast Trail around Signal Hill.

There is just something about the wind blowing at you back when you walk near the cliffs. I find it amazing how your feet somehow seem to already have a plan in place when navigating over the rocks, like I don't need to think about the next step. 

It is a great way to get fit and enjoy the area. If you are lucky enough to live in St. John's Newfoundland here are a few great trails listed on the East Coast Trails website, they list distance, directions, time needed and trail difficulty. 

http://eastcoasttrail.ca/trail/trail_detail.php

The North Head Trail is my favourite. It starts at the Signal Hill parking lot descends a heck of a lot of stairs and follows the trail around North Head and out to the Lower Battery. It is 1.7 kms and descends nearly 500 feet!!

If you don't live here a simply computer search will show you hiking trails in your area. 

Now you have the info so what are you waiting for?

Now take a hike!

Life With Nick

Most of what I know about raising my daughter I learned from my brother. And he is not even a dad!
He is on the other hand 9 years younger than me. So I got a lot of hands on experience early in life.

Nick at my wedding in 2008

My grandparents recently brought in a bunch of old books I had as a child. In that pile was one of those "All about me" books you write in. I was flipping through the mind of my nine year old self, if I had the chance to travel I apparently listed Boston as one of my choice locations, I must think hard one that one.

One section asked if I could write a book what would it be called. I had scribbled in the space "My Life With Nick".

Since I am not a famous author, nor do I have the time and energy to consider such a book, I figured I owed him a blog post.

Funny how you grow up and move out and move on. I spent 10 years living driving distance of my family. I considered the 5.5 hr trip we took maybe 5 times a year driving distance, my husband who actually did the driving may beg to differ. Now I live in St. John's and my family is in Ontario. Nick has moved out to London (Ontario) for University and is carving his own place in life as are our other siblings Brandon and Natasha ( also younger than me, so LOTS of hand on baby experience)

But since Charlotte was born I found myself thinking back on those wonderful days before Nick could talk. Hey wouldn't be a great older sibling if i didn't get digs in there somewhere.

When people started talking about wether I was ready to change all those diapers, I said " Don't worry I got this." I mean I had lessons at age nine. Nick you owe me, I could have let you just sit there in it you know.

Charlotte started teething and I said "Oh thank God, she is not like Nick was." You drooled kid, like a lot!

Sometimes Charlotte decides she wants to watch Barney on tv, to my amazement I know all the words to the songs. No doubt because Nick would not go to sleep unless it was playing, you even had to go in sometimes and turn the tape over if it stopped and he wasn't asleep.

There are many days when something Charlotte does will pop in my mind as something that reminds me of Nick, but if that trend continues and she grows up to be a great person like Nick I guess that would not be so bad.

So now I have satisfied my nine year old self ambition of writing "Life with Nick" Now I just have to plan a trip to Boston.

Betcha' Can't Have Just One

I have one child. Just one. And as I stand right now at this point in my life that is the way I intend it to stay.  Now I will wait a moment while you form an opinion.

I don't intend to write my reasoning behind my decision. In fact I am actually sick of stating them.
I have come across many people in my life who love having a big family, some who, like me, think one is perfect and I know plenty of woman in committed relationships that swear children are not for them at all.

But no matter what category you fall into there is someone out there questioning you, judging you, and you will know who most of them are because they will come right out and say it.

I don't know why society seems to think that this is a discussion that is perfectly fine outside the family circle. It seems likes as soon as people find out you are married or have one child the first question is "When are you going to have a baby?" Asking this question of people has never come to my mind!

They are big decisions that should never be made lightly or on the spot and any reasoning behind them do not need to be put on the spotlight from anyone outside the close knit family circle. Some people ask and then move on once it is answered. Sort of an icebreaker, making conversation, "how about last night's game, " situation.

Others not so much.

I have argued, on several occasions, my point of view on having one child for 20 minutes with people I have just met.

The one point that always comes to my mind is what if I could not have more children? Do people think I would want to explain that day in and day out?  I really feel for those in that situation.
Maybe people are really having a hard time financially and could not take on the expense of another baby even though they would love too.

There could be medical issues to consider. There are many reasons for people to think twice about asking about someone's parenting plans.

I have often felt as if I have been made out to be the bad parent simply because I did not think to add another child to my family so Charlotte would not be alone. It is the one thing that someone should never be able to do, make me second guess my love and dedication to providing a well-adjusted life to Charlotte.

On the other side of the spectrum there are people that get criticized for having what some consider to be too many children.

So I guess we all need to follow the standard 2.5 average children per household to escape the questions that are bound to come. All I ask people is to consider what the person you are grilling on childbearing is really feeling about answering a truly personal question.

Until then, my uterus; my business.

Anatomy Lessons From A Three Year Old

Charlotte and I were shopping one day at the mall, when she turned to me and said 

"We need to get something for daddy!"

I stopped and looked around, we were in the middle of Sports Check so I guess there could be something here that peaked her daddy interest.

I asked her "What did you think daddy would want?"

Hmm she said " I think he wants one of these"

Interesting.

"Charlotte that is a sports bra, it's for boobies, daddy doesn't have boobies." I exclaimed.

She was determined. "Yes he does," she stood her ground. "He does! I saw them yesterday, they are on his tummy." 

People glanced my way, I told her she was right but we would get him a chocolate treat instead. Maybe in a year or two I will be ready to talk anatomy with her, just not in Sports Check

Leaving Money At The Curb

I love my jugs! No not those silly people, although they are quite nice I think. I mean the juice jugs, pop bottles and beer cans that come into my house. The provide a nice little savings account for me.
Are you one of those people that just leave your money out on the curb for pick up?

When we first moved back to St. John's 3 years ago the curb side recycling program was being to pick up momentum with other towns joining in.

Love the convenience right? Leave the recycling out with the trash and the nice garbage men come and take it away. Environment saved!

But wait, what about my pocketbook? Here in Newfoundland I still have to pay the bottle deposit on my recycling despite the fact that there is a city curb side program. So I pay for those juice boxes and you guys just take them away? I am not sure that is fair.

I don't know what the deal is in other cities but even with a curb side program we still have recycling centres. One of them has a new program where you go in swipe your card at a computer punch in the number of bags you have, out comes stickers that you place on the bags and just leave them. The whole thing takes five minutes. The money is loaded into an account until you cash it out.
I currently have $225 in this account over the past 12 months.

I won't get rich but I certainly would never have put $225 in cash in a blue bag and left it out for city pick up either!

Last year my husband called it his "Bike Trip" fund. He cashed out $175 to take his motorcycle on a trip to Nova Scotia to see a friend.

Do yourself a favour and look up Evergreen if you are in St. John's area and if not research recycling depots in you town area and turn the click of bottles to the clink of coin!

Scrapbook on canvas

Are you a scrapbooker? Have great intentions on being one when you find 25 hours in a day?
Start small. This is a great project that you can display right away and revel in the compliments that come your way.
I love this project, it is pretty much a scrapbook page but it is done on a square framed canvas instead.
This particular one was done using products from a home vendor company called Close To My Heart.
The jewels, frames and canvas shapes are all stickers and the banner was stamped with letters before sticking them on.
I wrapped the photo in twine as per the sample on the Close to my Heart website but this is a trick I have used many times in scrapbooking. What looks like a boring piece of string brings a new level of dimension to your cards, scrapbooking or paper craft.
The pattern on my canvas was bought that way but if you cannot find this a plan white canvas will work, if you want the pattern you could use a rolling stamp, similar to those sold by Stampin Up. Another option is to use spray adhesive to wrap the canvas in a piece of fabric.  If you have enough embellishments a white canvas is fine and will keep it simple.
These are a few of my favourite photos in this design and being able to hand it up for everyone to see!
See related products and samples at:
http://www.closetomyheart.com

Small Town Canada & Me

Happy Birthday Canada! So I am a day late, I was out yesterday doing your typical Canadian celebration, camping, bbq'ing, dressing in red and white. 

Proud Canadians everywhere are filling up Facebook timelines and twitter feeds with what it means to be a Canadian and how proud we are. I would like to take a moment to reflect on what it means to grow up in my little corner of the country, Newfoundland.

We are the first to celebrate Canada day here in our own little time zone. The most easterly part of North America. There is a sunrise ceremony here but I have never seen is as that would mean getting up at 5 a.m. Yeah.... no, not for me. 

Growing up Canadian is a great thing, growing up a Newfoundlander is amazing!

I grew up in a very small town in rural Newfoundland. I went to college in Ontario and heard a classmate say she grew up in the small town of Grimsby Ontario. I nearly choked on my coffee as Grimsby has over 25,000 people. My town has 1,100 people, and that is between 3 towns, amalgamated as one. Everyone knew everyone and you really didn't need that much of a memory span to do it. 

As my sister and I left my grandparents after a visit last year and headed back to St. John's she turn to me and asked "What the hell did you do when you were young?" My sister is over 10 years younger than me and grew up in Ontario.  What did I do? Of course she meant without movie theatres, summer concerts, sprawling malls, or any mall really. 

So what did I do? Well I had friends, and through great times and bad all we really had was each other. Of course there was drama, it is a small town, everyone knows everyone and their business. Who the heck needed texting and twitter when work of mouth only took 10 minutes? Social media be damned. 

So together we had bonfires and gravel pit parties (of course they didn't start until someone with a car and good stereo system showed up). We had school dances and house parties and nights camping out. Snow mobile and ATV rides and swimming in the brook. 

Loved each other or at times hard each other we always got over because after all we needed each other or we were in for a boring night! That was my life, I would not change it in any way as it has made me who I am. I love malls and Starbucks as much as the next "Townie" but I have my small town values instilled in me.

So in honour of Canada Day I raise my glass not only to fellow Canadians, because we are awesome after all, but to all my friends and all of those who grew up in towns so small Google earth has to search to find them. 

Raise a glass and thank your friends for helping you survive your youth and Happy Canada Day!

Let's Just Zip On It

So today I did a touristy thing right in my own backyard. Something I have never done before, in a tropical climate or elsewhere, I went zip lining. 

Not just once but across 10 different zip lines that took over 2 hours and travelled up to 75 kilometres an hour across the coastline of Petty Harbour. Some of these lines went 2000 feet in length and were 300 feet above where my feet would normally comfortably stand on the ground.

Why the heck would I do that? Some may ask, including myself at the starting point. Well one reason was because I was offered the chance to do this at no cost to me, but also to put in on my "Look Back" list.

Yes my "Look Back" list. I heard a fellow zip liner comment today that this was one item off her bucket list, I thought "me too" but then I realized it would have been the only thing on my bucket list to cross off as I don't have a bucket list! So then as I was waiting in line to get on the zip line and put my life in the hand of a piece of strap and a pully, I thought of what I would put on my bucket list and came to one conclusion. I don't have a clue what I would put on it. 

Another thought was I really don't care for a bucket list. Why should I stress myself out over things I may or may not get to do before I die? That sounds depressing as my list would probably get filled with things like climb a great pyramid or something outrageous that will never happen. 

I would much rather look back at the things I did do, experiences like today that come around by chance or a little bit of planning, those things I want to remember and recall stories for my daugter. Hey,  I might come off sounding like a cool adventure seeking mom! So I now have a "Look Back' list. Instead of crossing items off,  I am piling them on!

A few items on my list so far:

1. Zip lining in Petty Harbour ( I survived!)

2. Cave tubing in Belize

3. Parasailing in Nassau

4. Swimming with Stingrays in Half Moon Cay

5. Climbed a waterfall in Jamaica

6. Chilled with the monkeys in the Panama Rainforest ( and went to the Panama Canal!)

No I don't take a million vacations a year, most of these were cruise ships stops, but when you sit down and thing about the things I did I look pretty damn adventurous!

So stop looking for things on some elusive list and start looking back on the things you have done, whether they be from some far away place or camping with a long lost friend for the weekend. Those are your accomplishments and memories, own them!

Trust me, I am hanging on tight!

Want more info on the zip lining I did? Here is the website just in case you want to add to your "Look Back" list.
www.zipthenorthatlantic.com

Windows Down, Radio Up

Since it has been cold in Newfoundland for the past nearly seven months. I was surprised to realize last week during a rare appearance of the sun, that my AC is not working in the SUV.
Now I realize that driving without AC is pretty much uncivilized in today's society and I do planned to get it fixed when I find a day with 25 hours in it.

But I found myself thinking back on a simpler time when I had my first car and it did not come with AC, working or not, it just wasn't even an option with my good old power blue cavalier. (such a pretty girly car that was)

My cousin and I would just drive around town with the windows down, music blasting, sunglasses on, sporting a sun burn on one side.

I realize now that the convenience of AC has taken that little bit of summer driving joy away from us. I still love to open my sunroof and have the AC on. My husband then grumbles about "that doesn't make sense and you are wasting gas" and closes the sun roof. The sunshine goes away and a little bit of me wilts inside. I still do it when he is not in the SUV, our little secret.

So as a drive around giving myself a new hairstyle in the wind, a great song comes on the radio and I crank it. It all comes back to me. This is fun! This is happy! This is Summer!

So I want everyone to try it, it is hard to be in a bad mood when you have your favourite song and the sun is shining. Turn is up loud! It is not the same without volume, you ears will forgive you just this once.

And now sing.

I am not kidding, just give it your best American/ Canadian Idol shot! Don't worry no one else will hear you. They all have their windows up :)

I have an appointment to get my AC fixed tomorrow but I promise myself I will still take time some days to roll my windows down, turn the radio up and just let it go.

Daddy In Charge

Daddy Walter and Charlotte in the harbour
2011

I went shopping one evening when Charlotte was a little pass two years old. When I came home my husband Walter was sitting on the couch watching tv, Charlotte was sleeping, the dog was still alive and everything seemed in order. Good job hubby, good job. 

 "How was your night" I ask. He shrugged and said "It was fine." Ok, unadventurous night it is. A little while later I go into the bathroom. Charlottes sleeper was soaking in the sink. I inquired as to why it was doing so.

"Well," Walter started. "I wanted to put Charlotte in the bath, I took off her clothes while waiting for the water to run and while she was naked she decided to poop. Everywhere." 

So I will point out to people that Walter's reaction to all things poop is utter disgust. Weird considering what most men accomplish in the washrooms themselves. 

"So I put her in the tub so she wouldn't run around and do it again, and then I threw up in the toilet, then the *&@%# dog came in and ate it, so I threw up again and threw a towel at him to leave, all while Charlotte sat in it in the tub."

I sat there in utter amazement. How the hell could a chain of events happen like that to him, and when asked how his night was he said "fine". And he never said a word until I inquired about it. 

Then I started to laugh because honestly it was fricken funny! (Only because it was him and not me) I will never let him forget it. (Such as putting out there forever on a blog).

So lesson in life, "fine" may mean you were up shit creek, with a toddler, a toilet and a dog! 

Direct Selling Mamma

Can you really make money with direct sales? All those work from home companies floating around out there these days featuring photos of happy people holding money or on vacation with the family, seems to good to be true.

Direct selling has been around for a long time. I mean woman have been "Avon Calling" since the late 1800's, so there must be something to it.

Many woman dream of working from home rolling in the dough one home party at a time, but is it realistic.

In the past I have been a representative for Mary Kay, Avon, Creative Memories, Epicure, and now Scentsy.

Some of these I joined mainly for the value packed starter kit, and then I didn't do anything with it. What I have heard a fellow representative refer to as a "kit napper".

I have been with Scensty for two years and have a team of 3 in my downline- meaning they signed up under me. I actually have a shot at earning a trip to Cancun this year. So how and why is this business a success over the others I have tried and how can it work for you?

Here are the lessons I learned and tips I can share.

1. Find Your Passion. Don't sign up to sell make-up if you don't wear it. I was a scentsy client before deciding to become a rep.

2. Know your target market. Your family, friends and co-workers are normally your initial customers as your work to build your brand. Selling Mary Kay, which is a little pricier than your regular makeup,  when I was 20 and could not afford to buy it myself, nor could any of my friends was not really an encouraging experience.

3. Research the company. Scentsy has continued to jump the ranks of direct selling businesses. It is currently in the top 20 of 100. They have a strong group of leaders that encourage and engage everyday via social media sites. I am a fan of getting a "pay check" in stead of selling keeping the profits form each individual sale I do as some companies do. This is something to think about. How do you want to get paid? What other aspects are you looking for? Make note of them when you research.

4. Be prepared to work. Customers will not come throwing money at you. You have to have dedication and patience to stick it out. I have a Facebook page for my Scensty, I update it pretty much everyday. I email my customers to keep in contact. I am out there attending vendor show as well. My recruits actually came to me to find out about the business. Be out there, become well known and eventually people will come to you.

5. Support the direct sellers: This tip is not really about selling from a home based business but buying it. When it comes to gifts, especially Christmas shopping, consider looking to direct selling companies and local home based business for ideas. Big Box stores won't be as happy or appreciative to sell you a gift as a person trying to make a little more money themselves.

I have known representatives from some companies to earn free vacations every year and make $40,000 plus. I am not near there myself, I only have enough free time to make this a part-time effort, but I do make money.

If you think about it many companies have start up cost that range from $20 to $200. It depends on the value of the kit. The products in the kit often cost more than the fee. If you put in an order or two many times you will make your investment back. You often have little to lose to give it a shot.

If you want to checkout my Facebook page it is https://www.facebook.com/jennpc.scentsy

Cruising for Money... or Money for Cruising?

I love vacations! I once read that the count down to a vacation is as therapeutic as the vacation itself. The planning, the excitement, the anticipation. I totally believe that. This time it is a little extreme though being I just booked a vacation for 2016. Too early to start counting days??

I have booked a Royal Caribbean Cruise with my husband, daughter, my parents and his parents. His parents have never been on vacation before so this is exciting for them. They asked to go in 2016 to allow to save up for the trip.

What a novel idea. Save up for a trip. Hmmmm I have always just booked it on my credit card and forgot about it. Smart idea? Probably not.

Since my husband refused to take this trip without a balcony room, this will be the most expensive cruise I have taken so maybe I should have a plan. I was browsing on kijiji for something last week and it came to me. Why can't I sell some of the stuff lying around my house?

So here is my new challenge for myself. To come up with the downpayment for my cruise (myself, my husband and Charlotte) without impacting my daily finances. I will sell some items online, cut my cell bills, count my change or any other creative ideas I can come up with.

Goal: $738

I can do this! I will keep you all posted!

Hair Of The Dog

No, I am not referring to the old adage of drinking more to lessen the hangover of last night's party. 

I mean literally the hair of the dog.

Chevy, my wonderful 12 year old mixed breed dog.
He looks happy right? Well he doesn't sweep!

It's everywhere. On the floors, under the furniture, on my bed, my clothes, my food (even right after I dish it up, I mean seriously?) and occasionally ends up in my mouth. 

As a pet owner, you tend to brush off the topic of fur, pun totally intended, and to learn to deal with it daily. 

I have a Shepard cross which at age 20 my husband did not really research to find out that Chevy would be a heavy shedder and even do this awesome thing twice a year called "blowing his coat" where pretty much all his hair falls our for a new coat. 

That's right nearly his whole coat' lying somewhere in my house. Now I have found ways to deal with this over the years, the invention of the swifter vac was bar none. I mean if you adopt a dog from a shelter you should be given one for free I think. 

When I sense a thicker layer of fur covering my belongings I know it is coat blowing time again and I take him to the groomers for a special shampoo and brush out. It helps tremendously. 

If you have any tips please post! Everyone loves ideas on how to deal with pet fur. I love the bugger shedding or no shedding so I guess I could learn to make a sweater out of it, after all it has been a long cold winter!

Cool find for parents!

My daughter says the darnest things, some really crazy things come out of her little mouth. I am always telling people the funny stories of the time she said one thing or another. I am sure other parents out there are the same.

But what is one day you stop telling the story or little details are forgotten. How are we going to touture or kids with embarrassing stories later in life if we can't remember them? I will be as if we failed as a parent if we can't embarrass our children!

I found this book at a local Chapters one day and it blew my mind. Yes! I need a place to write down those funny conversations! This bright cheery book has places to record date, people, age and place along with th conversation. For $17.99 I can now safety record those precious moments. Such as when my daughter said she thinks her poop is going to be ginormous this time and that she is afraid it will break the toilet. I will be able to bring that up later in life time and time again. One of the joys of parenthood.

You can order this on amazon too. 

http://www.amazon.ca/My-Quotable-Kid-Parents-Unforgettable/dp/0811868842/ref=sr_1_1/191-6728170-6697118?ie=UTF8&qid=1402367812&sr=8-1&keywords=my+quotable+kid+journal

Banking Shoes

I made $50 an hour today. Well it was for one hour but still if you could make $50 an hour would you? 

Anyone can really. It was simple, I took the RBC challenge. 

RBC bank issued a challenge this month for customers of other banks to bring in a copy of this bank statement and they would compare it to their bank accounts. They offered a $50 visa gift card (while supplies last) to the customers who came in. No sign up required.

Now normally I would never have paid attention to something like this. I am way too busy and frankly changing banks is a pain in the butt. But the more I thought about it the more it made sense. We go for annual check ups and visit the dentist and eye doctor annually. Why do we not treat our financial health in the same manner?

Think about it, what do you have to lose? I could walk out of RBC with the knowledge that switching banks could save me money every month and/or offer me more features or I walk out confident that my current bank is truly meeting my needs and is offering me a good price for services.

Are your banking needs now the same as they were 5,10 or 20 years ago? Do you send emails transfers now and does your bank include them in your service fees or are you charged extra? I send about 5 a month and I was getting charged $1 each time as a fee. If I had a plan that gives me free email transfers I would be pocketing that money.

So take the challenge to any bank really. Sit down and see what your options are and then call your own banking representative to see what they will offer you if you are thinking of moving your loyal business elsewhere. Then make a decision that truly suits your needs and if you get $50 out of it then it's a bonus! I have new financial info and after a trip to the mall with my gift card I will have a new pair of shoes. Maybe dark blue ones in honour of RBC. 

Lookin' Good

"You look good today Jennifer," My father in law says as I dropped my daughter off this week. My first thought as a woman was "as opposed to yesterday?" But of course I smile and say thanks. On my way out I stop and think, he said the same thing a few weeks ago. What is it about me on those days that made me stand out? Then it came to me, my new red trench coat. I got it in my head a little while back that I wanted a red trench coat, not a black or beige trench coat, but a bright red one. I looked for awhile and finally hit jackpot at a local Winners. When I put it on it brightens my mood. My sister in law thinks I look like Carmen San Diego but I don't mind, adds to the allure. Everyone starts to fall into a routine when it comes to their look, you get up and put on the same style clothes, the name colour spectrum and do your hair in the same manner. We are creatures of habit. But what happens when we break it? Something as simple as a piece of clothing out of your daily norm (bright red tench coat anyone?) or wearing your hair down instead of up everyday. Trust me someone will take notice. It is a simple change but it can be such a boost for your self esteem. So find a new shade a lipstick, a new hairstyle, something, until then there is a red trench coat calling me from my closet. Think I will look good today.

My Daily Inspiration

Charlotte

Between A Rock and a Happy Place

I am the proud mother of a truly individual, unique, smart and outspoken three year old daughter. I also work full time. There I said it.

There may be some that applaud me and there are some of you that will disapprove of my choice. It is never an easy choice, although it seems to be increasingly common for mothers to get back into the grind. It is a decision that is often full of judgement from peers and guilt within yourself.
No one escapes the day where they cry horribly when you walk out the door. I think I cried a little and then drowned my sorrows in coffee. ( Hey I was at work remember)

I actually returned to work part time when my daughter Charlotte was 3 months old. I was lucky enough to have my mother in law visit to watch her while I went to the office each day for 3 hours. It started as a financial necessity. My husband is in the military, we were living comfortable but one income would not cut in.

When we relocated back to our home province Newfoundland, my luck continued and I managed to find a full time job with the SPCA St. John's as a fund-raising coordinator.
Charlotte was 8 months old.

But my job was flexible, allowing me to work from home, make my own hours as I worked many evenings and weekends.  I am proud to say I can let Charlotte wake up on her own every morning and we enjoy breakfast together. I can take her to every ballet class, every doctors appointment, if she needs me I am there. As  I look back on it, I am at peace with my decision. I have been there for every milestone. My mother in law still watches Charlotte and loves every minute with her granddaughter. Charlotte may still pout every now and then about my going to the office but she will grow up to see a strong successful woman in me (I hope!)

She loves to visit my office and help me "make mail" and of course playing with kittens is her favourite.  One of my happiest moments when it comes to work was the day that Charlotte looked at me after I picked her up at the days end and said "Did you get money for the kitties today mommy?"
She understands what I do, she has a sense of responsibility and a new sense of philanthropy ( I told you she was very smart!) because of my choice to go to work.

My life is never boring, I often stretch another hour in my day I swear! But it is where I am today that leads me here to you. I may not be an expert in everything but I have experience to share. I will be honest, upfront and outspoken. (like mother, like daughter) I promise there will be post to make you think, post to make you laugh and plenty of post to save you time and money. After all we do truly work hard for it so do you best to keep it!