Sick Days and other fun stuff

 Oh how I love sick days. At least sometimes, especially when the kids aren't terribly sick and we all get to chill at home. Also when I don't have any where to be or any thing to get done. There is nothing better than getting to sleep in, not having to make lunches and just chilling out in our pjs all day.

OH ya and watch movies too! Today we watched Rainbow Brite. Who remembers that show/movie? I love that my kids are watching movies and shows from my childhood. Too cool!

I would say that cuddle days are something to add to my Bliss List. Everyone needs sick days ( or mental health days as I like to call them sometimes). These days give me a chance to hang out with my girls, although they are not feeling great, and reconnect with them. It is Blissful to just relax with my little girls. 

What do you like to do with your kids on sick days? Do you take mental health days with your kids?

Wordless Wednesday - The Rainbow on a Rainy Day

Finding Bliss with friends on a rainy day.

My Bliss List part 2

I started writing about what gives me bliss . Some of what I am writing has made here to my blog but some of it is still in my personal journals and being compiled for another project I am working on. Tonight I noticed a conversation on twitter between some of my friends - particularly @scatteredmom and @amotherworld. They were talking about bliss and how @scatteredmom - also known as Karen Humphrey - was finding it hard to find bliss lately. I agree some days it can be hard to see it but I said that doesn't mean it isn't there. I think we sometimes have a hard time recognizing the blissful things in our lives. Sometimes they are small and sweet and maybe they are just the most ordinary thing. It can be those ordinary things that are the most blissful. I say that because when we are faced with a challenge in our lives when those ordinary things suddenly become extraordinary things, become difficult to do or complete we suddenly realize how blissful, how joyful those regular, ordinary things really were.

That being said... I think today I will put some ordinary things on my Bliss List today....

Today I managed to get two loads of laundry folded while watching T.V.. I had some time to myself, some time to my own thoughts while I folded and that was blissful.

Today I painted the bathroom. It was blissful because I was able to complete the job while the kids were at school. I love the feeling a freshly painted wall gives me!

Today I left my family a hot, home cooked meal!

Domestic Goddess - or something like that

OK, so that title is a bit deceiving. I am not a domestic goddess. I actually dislike any and all things that have to do with cleaning or tidying the house. I truly dislike dishes, laundry, and vacuuming. I am sure I am not alone here. So why or why is there always so much cleaning to do around the house. Really? Where is the cleaning fairy when you need her.

I need help people. Actually my entire family, the entire house, needs help.

What tips do you use to keep a tidy house? What do you do to stay on top of the housework around the house? How do you stop the dishes and laundry from piling up? Help me people

Holiday Decorating with 3M

It is one of my favourite times of year. Christmas time. I know we are still several weeks away ( I am not counting really because that might just stress me out) and that means it is a perfect time to start decorating. I love to get the house ready for the holiday season. There is nothing better. It helps everyone in the family really get in the Christmas spirit and it just makes me feel good. It brings back happy memories of holidays gone by. I think back to when I was a little girl and how great it was to help get the house ready for Christmas. Decorating also makes me think about all the great traditions my husband and I  are creating for our two girls. These traditions will give them years of happy memories.

This year I got a little help to kick start the decorating process. EverythingMom and 3M Command Products really got the ball rolling.

 With a few 3M hooks and strips I was able to easily hang wreaths, garland, lights, ribbon and decorations.  Fifteen bloggers were asked to participate in a Holiday Decor Challenge, to come up with some great DIY holiday decorating ideas and get decorating with 3M Command products. I was up for the challenge.

So head over to EverythingMom and check you my holiday inspired decorating ideas. There are some great pictures and a post to help you get started.

CONTEST

The gallery idea with the most votes wins a prize. The best part is that not only will your vote help me win, you also have a chance to win a weekly cash prize too:

November 15th -$50

November 21st - $100

November 28th - $200

December 5th - $200

December 12th - $100

The contest ends December 12, 2011 so hurry over and vote today. The contest is open to EverythingMom members so this is a great opportunity for you to join the site. Don't forget to vote for me

Talking Teeth - Invisalign Teen

Metal Mouth

Train Tracks

Brace Face

Heavy Metal


I know those names all to well. I had braces for what felt like an eternity. I got them during my grade 6 year and finally got them off in grade nine. Hard years to have braces. Being a young preteen/teen can be hard enough, especially when you are a girl and going through all the changes that girls go through, but to add braces into the mix it can be even harder.

It was a huge investment, not only financially for my parents, but also with our time. We had dozens of orthodontist appoints and what added up to hours in the chair. I remember those days leaving school early to go to my orthodontist appointment. I remember those appointments. The people at the office were almost like family. I visited the office so many times over nearly three years. They saw me grow up.

Ah, the memories of having braces. I was teased, just like every other kid who ever had braces. It didn't bother me too much. I was used to being teased about being a little bit different. I have freckles and a lot of them. There was only a couple of us in the school with freckles so we could often end up being at the end of a freckle joke. But having braces wasn't without pain, both social/emotional and physical pain. I remember when I first got braces it was so painful. I had to have four teeth pulled even before I could get the braces because I had too many teeth in my mouth. Once the braces were on my teeth and I was wired up there were many painful days ahead as my teeth were being pulled into place. Every time the wires were tightened along the way there were more days of pain ahead.

Sometimes my teeth just ached and I had to be really careful of what I ate. And then there was the time that I actually had one of my braces pop off my tooth while I was eating an orange. Yup an orange. So there it was dangling on the wire in my mouth until the next day when I could get in to see the orthodontist. It was so painful. It was actually the most painful part of having braces.

So the braces were tightened, elastics were added and then the braces came off and then there were retainers. And today, I am the proud owner of nice straight teeth. 

My story is probably like a lot of other teens who wore braces. Now with advances in dentistry and orthodontic care  there are options. I have recently become aware of a neat product, something I think I would have liked to try when I was a teen.  Invisalign Teen, an innovative company that provides a modern alternative to traditional braces. That is the biggest plus about Invisalign is that is offers an option, an alternative.

Here are some Invisalign facts:

-       Invisalign Teen effectively straightens teeth like metal braces and is an ideal choice for active teens

-       In most cases, Invisalign is comparable in costs to traditional braces and  is covered by most dental insurance plans
-       Invisalign's treatment capabilities are not limited to mild/cosmetic cases – Invisalign can help correct a broad range of cases:  Overly crowded teeth, widely spaced teeth, cross bite, overbite and under bite
-       Invisalign treatment is also ideal for busy parents because there are never any emergency appointment from broken wires/brackets; it requires fewer appointment (because you get your sets in advance) and less chair time (for those uncomfortable tightenings)
-       The total treatment time with Invisalign averages between nine and 15 months and the number of aligners worn during treatment is between 18 and 30. 
-       There are almost two million Invisalign cases in treatment or completed worldwide (15-20% are teens)


CONTEST
 
Thanks to Invisalign and Mom Central Canada I am able to offer my readers a chance to win an Invisalign Outdoor Sport Chair for all those games and activities you are running to with the kids. Just tell me how Invisalign Teen could benefit someone in your family. This giveaway is open to Canadian residents only. Contest runs until November 18, 2011. Make sure to leave me an email address so I can get in touch with you if you win. Good Luck!!!

You can also enter to win an Invisalign Teen full treatment (a value of up to $7,000) For the contest: http://tinyurl.com/3llvzu3

For the Rules & Regulations (which can also be found in the contest section):  http://tinyurl.com/4x45hna

Disclosure – I am participating in the Invisalign Teen program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Align Technology, Inc.  I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Barbie I Can Be - what will you dream?

It is a great time to be a girl!

I am a Mom to two very strong, smart and inspiring little girls. When I look at them I see all that is possible for them and for the world. They can be anything they want to be and because they are young they still believe that they can be anything. Children see all the possibilities of the world. Just today I had a conversation with my 6 year old daughter about this very topic. We were in the car and a Justin Bieber song came on the radio. My daughter said to me "You know Mom lots of people make fun of Justin Bieber. Why do they do that?" I told her sometimes people are jealous of all he has accomplished and the success he has had. My daughter then said to me "You know Mom they don't have to be that way. If they worked hard they could be anything they want to be. It just takes hard work and practice. Anything is possible if they just put their minds to it" Wow wise words for someone so young. It left me feeling so proud of my daughter. That is one of the many special things about childhood, children see the possibilities in life. Anything is possible for a child and you know they are right. It is only when we grow up and start to let other people tell us what is possible and not possible we start to believe that we can not dream of being anything we want to be.

I try every day to show my girls - not just tell them - you can do or be anything you want or dream. I am a journalist, a writer. It is something I have wanted to do and be for a long time. As a child I remember spending hours writing short stories and poems on sheets of lined paper. I loved writing essays, loved doing it so much I would spend spare periods and lunch breaks in the cafeteria helping my friends write their essays. I not only work in news but I also write freelance magazine articles. I am doing something I love. I want my girls to see anything is possible if you set your mind to it.

I want my girls to know that they can do anything and everything they want to do. It might take hard work and perseverance but they can live their dreams. I want them to love what they do, no matter what it is.

I was lucky to have grown up with the best parents in the world. My Mom was always there for me... is still there for me no matter what I need. She was the best role model a little girl could have. She taught me about patience, love, understanding, strength, joy, and about being the best you can be. My Dad was also a great support. He raised me to be strong and smart and to believe I could do anything I wanted. He never treated me like I couldn't do anything. He supported me in school and in sports. Both my parents still support me and are my biggest cheerleaders. They taught me how to be a good parent. It is the lessons I learned from them that I am passing on to my girls. The love and support of family is the most important thing for girls. Family anchors us, it supports us, it holds us up, it pushes us on, it cheers us on, it drives us, it tells us we can dream and loves us enough so that we can be anything we want to be.

 It is important for all of us to support girls and show them anything is possible. Barbie I Can Be is a great campaign helping to support girls and all they are dreaming to be. Check out the new website www.bethevoice.ca ( I love this name...we need to be the voice and give our girls a voice and help them to use their voice to be heard). It is dedicated to helping moms raise smarter, stronger, happier, and more fulfilled daughters. Join the conversation on the site. Leading Canadian parenting coach, Terry Carson, www.theparentingcoach.ca, will provide perspectives, wisdom, and experiences.


  Disclosure – I am participating in the Barbie I Can Be campaign by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Mattel Canada. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.