Friday 27 July 2012

What is my niche?

I have spent a lot of time lately wondering what my niche is in this blogging world.

Although I am a homeschool mom I hardly write about it. Sarah is taught mostly on line so I have no cool tricks or ideas that I would share on how to teach something.

I have PCOS that even though it is very much a part of my life it is not my whole life.

I have gluten issues, and now fairly recently many other food issues, but I rarely share recipes.

I clean my house and like to try and be organized. I like to be somewhat green. These I do write about but is it enough to sustain my entire blog??

I am a Christian, and even though I have been a Christian since I was 7 I still feel like a baby in my knowledge. I learn so much and I have been working on my walk a tremendous amount this past year so how could I possibly give wisdom to others?

I am a Mom. Yep that is something that I do fairly well at. (I hope) However is that also enough to make readers want to come to my blog.

Although I am not a military spouse I can somewhat relate to those ladies as my husband works away from home. Is that what I should write about?

A few months ago I took a blogging break. I turned to HIM and realize that I needed to blog. I needed to get my encouragement from these ladies. The blogs that I follow tend to be ones that I am seeking growth on or that I can relate too.

I sometimes feel like I am a small guppy in an ocean full of more desirable fish.
I am stuck on how to grow my blog. How to make it inspirational for others and how to help others the way just simply sharing has helped me.
I have set up a facebook page. I have joined twitter. All in the hopes that somewhere somehow I can reach that someone.

This hasn't been an easy post for me. I feel like I am putting it all out there and hoping against hope that someone will say hey I like you. I will be your friend. Feels scary. But I am trusting God in this one. He has never let me down before. :)


I am linking up today with Michelle's Caffeinated Randomness

3 in 30 update.

I can hardly believe that it is the end of July already. This summer is just flying by.

1. Read many books.
I have read quite a few this month. I am in the process of reading another one which more then likely will be finished off this weekend.

2. Finish up with school and then spend the rest of the month 'un-schooling'.
Well school is finished!! However now I need to enroll her for next year. I have been working on her math with her. Nothing workbook related just making her add and subtract simple things. We also will be doing so me cool science experiments next month. I have been pinning like a mad woman so can hardly wait to try out some of the ideas.

3. Spend every spare second of this month camping or doing day trips.
Well that was kind of put on the back burner as an impromptu family reunion is taking place this weekend in B.C.. Not to mention that my husband's Uncle had a what they believe is a heart attack last week and so on hubbies days off we spend a lot of time with his parents which are done looking after his uncle. However next weekend we are hoping to take off and the then the week and weekend after that Sarah and I are camping up by my sister's camper.

It has been a great month so far. I thought I would spend the month being 'lazy', but as it turns out the healthier I get the more energy I get the less being lazy is appealing.

Now for August...

1. Get organized, get organized, get organized.
           a) I am putting together a planner that works for this household. I just need ink. Oops. LOL
                        I am hoping that with this planner I will be organized enough to keep up with my blog posts.
          b) I need to clear out some junk, file things and just generally clean up the clutter.

2. Get ready for school.
           a) This includes getting the school room set up.
           b) Getting the school books in order.
           c)Starting her back gently with some cool iPad apps that I will blog about later on.
           d) Get myself mentally prepared.

3. I am hoping to do the photo a day for a month.
           I found this really adorable blog that does this challenge every month. I am not sure if I will enter my pictures or not. But I really want to take them. I am hoping this gets me using my camera that I love more.

And now because I am feeling healthier inside and out I want to do a number 4.

4. Do the Good Morning Girls group.
             I joined this last week. It doesn't start up until the 20th of August but in the meantime I am trying to get up earlier and spend time in HIS Word first thing. The last two mornings have gone great. I have had really productive days and I tend to be less tense.

What about everyone else?
I am excited to see how everyone did this month and I am looking forward to see what your goals are for next month.

I am linking up today with Aurie for the 3 in 30 update.


Thursday 26 July 2012

Ahh the places I want to see...


This will be really hard to narrow it done to just 10 as I think I have a bit of gypsy blood in me. I just want to travel, travel, travel. I just need to find a way that we can do that. :)
These are places that are on my bucket list.

1. Scotland.
Both Rob and my roots are Scottish so this would mean a lot to both of us. Not to mention I am slightly addicted to Diana Gabaldon's Outlander Series. The hero is a big red head, my hubby is a big read head. The heroine has crazy curly brown hair, I have crazy curly brown hair. You get the picture. hahaha

2. Ireland.
I love the landscape as a general rule of that country.

3. Australia.
My nephew went there many years ago as a student taking a year abroad. When he came back he had many friends come to Canada to meet his family. This country has always pulled at my heart strings.

4. Newfoundland, Canada.
We tease my hubby that he works in little Newfoundland as many of the employs up there are from Newfoundland. This is part of the reason why I want to visit this province. The culture, the scenery, everything really appeals to me. Also since he knows so many people that live there we would have a tour of that province like none other.

5. North West Territories
Such a gorgeous place. It seems so untamed and natural to me.

6. Alaska
Again love the 'wilds' of this place. I love seeing scenery that has been virtually untouched.

7. Thailand.
My brother and his wife live there.  A few years ago all my siblings plus my parents went there and were able to visit this very cool country. I was unable to go. :( However I hope someday to make that journey.

8. Portugal.
I also have a sister that lives half time in this country. The same reason as Newfoundland and Thailand is that I believe the tour that I could get would simply be amazing.

9. England.
I have read about it, heard about it on TV, seen it in pictures, have a friend that until this fall is living there. I want to see it for my own eyes. Experience it first hand.

10. All of the United States of America.
There is not a state, not a city, not a community that I do not want to see in this country. I have 'met' some wonderful blogging friends that I would LOVE to meet in real life. I have a cousin that lives in Maine. I want to see New York (Central Park, Ground Zero, The statue of liberty). I want to experience New Orleans. I would love to see the Montana mountains. There is no part that I want to miss.

I have so much I want to see however because it is Top 10 I limited myself. hahaha
I am linking up today with Angie's Top Ten.

Family reunion time!

I am starting to get really excited. Tomorrow evening two of my sisters and myself fly to Vancouver Island to meet up with our other two sisters and our parents. Then on Sunday our brother and his wife fly in from Thailand. It will be the first time in 12 years that all of us siblings have been in one place together at the same time!

I know things will be stressful but oh so worth it.

Out of my individual family I am the only one going. Hubby has to work and frankly plane tickets were just too costly to bring our kids and the boys girlfriends. So while Mommy is away enjoying visiting with her siblings, Sarah gets to hang out with hers. Matt is taking her for the weekend. I never realized how convenient if would be to have an adult child. :)

I can only imagine what our parents must be thinking.
Even though growing up we all never lived together at one time (there is almost 22 years difference between myself and my oldest sister), it still must be fantastic to have all your children in one place.

I am so thankful that I am able to go on this trip. It will be fast and furious as we will leave at almost 9pm on Friday and get back to the city at 7:30pm Monday. However the chance to do this is priceless.

I am so thankful that I have all my siblings and my parents still. I realize that with the age of my parents that I will not have them around for a tremendous amount of years anymore. Therefore I think that it is so important that we are doing this for and with them.

I am so thankful that I have fantastic sons that are stepping up to the plate and looking after their sister while I am away.

I am thankful that I have an amazing friend that has offered to take Sarah for a 'break' for her brother and for Sarah. hahahah

Linking up today with Theresa at the Red Oak Road.

Wednesday 25 July 2012

I'mmmm back!!!!

Did you miss me?
Did you even notice I was gone? hahaha

I found that when hubby is on days off I have a terrible time finding a chance to blog.
I really need to work on that. That is partly why I have been busy all afternoon/evening trying to find some templates to make myself a proper planner. I really want to organize myself so that I have all the items I need to look after in one area.
I decided I want to do a binder with page dividers. I want to be able to put my bills in there and then I always know exactly where to find them.
My goal is that Monday mornings early will be my week planning session. Ideally I would do this Sunday evening, however I just know that with hubbies new shift change with him being home every weekend and only every weekend I will only want to focus on him/our family on Sunday nights and then my planner will be put by the wayside. So either Monday mornings or Friday afternoons will be my 'planner' time.

I want a few things in my planner.
Such as: blog ideas
                       So that if I get struck with an idea during the day I can write it down there. Now I have ideas float around and I forget about them. This way I am hoping that I will blog at least 5 times a week every week.
              3 in 30 goals
                        This way I can be see what I want to achieve every day/week.
              daily/weekly printout sheets.
                         I would like to break it down day by day the things I need, such as things to do, school lessons, appointments, dance, etc. But also weekly, bills that need paying, books that are due, etc.
                                         I would also like an area for my bills, a folder of some sort.
                budget
                        With the new location change for hubbies work I want to take this oppurtunity to really work to get us out of debt. We want to own our own home as well as adopt. This all takes finances that I want to get in order.
                shopping list
                menu plan
                        I do out my menu plan by the month instead of the week.
               a monthly calendar
                        One that I can match up with the one on the fridge. Works great for seeing at a month what we have coming up.
           
I was also tossing up the idea of having a section on gifts. What to get individuals, if we have bought the gift and budget for the gift.

What do you think? Is there anything you would add? I would love any feedback you might have.
Are there any particular planning templates that you use?
             

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Summer fun

10 things that I am doing this summer.
I had several things roll around in this big ole empty head of mine about what I should write about today. This one just kept coming back so I thought why not share what is happening with my summer.

1. Take my daughter to Las Vegas on a dance trip.
This I have already done. For those of you who haven't been reading my blog, we left the 27th of June and came back home on the 7th of July. It was a great time and a really great thrill to see my daughter dance "internationally". LOL

2. Plan a 25th wedding anniversary for my sister and her husband.
This is a surprise party for them. I am trying to hammer down last minute things so that I can get the invites out tomorrow. The party will be the weekend of August 11 and 12. It will be pretty casual in the sense that we are just going to be at a group campsite at the lake. However I am hoping that a lot of their friends and family members will be able to make it up.

3. Go on a last minute trip to Vancouver Island for a family reunion.
I am leaving next weekend for 3 days. It should be a blast. Even if it is short and sweet. My husband, myself and our children actually lived there for a number of years. (In fact our daughter was born there) So I am looking really forward to it.

4. While on the family reunion we will be celebrating another one of my sisters and brother in laws anniversary. Their 40th actually.
This will also be really casual with just a pot luck at their house.

5. Camping
I plan to do as much as I can squeeze in. We love to camp and when we only have such a short window I want to be out and about as much as we can.

6. Start up with a morning group.
I signed up with Hello Mornings yesterday. Their next group starts August 20th. I am also hoping to join a Good Morning Girls group.
I really hope that this helps me grow with Jesus. I need the accountability. I also believe that it will be great for me to get into the routine of getting up earlier and starting my day before Sarah gets going.

7. Read as many books as I can.
I love to read. I am going to renew my library membership tomorrow and I hope to spend the lazy days of summer reading. Hopefully at the lake while we are camping. LOL

8. Work on getting geared up for next years school.
I need to clean out the school room and reorganize it. It is pretty scary in there right now and it needs to be thoroughly gone through.
I am also hoping to do some un schooling this summer. I have pinned tons of ideas on Pinterest and I am hoping to start her learning in a fun way this summer.

9. Spend some time on the quads.
Hubby and I love to get out and go quadding. It is so relaxing playing around out there with our toys. I want to take some day trips and get out and play.

10. Go on a few date nights with my handsome hubby.
We love to get out just the two of us and reconnect. Whether it is a supper and a movie, a walk around the park in the evening or simply a movie night at home it all helps.
We strive to make our marriage strong. It will always take work but what relationship doesn't?

I am linking up today with Angie over at Many Little Blessings.
Please stop by and check out some other great Top 10 posts.

Monday 16 July 2012

A day of mourning.

Today our small little hamlet laid to rest a young 17 month old.
My heart turns today not to the young boy but to the Mom.
You see she was driving a vehicle and accidentally ran him over. She thought he was inside.
My heart aches for her and what she must be going through.
I pray that she turns to the Lord even more during this immense time of tragedy.
I pray that she is able to find comfort in HIS arms.
Grace in HIM.

Although I have lost 3 babies before they were born, I know that they are waiting for me when I reach my ultimate destination.
I am so blessed with the ones here with me.

So today even while she mourns I hope she finds some comfort in the fact that one day they will be once again reunited.


Sunday 15 July 2012

So happy.

Have you ever had one of those days when you just realize just how incredibly blessed you are? Days when everything is wonderful. Days when you don't get angry at all not even a tiny bit. Days when you realize this is an amazing life I lead?
Today for me is that day.
Today I turned 41.
I will admit I wasn't overly looking forward to this birthday. Mostly because my handsome hubby had to work. (That is one thing I am sooooo looking forward to when he is done work up there.)
However today when I woke up I woke up happy. I went and woke up Sarah to get ready for church and one of the first things she says to me is Happy Birthday. It made me smile. I then had a smile on my face for the rest of the day. (Well maybe not when I caught that cat nap today. :) )
My phone vibrated most of the day to let me know that I was receiving either a text message or a facebook notification.

Last Sunday my hubby gave me his gift to me. This was the coolest gift I had ever received and it really really impressed me. He made me a treasure hunt. He put it together while I was in Vegas with Sarah. He went and bought the paper so he could print out clues. He came up with ideas and then planted them around the house. He bought me things like an i-tunes card, my favorite brand of flip flops and the Karen Kingsbury book I was coveting. However the last two gifts were the the best. He bought me another gorgeous cross necklace and then he had made me a wooden treasure chest. In the clue he put in there that his hearts desire lay in the bottom of the chest. When you look inside there is a mirror on the bottom. I almost cried. He put so much thought in this gift.

So back to today.
Sarah gave me her gift first thing. She had bought a Mother/Daughter necklace for us. :) I love the bond that we have together. I am looking forward to her being an adult and seeing how our relationship is then. If we are even closer.

Then off to church for a wonderful church service. While we were worshipping the Lord through song I looked over and realized that I reconized a lady there. One that I had never met before other than cyper land. After church I went over and started to talk to her. Sure enough it was Marcy. I must admit I was nervous but I really wanted to meet her in person. I know that we only live about 20 minutes apart. Her husband is actually the pastor at the church where my husband and I were married. I was so happy to meet her. She is such a beautiful person and you can just see God's love shining out of her. Not to mention she has absolutely gorgeous children. :) Thank you Marcy for putting up with nervous me. I hope that we have more time in the future to get to know each other. :) By the way if you haven't already you need to go check out her blog. Love My Life!

Then it was off to lunch with my girlie, my boys and their girlfriends. This was so cool. They had tied helium balloons to the back of my chair. My oldest bought me some delicious tea and then also got me a gorgeous Amore Baci bracelet. (Identical to a Pandora) with the cutest frog charm on it.
My middle son bought me some awesome Saskatchewan roughrider gear.
They also bought my lunch and just managed all around to show me how much I was loved.
It made me so proud to know that these three beautiful individuals were our children.

Then afterwards came home and managed to catch a cat nap. Does life get any better? LOL

I am so blessed. God has enriched my life. Sure He has thrown in some harder times but it just makes these great times all that much better.

The necklaces that both hubby and Sarah bought me. The broken heart one is says Mother on it.

The bracelet Matt bought for me. I love the frog charm. 

Some of the Roughrider gear Brandon bought me. Check out that foam hand. LOL
Tonight I will go to bed with a full and happy heart. Thanking God so much for my blessings!!

Saturday 14 July 2012

Lazy days of summer

Well today I was super lazy.
In the fine words of my bloggy friend Michelle I was a sloth. :)
I should start by saying that for the most part I was alone today. My daughter had a sleepover in the city and of course hubby was working. So it was just me and kitty.
I talked on the phone.
I ate leftovers so I wouldn't have to cook. :)
I watched movie after movie.
I face-booked.
I read some blogs.

Then tonight I started to get itchy to do something useful.
So what did I decide to do?? I checked out Pinterest for new 'school' ideas. I pinned a ton of stuff. Lots of math ideas as that is where she is struggling the most but also some real practical tips for myself. Some cool science experiments and basically some really neat ideas.

I am looking forward to trying them out and seeing what I can do with them.

I also had a couple of phone calls from my boys. Tomorrow is my birthday and after church Sarah and I are meeting up with them for lunch. I love having all my children together.

I hope everyone's weekend is going well. I promise in the next week that I will post some pics from Sarah and mine Vegas trip.




Friday 13 July 2012

3 in 30

Yep I know I'm late in joining this month. However I thought better late than never. Lol
 Being that I'm already late and will be gone again at the end of the month I decided to do my 3 in 30 differently this month. I normally like to have my goals more work oriented but I decided this month was going to be different.
 Since its my birthday month I'm treating myself.

 1. Read many books. I have already read 6 books so far this month.
 I love to read and am not going to stress about what I should be doing.

 2. Finish up with school and then spend the rest of the month 'un-schooling'.
 I want to try and get learning fun again. I am hoping to have Sarah do different assignments that will strictly be for fun. Like take pictures hide and seek or do some cool experiments I've been reading about on Pinterest.

 3. Spend every spare second I can of this month camping or day trips.
 Spend time together as a family and just enjoy the closeness we have. I'm hoping the boys can come and see us or join us on some of these excursions.

 Next month I will be getting my house back into the swing of things so this month is focused on fun.

 What about you? What are your summer plans?

 I'm linking up with Michelle's Caffeinated Randomness and with the 3 in 30 challenge today.

Thursday 12 July 2012

Thankful Thursday

What a crazy, busy, wonderful, exciting, emotional past two weeks this has been.
 We are obviously back in Canada.
 We left temps from +42C (about 107f) to +35c here at home. However when you add in the humitity it's actually warmer here. Unfortunately no pool to go and cool off. :(

 This week I am thankful for so much.
 I'm thankful that we were able to have the opportunity to take our daughter on this trip and make many memories together.
 I'm thankful that I have wonderful boys that will drop things in an instant to come help if needed.
 I'm thankful that my husband is so wonderful and surprised with the coolest early birthday gift ever.
 I'm thankful that in two short weeks I will be heading to the island to spend a cople days with my parents and siblings in a last minute reunion.
 I'm thankful that soon my husband will be working close enough that he could come home for special family events.
 I'm thankful that even though my writing is not always the best I still enjoy writing here and sharing my life with you.
 I'm thankful that HE is always there for me. I'm thankful for the opportunity to spend time camping this summer.
 I'm just so thankful... I'm linking up today with Theresa at Red Oak Lane

Monday 2 July 2012

Memories Vegas style

What a holiday it has been so far. Not only have I had the pleasure of watching my daughter(and her teammates) dance but my girlie and I have also had some pretty amazing bonding moments. As you all know by now if you have been reading this blog we spend a lot of time together. For most of the time it is just he and me. We homeschool and my handsome hubby works away. Not to mention her brothers are moved out now so to find some time with which I truly believe we are making solid memories is kinda cool. I realize that she will remember our time together positively (I hope lol), however this I imagine she will talk about with her children. Today after she danced we went to the pool for a while and then another dance family and us went to a dinner theatre. I can not rave enough about this. It was amazing. All 4 children had their eyes glued to the arena and to be honest the parents did as well except that we were torn between the show and watching the children's reactions. :) We laughed and joked and made memories...Vegas style. :)

Sunday 1 July 2012

Celebrating Canada Day in the U.S.A.

Well I will admit that other than watch my beautiful daughter preform on stage we did a whole lot of nothing besides the pool today. If we had been home we would have went to church and then probably into a bigger center for Canada Day festivities. However being here sitting by the pool this year was pretty great too. I am very proud today. I'm proud of the wonderful country that I reside in. I realize that I have some wonderful American friends whom also have a great country however Cananda is mine. I'm so proud and in awe of the many men and women who work to keep our country safe. Sacrificing so much so that I can live And raise our children in a country that is free. I'm also so proud of our girl. She danced in Vegas today!!! How freaking cool is that. (minor brag moment here. Lol ). She didn't dance her best preformance but she got up on stage and preformed. She remembered her steps, she kept time with the music and most of all she did it!! I realize that she has been dancing all spring this solo but this was a big deal for her to come all the was here and preform it in front if so many people. I'm proud of my wonderful hubby. He works so hard so that we were able to come here and do this. I'm proud of my handsome sons. Our oldest is staying at our house while we are away looking after our kitty and the middle is growing up right before my eyes. Days like this all I can really do is sit back and thank God for the many blessings he has bestowed on myself and my family. Thank you Lord!!!!