Last Post was October 2011 – until TODAY!

Hello any followers I have left! haha. To say I took an unplanned hiatus is a bit of an understatement. I really had no plan on abandoning my blog but God had a different plan. In early October 2011 I found out I was pregnant with our 2nd child! We were so excited, but then that excitement wore off within days when the morning ALL DAY sickness kicked in…bad. In addition to the oh so common “morning sickness,” I got a sinus infection/cold that didn’t go away for 2 weeks. It made functioning incredibly hard. My throat was swelled up for almost 2 weeks, making it impossible to swallow pills. This made it impossible to take my prenatal pills and without those little pills my hormones and emotions went topsy-turvy and I got really depressed. It took a good month to really get my mental state back to where it should be, but the all day sickness continued. So with the holidays, a very happy but attention-needing toddler who only naps once/day and a very early bedtime thanks to that growing fetus inside my belly, this blog wasn’t on my to-do list.

BUT the good news is that I’m almost 17 weeks, have regained my energy and lost most of the sickness, and am going to attempt to be posting again

That’s the biggest update in my life. Little Miss Charlotte is almost 19 months and is as cute as ever. She’s running all around, coloring on everything, dances whenever she hears music and enjoys making music with her daddy in his studio. She’s also talking a lot and communicating with us so life in that sense has gotten a lot easier.

Hubbie is doing great – working at the same job and going for more certifications. He’s been doing a lot of studio work and is releasing his first full length album in just a few months! In addition he’ll be going back to Ottawa (sans family this time) to play 2 gigs in 1 night So exciting!

With the holidays my couponing seemed to have slowed down but I’m happy to report that the budget wasn’t broken too badly and our family is still completely debt-free, including car payments! We’ve even started saving for Charlotte’s college…something we didn’t know would be possible on 1 income but that’s God for ya! Such an amazing way to live life!

And as for God in our lives, well He’s definitely been working hard picking up the slack that this pregnancy has caused. I don’t think I’ve mentioned that in September I became a Sunday School teacher at my church for the 4-5th graders and love every minute of it. They’re full of ideas and energy but aren’t to the point of being jaded with worldly confusion and opinions…it has really been a wonderful experience. I have 2 high school aged assistants who make my life 10x easier and I’m so blessed to have them in my life (and classroom)!

So I think you’re all caught up on my life. Hope your holidays went well and I hope to be posting a bit more frequently, at least until the new baby arrives in June

Me & Charlotte

Christmas 2011

Last Post was October 2011 – until TODAY!

Hello any followers I have left! haha. To say I took an unplanned hiatus is a bit of an understatement. I really had no plan on abandoning my blog but God had a different plan. In early October 2011 I found out I was pregnant with our 2nd child! We were so excited, but then that excitement wore off within days when the morning ALL DAY sickness kicked in…bad. In addition to the oh so common “morning sickness,” I got a sinus infection/cold that didn’t go away for 2 weeks. It made functioning incredibly hard. My throat was swelled up for almost 2 weeks, making it impossible to swallow pills. This made it impossible to take my prenatal pills and without those little pills my hormones and emotions went topsy-turvy and I got really depressed. It took a good month to really get my mental state back to where it should be, but the all day sickness continued. So with the holidays, a very happy but attention-needing toddler who only naps once/day and a very early bedtime thanks to that growing fetus inside my belly, this blog wasn’t on my to-do list.

BUT the good news is that I’m almost 17 weeks, have regained my energy and lost most of the sickness, and am going to attempt to be posting again

That’s the biggest update in my life. Little Miss Charlotte is almost 19 months and is as cute as ever. She’s running all around, coloring on everything, dances whenever she hears music and enjoys making music with her daddy in his studio. She’s also talking a lot and communicating with us so life in that sense has gotten a lot easier.

Hubbie is doing great – working at the same job and going for more certifications. He’s been doing a lot of studio work and is releasing his first full length album in just a few months! In addition he’ll be going back to Ottawa (sans family this time) to play 2 gigs in 1 night So exciting!

With the holidays my couponing seemed to have slowed down but I’m happy to report that the budget wasn’t broken too badly and our family is still completely debt-free, including car payments! We’ve even started saving for Charlotte’s college…something we didn’t know would be possible on 1 income but that’s God for ya! Such an amazing way to live life!

And as for God in our lives, well He’s definitely been working hard picking up the slack that this pregnancy has caused. I don’t think I’ve mentioned that in September I became a Sunday School teacher at my church for the 4-5th graders and love every minute of it. They’re full of ideas and energy but aren’t to the point of being jaded with worldly confusion and opinions…it has really been a wonderful experience. I have 2 high school aged assistants who make my life 10x easier and I’m so blessed to have them in my life (and classroom)!

So I think you’re all caught up on my life. Hope your holidays went well and I hope to be posting a bit more frequently, at least until the new baby arrives in June

Me & Charlotte

Christmas 2011

Photos and More!

I recently used Shutterfly to create my first photo book for Charlotte and was amazed at how easy it was! With this being her first Christmas we’ve finally decided to send out Christmas cards this year (we usually don’t). Our favorite from Shutterfly is the Frost Friends Christmas because it’s cute, original and has my favorite – snowmen!

I’m usually not one for advertising sites but I was seriously amazed at how easy, fun and simple Shutterfly was. Make sure to take a look at their cards and calendars too. I’ve been “collecting” discount codes to their site and am able to get discounts on products, free shipping after purchasing a certain amount and even some more free photo books. It’s definitely worth the effort and an easy way to get some presents checked off of my list. I’m thinking Grandparents who aren’t hip on the digital and still request pictures in the mail of their new great granddaughter! 

Beware the Scarlet Letters

Beware of those beautiful scarlet letters. Not the book. Not the story. Not the history.

The ads.

“Clearance” “Sale” “One Day Only” etc etc.

There’s a phrase that goes “if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.” Well at this point in the year I advise you to forget this saying and bring it back in mid-January 2011. It’s officially Christmas shopping season. Why? Because the stores tell us so. Every single circular has amazing deals on products. Coupon codes, online only sales, 1 day shopping in-store sales, rebates, discounts, free products with a purchase…these deals EXIST and THEY ARE GOOD. It’s just like hell – it exists to all but is often sugar coated in candy red letters so we don’t feel the flames as we fall into its alluring traps. Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic but let’s think about this.

Today is November 10th. Christmas is a month and a half away. Have you bought or been tempted to purchase gifts because of a deal you couldn’t pass up? Retailers started early and man they’re good this year.  Falling prices, coupons for every store and black Friday ads circulating since Halloween. The perfect way to stimulate our economy so the stores make money and more and more people end up in accidental debt. Don’t think so? Well, how many people are going to finish the bulk of their Christmas shopping by December 1st and then spend a month not buying anything else when the deals are going to keep getting better? Are you strong enough to not go in the mall for a month during “the best time of the year?” And if you’re daring enough to enter, are you strong enough to resist a 75% off nothing you really need but something you want deal? You may pick up an extra gift or 2 for someone because it’s the “perfect gift.” Or maybe you’ll treat yourself because you’re done shopping for other people.

The stores may seem like they’re helping you out but long-term, are they?

My advice is to do your research before you go shopping, stick to your lists, print out your coupons, use your rebate sites, use your coupon codes, save on the not rushed deliveries but most importantly, if it’s not the absolute perfect gift for the absolute perfect price, wait. It’ll be hard. But it should pay off.

This year before purchasing anything I ask myself these questions:

• Who is it for?
• Will they love it?
• Is it what I would pay if it were full price or am I buying it because it’s on sale?
• Does it exceed the amount I want to/can afford to spend on this person?
• Will it get even cheaper?

I’m not saying don’t shop – I myself have already bought a few presents. What I’m saying is be wise. The stores are not your friends, they’re looking to make money. They don’t care how many times you purchase from their store and whether it’s full price or clearance priced. They don’t care if you use cash or credit card (unless of course it’s THEIR credit card they can charge you interest on). And most importantly, they couldn’t care less if you have a debt/balance in January 2011 that wasn’t there in October 2010.

Wishing you all a conscious shopping season – good luck out there!

The Week In Between

Well here it is…the week in between Christmas and New Years. As a kid it was always an exciting week because school was closed and the chances of playing in the snow for hours increased. But I must say, as a working adult, this week isn’t fun anymore. It’s a short week at work but it’s also a week where most people take vacation time if their office is open. So for those of us working, it’s boring and slow. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t want more work to do and I love my boss being away…but I’d rather be playing in the snow.

So since I physically cannot go outside, I decided that I would mentally take a trip to the places I cannot go. This week I’ll day-dream about snowboarding down the mountains in Switzerland (because in my dream I can snowboard) and get lost walking around the streets of London. I’ll take a road trip to Seattle and take a cruise around Alaska.

But seriously…

The week in between Christmas and New Years is my last chance to do something meaningful in 2009. I don’t know about you, but 2009 has been a crazy year for me. A lot is in the process of changing and although it’s exciting, it’s also caused me to spend many hours thinking selfishly about myself and my own concerns. So this week I get to salvage my thoughts of 2009 and turn my thoughts to others.

In my downtime I can pray for people, whether they ask for it or not. I can take a few extra minutes to talk to people and hear about their holiday memories. This week I’ll focus on not focusing on myself. And with just a little effort, 2010 will start the same way that 2009 ended. There will be no need for a new years resolution. I don’t have to wait.  In 2009 I can make the choice to change. I don’t have to wait for the shiny ball to drop.

What will YOU do this week?

My Christmas Blog – 2009

With Christmas just 8 days away I figure it’s time to write a little something about it. I’ve considered talking about the commercialism of Christmas but honestly, even I’m tired of hearing about it. If you don’t know that Christmas has a bit too much present and “me” focus, you aren’t paying too much attention. That’s not my fault. So instead, here are a list of my favorites for this 2009 Christmas season.

Favorite Christmas Movie: The Holiday. I know, it’s not new anymore. And it’s not a traditional Christmas type movie…But I still love it.

Favorite Christmas Short Animation: I love Mickey’s Christmas Carol. Goofy still freaks me out a little to be honest.

Favorite Traditional Christmas Song: I love Bing Crosby’s “Silent Night”

Favorite Modern Christmas Song: House of Heroes’ “All I Want for Christmas is You”

Favorite Christmas Music Video: “Sleigh Ride” – Relient K

Favorite Christmas Decorations: Snowmen

Favorite Christmas Cookie: Sugar cookies w/ no frosting – just lots of sprinkles!

So that’s about all I’ve got…what are your favorites? I’d love to hear! Merry Christmas everyone. I hope it’s a wonderful time of year for you.

A Christmas Story

Once there was a girl who didn’t know much about Christmas. She knew that it was a time of year that her friends went to church, the neighbors put lights on their houses, there was fun music on the radio and presents miraculously appearing underneath a tree. As she got older she started to dislike Christmas more and more. She began realizing that she didn’t “belong” to the holiday and therefore felt guilty celebrating each year. Then one day it all made sense. The meaning of Christmas appeared. Not only is Christmas the celebration of the birth of Christ (which by the way, he wasn’t born in December) but it is about what Christ stands for — love. It’s about loving your family, your friends, your neighbors, your enemies and even your strangers. It’s about showing love to those that do and don’t know the meaning of love. It’s about being selfless. And most of all, it’s about loving without judgment, without expectation and without conditions.

So this Christmas, this girl will spend it with her family who she has chosen to love unconditionally and with a best friend who she will love no matter what circumstances may come. This Christmas – who will you choose to love?

To all of my readers – no matter what you believe – I wish you a very Happy Christmas. I love you all.