So as I am sitting here at my computer it is another gloomy day. It is raining again. We have had rain for what feels like 2 weeks straight. It is even cold out. I have had the furnace off for a week or two but this weather makes me what to turn it on again. My feet are cool but that makes me think there must be some good things about this weather right? There are some awesome things about this day.
1. Getting to curl up on the couch with a really warm, fuzzy blanket with a hot cup of coffee. Mmmmm... nothing better.
2. My garden is busting at the seams with all this rain. Love it.
3. I get to day dream about the next warm sunny day and all the great things that I will be doing once the sun peaks out from behind the clouds.
Do you have anything that you think is awesome about a rainy day? Give it a try. It will certainly help you see the bright side of any day.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Simply Free at the Cottage
There is nothing better than a BBQ at the cottage. And even better when it is a long weekend. Every year on the Victoria Day long weekend my family heads two and a half hours north to our cottage for the weekend. We brave the rain and the bugs to spend time in the great outdoors. This weekend we were lucky enough to get some sunshine on Saturday and we took advantage and sparked up the BBQ. The burgers and dogs were sizzling for lunch. It was a great chance to try Wonder's newest offering, SimplyFree. The hamburger and hot dog buns feature a list of ingredients even my kids could read.
Wonder+ SimplyFree from Weston Bakeries is the latest addition of simply ingredient products to the grocery shelves. It is the first Canadian National Brand of bakery products made with unbleached wheat flour and free of artificial preservatives, flavours and colours. They are also free of high fructose corn syrup. A growing number of manufacturers are understand customers are looking for products with simple ingredients. Let's face it, it is refreshing to be able to pick up a product and be able to pronounce all the ingredients listed on the side of the package.
Wonder+ SimplyFree from Weston Bakeries is the latest addition of simply ingredient products to the grocery shelves. It is the first Canadian National Brand of bakery products made with unbleached wheat flour and free of artificial preservatives, flavours and colours. They are also free of high fructose corn syrup. A growing number of manufacturers are understand customers are looking for products with simple ingredients. Let's face it, it is refreshing to be able to pick up a product and be able to pronounce all the ingredients listed on the side of the package.
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| Yummy. Nothing like a cheese burger. |
But ultimately, the product has to taste good. These buns passed the tough taste test of my gang. They kids who were feasting at our table said they tasted great, just like a good old hamburger bun. The one down side I saw was the price. When I picked up these buns they were regular price, at $3.19 per 8 pack. That is a bit pricey, especially if you are a family on a budget. I did notice that the buns are currently on sale at my nearby grocery store, priced at $1.99, which is an affordable price and comparable to more no name brand buns. |
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| The family finally enjoying the feast. |
Disclosure – I am participating in the Wonder+ SimplyFree program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Weston Bakeries. I received a gift card and free product coupons as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Getting Creative - Wordless Wednesday
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| Making doggy paw invitations for my daughter's birthday party. |
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Sweet Moments - more to my list of awesome
There are so many things each and every day that are sweet moments, many of them we let pass us by. We let the little stresses of our life to mask, cloud and hide the sweet moments that life hands us - the gifts of every day life.
So here are a few new things that are sweet moments, things on my list of awesome. Today's list is inspired by the rainy weather we have had for days here in the GTA.
*sitting, curled up on the couch, on a rainy day watching a movie. Sometimes made better when you are all alone in a quiet house and sometimes made all the more special when you are curled up under a blanket with your kids.
*a beautiful rainbow after the rain. We don't see many these days, I remember so many more when I was a child. Even more special is when you get to glimpse a double rainbow. Totally awesome.
*the chirping of robin birds as they flit around the lawn scooping up all the worms after the rain.
*I love what the rain is doing to the garden. It went from mostly dirt to luscious green leaves, beautiful plants sprouting up out of the ground and those sweet green small spikes of new grass ( they were seed only days ago) peaking out of the dirt.
*I love to watch the kids out playing in the rain. They pull on their rubber boots and rain coats and revel in the wetness. They splash in the puddles and dance between the rain drops. They see the beauty, the fun and the positive of the rain.
There are so many more... What are your sweet moments inspired by the rain?
So here are a few new things that are sweet moments, things on my list of awesome. Today's list is inspired by the rainy weather we have had for days here in the GTA.
*sitting, curled up on the couch, on a rainy day watching a movie. Sometimes made better when you are all alone in a quiet house and sometimes made all the more special when you are curled up under a blanket with your kids.
*a beautiful rainbow after the rain. We don't see many these days, I remember so many more when I was a child. Even more special is when you get to glimpse a double rainbow. Totally awesome.
*the chirping of robin birds as they flit around the lawn scooping up all the worms after the rain.
*I love what the rain is doing to the garden. It went from mostly dirt to luscious green leaves, beautiful plants sprouting up out of the ground and those sweet green small spikes of new grass ( they were seed only days ago) peaking out of the dirt.
*I love to watch the kids out playing in the rain. They pull on their rubber boots and rain coats and revel in the wetness. They splash in the puddles and dance between the rain drops. They see the beauty, the fun and the positive of the rain.
There are so many more... What are your sweet moments inspired by the rain?
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Mommy Feels Guilty
It never gets easier. Leaving for work. Leaving my kids everyday. It is the struggle of every working (out of home) mom. You would think going to work every day would make it easier but it doesn't, to be honest I think it actually makes things worse.
It is hard for me but even harder for my kids. I would say at least one day a week one of my two girls cries and has a total meltdown when I have to leave for work. I makes me sad when they say "I miss you when you are gone", "we never get to see you". I try to explain to them why Mommy has to go to work but when it comes right down to it some of the things that I mention don't really matter. Will I regret not spending time with my girls? Will I regret it when they are older and don't want to hang out with me? You bet. I regret it now. I don't like to leave them. It isn't that they are in a bad place when I go to work though, they are with their grandparents, on both sides. They aren't even there for long since my husband picks them up on the way home from his job.
I am missing time with my kids. My kids are missing time with me. I am missing time with my husband. It is time to rethink things I think. There is only so much that can be sacrificed before the sacrifice isn't worth it any more.
It is hard for me but even harder for my kids. I would say at least one day a week one of my two girls cries and has a total meltdown when I have to leave for work. I makes me sad when they say "I miss you when you are gone", "we never get to see you". I try to explain to them why Mommy has to go to work but when it comes right down to it some of the things that I mention don't really matter. Will I regret not spending time with my girls? Will I regret it when they are older and don't want to hang out with me? You bet. I regret it now. I don't like to leave them. It isn't that they are in a bad place when I go to work though, they are with their grandparents, on both sides. They aren't even there for long since my husband picks them up on the way home from his job.
I am missing time with my kids. My kids are missing time with me. I am missing time with my husband. It is time to rethink things I think. There is only so much that can be sacrificed before the sacrifice isn't worth it any more.
Searching for Inspiration or maybe Motivation
Do you ever feel like you have a lot to say but just can't find the time or the motivation to get it down on paper ( or blog)?
I have been feeling like that over the past week or so. I have lots of great ideas swirling around my head but just can't seem to find the motivation to actually sit down and get writing. There is so much I want to say. I am always amazed when I read other bloggers and see how much content they churn out on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. It is truly amazing.
I think sometimes I just get a little burnt out. I can sometimes do too much. I work five days a week in the evenings, I am home during the day catching up on housework, looking after kids and taking care of whatever freelance writing that I have on my desk at the time. There is so much that I would like to do ( or rather need to do) around the house, besides the day to day cleaning, like painting, organizing and creating an office space for myself and all the gardening. There just never seems to be enough time in the day and then I guess that is where if find myself struggling for motivation.
The other thing that I find can be a motivation killer is social networks. It is an easy place to hang out when I want to procrastinate. I can talk with friends on twitter and facebook and before I know it 3 hours have gone by and it is time to pick up the kids from school. It is a love hate relationship with twitter and facebook. It is great to talk and network but it doesn't exactly help me get work done.
Many weeks ago I wrote about getting organized in an effort to work smarter, not harder. This month I am planning to revisit that plan. My main goal is to create a main floor office/work space for myself. Originally I had planned to make an office on the third floor but that is just not practical. It is quiet up there but I would not be able to keep my eye on the kids and work at the same time from upstairs so the logical place is on the main floor. I have a place in mind but I just need to clean, declutter and organized before I can get it set up. I will update you as I go along.
I have been feeling like that over the past week or so. I have lots of great ideas swirling around my head but just can't seem to find the motivation to actually sit down and get writing. There is so much I want to say. I am always amazed when I read other bloggers and see how much content they churn out on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. It is truly amazing.
I think sometimes I just get a little burnt out. I can sometimes do too much. I work five days a week in the evenings, I am home during the day catching up on housework, looking after kids and taking care of whatever freelance writing that I have on my desk at the time. There is so much that I would like to do ( or rather need to do) around the house, besides the day to day cleaning, like painting, organizing and creating an office space for myself and all the gardening. There just never seems to be enough time in the day and then I guess that is where if find myself struggling for motivation.
The other thing that I find can be a motivation killer is social networks. It is an easy place to hang out when I want to procrastinate. I can talk with friends on twitter and facebook and before I know it 3 hours have gone by and it is time to pick up the kids from school. It is a love hate relationship with twitter and facebook. It is great to talk and network but it doesn't exactly help me get work done.
Many weeks ago I wrote about getting organized in an effort to work smarter, not harder. This month I am planning to revisit that plan. My main goal is to create a main floor office/work space for myself. Originally I had planned to make an office on the third floor but that is just not practical. It is quiet up there but I would not be able to keep my eye on the kids and work at the same time from upstairs so the logical place is on the main floor. I have a place in mind but I just need to clean, declutter and organized before I can get it set up. I will update you as I go along.
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| The messy storage area that is soon to become my office. I hope it will be beautiful and functional soon. |
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Adding to My List - Awesome
I wrote about starting my list of Awesome.... well tonight I am adding to that list.
*when your daughter tells you she missed you today
*warm laundry straight out of the dryer
*laundry fresh from the line on a sunny, sweet summer day
*the smell of BBQ in the summer ( and even the winter for that matter)
*when your daughter tells you she missed you today
*warm laundry straight out of the dryer
*laundry fresh from the line on a sunny, sweet summer day
*the smell of BBQ in the summer ( and even the winter for that matter)
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