It is 9:45pm and as I sit here typing this I can hear my son upstairs running around. His bedtime is 8pm. We saw him climbing on the outside of the stairs so he came and sat with me for a couple of minutes. He told me he was hungry so I gave him a cheese stick and took him back upstairs. It was to dark and scary for him to go down the hall by himself! This was all at about 9pm. He has done this the past couple of nights. So it makes me wonder if he goes to bed too early. The only problem is he doesn't want to wake up in the morning for school. We have had the odd week where this happens and then he reverts back to his 8pm bedtime and 7am waking. He is almost 5, is 8pm too early for him to go to bed?
How do I get him up in the morning if he stays up late? What time do your kids go to bed at?
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
How did you spend earth hour?
This year we spent a few hours outside with our neighbours. They set up a little bonfire in their fire pit (you know the kind that is in a cute bowl you can move around) and a few families gathered and we roasted some marshmallows. We talked about the homes around us that had all their lights on. And then we looked at our house and our outside lights were on! I forgot about our lights that are on a timer. We installed it when we moved because if our lights were on my husband would forget to turn them off before he went to bed. Good thing it was at 8pm that they went on. I went back home and hit the bypass to turn them off. Our house was dark and it felt great. Last year we went dark too, but I still worked by the light of my laptop on battery power. Yes I had a lot of work to do but it was nice to shut everything off for a few hours. It reminded all of us how nice it is to just sit back and relax. We all sat around the fire and said we want to do earth hour every week!
Dave and I discussed earth hour before the festivities began because there has been a lot of discussion about how worthy it actually is. I believe even a little something makes a difference. That is one of the reasons that we have done our small part to do what we can. We have a brand new house that is energy certified, our windows, extra insulation, high efficiency furnace, low flow toilets, showers and faucets. I adjust the thermostat a few degrees, I believe that you should be able to be comfortable inside in the same clothes you would wear outside, sweater in winter and tank top in summer (I still remember how cold my friends house was in the summer, so cold I needed to wear a sweater inside when it was hot outside). I use my a/c to just remove the humidity from my home, and love to take advantage of those breezy days and turn off the a/c and open up my windows. Installed compact florescent light bulbs in every light and put ceiling fans in every room we could. When we moved and bought our new appliances we made sure they offered the best energy guide rating. I love my front load washer and dryer! I do all of my laundry and run my dishwasher in off peak hours.
There are so many other "green" things that I do to help reduce our carbon footprint. I used no/low VOC paint when I painted the kids rooms, and will use it when we paint the rest of the house once our 1 year warranty is up. I use all natural eco-friendly cleaners and personal care products. We recycle and compost 90% of our garbage. I regularly visit our household hazardous waste and recycling depot to drop off items that should not go in the garbage. All of our clothing and household items we are no longer using get donated. We don't use a gas lawn mower. I put a "no junk mail" sticker in my mailbox. I shop at local farms in the warmer months. I shop at a grocery store that doesn't give out plastic bags so I bring my own. All of the wood products in my kitchen are bamboo. Just trying to think of it all I have realized a few extra things that I didn't think about.
I think the point of earth hour for me was to remind us to do the little things. If we all do a few little things it will make a difference. We can all make a difference - for our kids. If you question anything you have to remember that this is all for our kids, and their kids.
Dave and I discussed earth hour before the festivities began because there has been a lot of discussion about how worthy it actually is. I believe even a little something makes a difference. That is one of the reasons that we have done our small part to do what we can. We have a brand new house that is energy certified, our windows, extra insulation, high efficiency furnace, low flow toilets, showers and faucets. I adjust the thermostat a few degrees, I believe that you should be able to be comfortable inside in the same clothes you would wear outside, sweater in winter and tank top in summer (I still remember how cold my friends house was in the summer, so cold I needed to wear a sweater inside when it was hot outside). I use my a/c to just remove the humidity from my home, and love to take advantage of those breezy days and turn off the a/c and open up my windows. Installed compact florescent light bulbs in every light and put ceiling fans in every room we could. When we moved and bought our new appliances we made sure they offered the best energy guide rating. I love my front load washer and dryer! I do all of my laundry and run my dishwasher in off peak hours.
There are so many other "green" things that I do to help reduce our carbon footprint. I used no/low VOC paint when I painted the kids rooms, and will use it when we paint the rest of the house once our 1 year warranty is up. I use all natural eco-friendly cleaners and personal care products. We recycle and compost 90% of our garbage. I regularly visit our household hazardous waste and recycling depot to drop off items that should not go in the garbage. All of our clothing and household items we are no longer using get donated. We don't use a gas lawn mower. I put a "no junk mail" sticker in my mailbox. I shop at local farms in the warmer months. I shop at a grocery store that doesn't give out plastic bags so I bring my own. All of the wood products in my kitchen are bamboo. Just trying to think of it all I have realized a few extra things that I didn't think about.
I think the point of earth hour for me was to remind us to do the little things. If we all do a few little things it will make a difference. We can all make a difference - for our kids. If you question anything you have to remember that this is all for our kids, and their kids.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Germs, Germs go Away!
It is after 11:00pm and I just finished cleaning my bathrooms! I swear I have been sick with one thing or another for months now. Well since the beginning of December to be exact when I got strep throat for the first time in ever {well as long as I can possibly remember ever}. It really has been one thing after another as I know many of you are aware because I have posted about it more than I wish to admit. Right now I have this stomach bug. Nothing horrible, just a little nuisance. But since it started on Friday night, and I am sitting here on Tuesday night still dealing with it I got fed up. I had to rush to the bathroom and as I sat there {OMG insert my red face here because I am talking about this online!!} I said no more. I got up and went to get all of my bathroom cleaning products and started to clean my bathroom from top to bottom. Then I moved onto the others in my house as I am getting rid of the germs. I am going to sanitize everything I possibly can in my house in hopes of banishing the bugs.
Has this winter been horrible for everyone else's health?
Has this winter been horrible for everyone else's health?
You know you are living in 2009 when...
1. You accidentally enter your pin on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses...
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.
AND NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.
A friend emailed this to me and as I read it I had to smile and agree to a lot of this. I know many times I wonder about what our world is turning to with all the technology and convenience created, well that is another long post, so for now I just wanted to share so you could all giggle as well!
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses...
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.
AND NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.
A friend emailed this to me and as I read it I had to smile and agree to a lot of this. I know many times I wonder about what our world is turning to with all the technology and convenience created, well that is another long post, so for now I just wanted to share so you could all giggle as well!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Spring Organizing my Office
To do list:
1. Organize desk
2. Remove excess junk from bookshelves
3. Gather inspirational items
4. Hang designs and art on walls
5. Finish filing
6. and then all of this is done I will want to move all of the furniture around.
*Note to self - Look at furniture placement first!!*
I am with only one child for a few days as Kal has gone to my mom's place in the city. He is all excited to ride the street cars and subways. I am not sure what he likes better, her country home on the lake or her trendy condo right in the heart of the city. I am not sure if he knows either! So with all of this free time of only having one child (can you sense my sarcasm?!) who is constantly on the go and talking and wanting to eat I am sure I will get lots done. My plan right now is to work on my office. Lets see how far I get... with Miss E standing beside me naked wearing only her running shoes and asking to go outside!!
1. Organize desk
2. Remove excess junk from bookshelves
3. Gather inspirational items
4. Hang designs and art on walls
5. Finish filing
6. and then all of this is done I will want to move all of the furniture around.
*Note to self - Look at furniture placement first!!*
I am with only one child for a few days as Kal has gone to my mom's place in the city. He is all excited to ride the street cars and subways. I am not sure what he likes better, her country home on the lake or her trendy condo right in the heart of the city. I am not sure if he knows either! So with all of this free time of only having one child (can you sense my sarcasm?!) who is constantly on the go and talking and wanting to eat I am sure I will get lots done. My plan right now is to work on my office. Lets see how far I get... with Miss E standing beside me naked wearing only her running shoes and asking to go outside!!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Cartoons, Cartoons, and more Cartoons
Yes my kids watch cartoons. They love Treehouse a little too much. I always said that TV was going to be a treat but in many cases it has become a help when I have work to do. Well my son is now really into watching TV and movies, and he will sit through it all. So because it is Spring Break I decided to let him stay up a little later with me a couple of nights. Tonight he is sitting beside me, all cuddled in which just melts my heart (and makes up for his not so nice behaviour the past couple of days) and watching Franklin when Little Bear comes on. I know how much he really enjoys Little Bear so I let him stay up and watch it too. Hopeful that maybe the extra 20 minutes will give me an extra 20 minutes of sleep in the morning!! Well the show ends and off up to bed he goes, I go up and turn on the humidifier (he has another cough) and tuck him in with a hug and kiss. Another thing that melts my heart! I come back down, sit down with my laptop and start working. An hour later I realize I am still watching Treehouse... maybe deep down I am as much of a fan of the shows as they are!!
I know I secretly love watching Berenstain Bears with him, I loved it as a child too! Little Bear, Franklin, and many others are cute little shows that have good meaning behind them. That and they might give me a couple minutes to send an email or start dinner.
Wow I admit that I let my kids watch TV, and more then some might think is okay.
I know I secretly love watching Berenstain Bears with him, I loved it as a child too! Little Bear, Franklin, and many others are cute little shows that have good meaning behind them. That and they might give me a couple minutes to send an email or start dinner.
Wow I admit that I let my kids watch TV, and more then some might think is okay.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
To the Doctor or not?
That I feel has been a question in my mind for months now. As many of you know I have struggled this past winter with a number of illnesses and it just seems like my body can't recover. I am not a fan of doctors and I don't like running to them for every little thing. I think if I was not sick in the first place I sure will be when I leave the doctors office!
Miss E has barely gone since she was born. My wonderful midwives cared for her first 6 weeks and then I just took her in when I had to. Her vaccinations have been all over the place as I am still not sure how I feel about them. Yes I gave every single one to my son and I feel bad about it. I was a new mother and I trusted in my health professionals to take care of him. Is that not what they should be there for after all? Well I started to learn better and I can't take back his but I can do what I feel best for her. I will never not vaccinate my kids, but I will do it in my own time. I have a really great friend who has a son with Autism and it is heart breaking to how she feels responsible and that vaccines are the reason for his change. I count my blessings every day that my children were the lucky ones.
Ever since I returned from my wonderful sunny vacation I have been dealing with this cold that is more of an aggravation then anything. Well a couple of weeks ago it turned into this cough. Both kids were sick with colds so I didn't get a lot of sleep. Kal will cough all night long but sleep right through it, it just keeps me awake. Miss E will not sleep. She is a horrible sleeper, and nothing I do about it will change anything. If she is sick, or dealing with anything (I will have to share our kitchen chair fall one day) she sleeps horribly. That means I don't sleep and when I don't sleep I get run down and then it seems I get sick. I am the type that needs 8 hours of sleep a night, or else I am not someone you want to be around!
This cough has not gone away, it has kept me from the gym, and keeps me awake most of the night. Thankfully it doesn't wake up the kids! I am sad that I can't work out. I tried going to yoga on Thursday night but had to leave halfway through the class because as soon as I went into downward dog I started coughing and could not stop. I didn't want to disrupt the class. I am really missing the gym, it is a great outlet for me. I would normally do pilates on Monday's but I can't do it, unless I spend the hour hacking up a lung. I am not sure what else I can do about my cough, I have tried everything but nothing seems to help. I don't want to go to the doctor for just a cough. Maybe if I am still like this in a couple of weeks I might re-think things but for now I am going to just try to deal.
If anyone has any tips for helping a horrible cough let me know. I am open to try anything!
Miss E has barely gone since she was born. My wonderful midwives cared for her first 6 weeks and then I just took her in when I had to. Her vaccinations have been all over the place as I am still not sure how I feel about them. Yes I gave every single one to my son and I feel bad about it. I was a new mother and I trusted in my health professionals to take care of him. Is that not what they should be there for after all? Well I started to learn better and I can't take back his but I can do what I feel best for her. I will never not vaccinate my kids, but I will do it in my own time. I have a really great friend who has a son with Autism and it is heart breaking to how she feels responsible and that vaccines are the reason for his change. I count my blessings every day that my children were the lucky ones.
Ever since I returned from my wonderful sunny vacation I have been dealing with this cold that is more of an aggravation then anything. Well a couple of weeks ago it turned into this cough. Both kids were sick with colds so I didn't get a lot of sleep. Kal will cough all night long but sleep right through it, it just keeps me awake. Miss E will not sleep. She is a horrible sleeper, and nothing I do about it will change anything. If she is sick, or dealing with anything (I will have to share our kitchen chair fall one day) she sleeps horribly. That means I don't sleep and when I don't sleep I get run down and then it seems I get sick. I am the type that needs 8 hours of sleep a night, or else I am not someone you want to be around!
This cough has not gone away, it has kept me from the gym, and keeps me awake most of the night. Thankfully it doesn't wake up the kids! I am sad that I can't work out. I tried going to yoga on Thursday night but had to leave halfway through the class because as soon as I went into downward dog I started coughing and could not stop. I didn't want to disrupt the class. I am really missing the gym, it is a great outlet for me. I would normally do pilates on Monday's but I can't do it, unless I spend the hour hacking up a lung. I am not sure what else I can do about my cough, I have tried everything but nothing seems to help. I don't want to go to the doctor for just a cough. Maybe if I am still like this in a couple of weeks I might re-think things but for now I am going to just try to deal.
If anyone has any tips for helping a horrible cough let me know. I am open to try anything!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Excitement!
I am really excited about a project I am working on. I am in the process of launching my wall art, just working on getting it on my website for everyone to be able to buy. And now I am working on something else that is very exciting! I can't share just yet, but I will very soon I promise. I am trying to decide right now if these items should be under the Grace Announcements name or if I should use my Lindsay Brewda Design. Oh the details...
Well off to finish designing and creating. I just had to share :)
Well off to finish designing and creating. I just had to share :)
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Organization, or lack of it
I have been trying so hard to be more organized. I would think it should be easy, I am the queen of organization after all. But I think I listened to well to the saying "who cares what your house looks like, as long as your kids are happy" and now I find it hard to find the time to have my closets looking like Martha Stewart's.
Can I share a secret? I have always admired her!! Okay there I admit it, I am a Martha Stewart fan. I would watch all of her shows and read all of her magazines before I had kids. I always looked at her for inspiration for my home.
I am not organized like that now, I wish I was, but I am not. Most of my closets have still not been set up and organized. There are still boxes in them. I moved 8 months ago now, so I don't have an excuse. That is one of those items that I need to put on the top of my "to-do list". If I could just find the time to write is down!!
Well I decided I needed to keep track of my time and all of my appointments better. I have a lot of trades in and out doing repairs on our new home, I have clients picking up orders and I have my own personal appointments. I put them all in Outlook and use their great colour categories to keep track of it all. My son is one colour, my daughter another, I am one, my house is one, and business is another. Sounds great right?
Why have I missed the last two workshops at my son's school??? I put them in my calendar, why do I not notice it? Obviously I need to adjust my system, or have a backup calendar or two. Maybe a good old fashioned one in my office and kitchen might help.
Can I share a secret? I have always admired her!! Okay there I admit it, I am a Martha Stewart fan. I would watch all of her shows and read all of her magazines before I had kids. I always looked at her for inspiration for my home.
I am not organized like that now, I wish I was, but I am not. Most of my closets have still not been set up and organized. There are still boxes in them. I moved 8 months ago now, so I don't have an excuse. That is one of those items that I need to put on the top of my "to-do list". If I could just find the time to write is down!!
Well I decided I needed to keep track of my time and all of my appointments better. I have a lot of trades in and out doing repairs on our new home, I have clients picking up orders and I have my own personal appointments. I put them all in Outlook and use their great colour categories to keep track of it all. My son is one colour, my daughter another, I am one, my house is one, and business is another. Sounds great right?
Why have I missed the last two workshops at my son's school??? I put them in my calendar, why do I not notice it? Obviously I need to adjust my system, or have a backup calendar or two. Maybe a good old fashioned one in my office and kitchen might help.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Honey I wrecked the kids!
For many years now this saying has gone through my mind. It started bad after I had little Miss Ella and I was sure I was ruining my beautiful 3 year old. The thought was so bad that I had to start in support groups for PPD. It had actually consumed my daily being and I didn't realize that I wasn't ruining my son, that I was just not recognizing all the good things throughout my day. I was being really hard on myself and after days, weeks and months like this I was not able to see anything else. Thanks to much needed help I realized that they were okay, that I didn't wreck them for the rest of their lives and that we would all be okay. Well I am not perfect and still have times when life gets crazy, I spend too much time focused on my business, etc. and I feel like I may have just had one of those days. I was actually having one of those weeks after coming back from a much needed, not long enough to regroup vacation. I have been working hard to catch up on Grace Announcements stuff and everything else is getting ignored.
Well a great friend called me up and asked if I wanted to come with her to this speaking engagement the following night, by Alyson Schafer about her new book "Honey, I Wrecked the Kids". I knew at that moment that I HAD to go, and lucky me I was now. Wow what a night! Alyson was a great speaker, and I spent most of the 2 hours engaged in every word she spoke. I left energized and ready to take on my kids. I am reading the book to get even more insight into my two, and how best to deal with them. Alyson is a great writer and her style has great humor with many real life examples. One of the biggest things that I took from that evening was something that I have been hearing for a little while now - don't change them, change the way YOU deal with them. Here is a little of what Alyson has to say about the book:
"Honey, I Wrecked the Kids is a book for parents who have tried every parenting trick in the book but nothing seems to be working. In fact, you're pretty sure they are making matters worse! Just as antibiotics created super bugs, old parenting methods have created the discipline-resistant child, and parents are not prepared.
In the book, I give detailed instructions for implementing a new style of parenting for the 21st century kid. The democratic approach is both firm and friendly. It respects the child’s dignity and rights while ensuring the same for parents. It should not be confused with permissive parenting, but all too often, it is.
Unique from other parenting literature, Honey I Wrecked the Kids gives readers a simple method for diagnosing the four root causes of misbehavior applicable to every parenting situation. Once parents learns to understand their child’s motivation and goals, their new democratic parenting tools can be applied with great success."
Alyson has another book which I want to buy when my local bookstore has it in stock. Breaking the Good Mom Myth - Every modern mom's guide to getting past perfection, regaining sanity, and raising great kids.
Maybe these two books will show me that I am actually a good mother and I should stop being so hard on myself.
Well a great friend called me up and asked if I wanted to come with her to this speaking engagement the following night, by Alyson Schafer about her new book "Honey, I Wrecked the Kids". I knew at that moment that I HAD to go, and lucky me I was now. Wow what a night! Alyson was a great speaker, and I spent most of the 2 hours engaged in every word she spoke. I left energized and ready to take on my kids. I am reading the book to get even more insight into my two, and how best to deal with them. Alyson is a great writer and her style has great humor with many real life examples. One of the biggest things that I took from that evening was something that I have been hearing for a little while now - don't change them, change the way YOU deal with them. Here is a little of what Alyson has to say about the book:
"Honey, I Wrecked the Kids is a book for parents who have tried every parenting trick in the book but nothing seems to be working. In fact, you're pretty sure they are making matters worse! Just as antibiotics created super bugs, old parenting methods have created the discipline-resistant child, and parents are not prepared.
In the book, I give detailed instructions for implementing a new style of parenting for the 21st century kid. The democratic approach is both firm and friendly. It respects the child’s dignity and rights while ensuring the same for parents. It should not be confused with permissive parenting, but all too often, it is.
Unique from other parenting literature, Honey I Wrecked the Kids gives readers a simple method for diagnosing the four root causes of misbehavior applicable to every parenting situation. Once parents learns to understand their child’s motivation and goals, their new democratic parenting tools can be applied with great success."
Alyson has another book which I want to buy when my local bookstore has it in stock. Breaking the Good Mom Myth - Every modern mom's guide to getting past perfection, regaining sanity, and raising great kids.
Maybe these two books will show me that I am actually a good mother and I should stop being so hard on myself.
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