Craftsale

Its that time again. Time to prepare for the artist's market and craft sale. D.J. and I spent the weekend doing woodwork, making all kinds of goodies to sell.

This year I'll be smart and split the day selling stuff with D.J., I like the making stuff part, I just don't like the selling things part. I'm not a salesperson, and I tend to undersell everything. D.J and Cheryl are much better at the schtick!

Back to work....I'm making a doll house today.

Here some info for the craftsale...

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Winter has arrived...

It was inevitable, we had a lovely fall but the snow had to fly eventually.
In Winnipeg.
Not in Jamaica.
Jamaica will not have snow this winter.
Jerks.

Did I just call everyone in Jamaica a jerk?
Yes I did.
Nothing personal, its just the snow thing. That's it. Just the snow.

But on the bright side, my kids are cute in their jackets....



The only amusement I find in the snow thing is my kid's reaction to the cold. Rebecca was the star of the week at her pre-school, so she got a star stamp on her hand. When she asked why the star was gone, I explained that it washed away by evening from washing her hands. She replied, "Maybe it froze off".

Good point Rebecca.
Good point.

Type-A Personality

This morning, when the girls woke up, we showed them all the snow on the ground.
They were very excited! Jumping up and down and shouting "Yay!"

Rebecca shouts very excitedly, "Yay! There is snow! Now I can shovel it!"

Ha ha ha She sees the snow as an opportunity to clean something! Yowza! She DEFINITELY does NOT get that from me!
ha ha ha

Inspiration on a Monday Morning...

Its a chilly, blah day this Monday morning, so I thought I'd share some of the thoughts that inspire me from one of my favorite books. The author of the series is Jack Handey.

• I hope they never find out that lightning has a lot of vitamins in it, because do you hide from it or not?

Just take a moment and meditate on that, let the wisdom sink in.

• As the light changed from red to green to yellow and back to red again, I sat there thinking about life. Was it nothing more than a bunch of honking and yelling? Sometimes it seemed that way.

Ahhhhh...Jack. Jack Handey, you clever, clever man. Will you never cease to inspire?

• If you're a blacksmith, probably the proudest day of your life is when you get your first anvil. How innocent you are, little blacksmith.

How true, how true. Excuse me. I just need a moment to pull myself together after that mind-blowing paradigm shift in my life. *sniff, sniff* Okay, I think I'm alright now. I'll just leave with one more. Too much wisdom in one day can be overwhelming.

• You know one thing that will really make a woman mad? Just run up and kick her in the butt. (P.S. This also works with men.)

Jack is not only wise but also gives us practical advise for healthy living. Thank you Jack, thank you. Thank you.

New Pictures....

On Halloween, both girls were princesses! Of course! Here is a little glimpse of their glorious debut!

Code Green! Code Green! Give me Broccoli and Sprouts! Stat!

This morning I attended a seminar (for work) on the current state of children's health in Canada. Sort of like "Supersize Me!" with data and Canadian statistics!

How terrifying! I've heard the words trans fats, preservatives, juvenile diabetes, osteoperosis, etc. tossed around in the media. I had no idea that they were talking about me and my kids! I thought they meant the guys who are eating candy, fast food and coke everyday. You know, THOSE people!

I was so freaked out, I had brussel sprouts and a glass of water for lunch.
(But I tend to over-react! Eating brussel sprouts is a bit dramatic!)

I didn't know that I had such dangerous eating habits, and so much stuff that I thought was okay isn't. What CAN we eat then?

I got a bunch of hand-outs on healthy eating that are super helpful. I could post some of the ideas on my blog!

ps...for those of you in Winnipeg, the seminar this morning was by one of Winnipeg's nutritionists, we have 6 working for the city. That is one nutritionist per 100,000 people. Anyone still curious as to why we are uneducated about food?

Another Picture....

Here is one family picture that would have been perfect for our Christmas cards if Isabella hadn't closed her eyes! Its tough to coordinate two kids smiling!


We can probably digitally paste a happy face on her and still use it.
Any cute face will do, she kind of looks like an Ewok, maybe we can just paste an Ewok face on her! ha ha ha

Work, Work, Work...

Still settling into life with another job on the side.
I really enjoy myself when I'm working, planning and organizing!
I only stress about how much time I can spend with my girls.

The kids are doing really well with letting me work most of the time.
D.J. is having to do ALOT more with the kids and with the house.
Which is good for both of us!

Its great to be able to use my melon again. Yup! The old noodle!
The noggin! The big bean! The grey-matter! The big cheese!
Greasin' up the frontal lobes! That's me! hee hee hee

OK....that was NOT funny and I'm laughing my head off! Head! ha ha ha
I'm tired, I better get off the computer now.

Mrs. Seales, you've got a lovely daughter...

My friend Lynne came over this morning to take pictures of the family so I have something to send out with the Christmas cards. She took one of me and Rebecca that I absolutely loved so I thought I'd post it!

Thanks Lynne!

Time's a-Tickin'

Whoa! Its Friday already! This week just f-l-e-w right by!
Yesterday was Rememberance Day, the first year that we tried to explain it
(not in gory detail) to Rebecca. We didn't make her watch Saving Private Ryan or
anything like that, we'll save that movie for next year...ha ha ha.

We stood and had a moment of silence to remember "the people that are gone" as she put it, and prayed and thanked God for our freedom. I'm not sure how much of it she understands but its a good start to a new tradition. Well, its an old tradition but its new to us as a family.

My Crinkilly-Crackilly Spine...

(Hey! That sounds like the title of a children's book!)

I have a long back so I have had back troubles a few times in my life which required a visit(s) to
the chiropractor. When things get outta wack, I just go and get it wacked in again!

Since I've started exercising more regularly and stretching better, I've noticed my back doesn't hurt as often. I've also noticed that when I stretch or bend, my back is cracking on it own.

I am hoping this is a healthy sign! Does anyone know anything about chiropractic? or spine popping noises that can tell me if this is good or a bad change?

Its a bird...its a plane.....its Super-Erica!

Today was just your typical day. After getting the kids dressed, I put on my cape and tights!
Phew! It was crazy!

I cleaned the house, put away laundry and put another load on. Then took the kids to the Y where I squeezed in running a couple miles. Then it was the kids turn to run wild in the gym, so I chased them and rolled around on mats and generally frolicked.

From there is was off to the office to pick up some work stuff. Back home to discover being locked out of the house...this is no worry for SUPER Erica...I just ran to my mom who has an extra key!
Made lunch and then put the kids down for a nap, while I did some paperwork, and let the cable guy in (hydro cut a bunch of underground wires). I cleaned the kitchen while the kids slept.

Once the kids got up, it was off to the bank and to the library. Then my mom rescued me and took the kids out for supper so I could put in a couple more hours for work. I think I ate supper, took the kids shopping for their Operation Christmas Child Box and ran to my volleyball game.
I played three games of volleyball, then came home to put in another hour of paperwork.

Phew! I'm pooped. Good thing everyday isn't like this, my super-powers are drained right now.
G-nite....I gotta go eats my spinach.....or get some sleep or something like that.

A Delicate Balance...

Lately, I've been noticing a theme in my life.....
(Yes! my life can have a theme! My life is a novel and I am the main character. Its a little slow in the beginning but I'm sure it'll pick up near the middle and be really exciting at the end!!! If I look real hard maybe I even have a metaphor in my house somewhere...but I digress......)

I've been noticing a need for BALANCE in many areas of my life. As if there are various sections of my life which require my energy. If one or more of those areas is out of kilter then so am I.
Here are some examples to express what I'm trying to say more clearly....

1. Work - do I clean my house until its done, or do I play with my kids? Where is the line of acceptable cleanliness for my home and when am I ignoring/spoiling my kids?
2. Food - when is it ok to give into tiredness and eat fast food, and when is it too much and I need to expend more energy on cooking healthy meals and organizing the menu?
3. Kids - when do I require respect, and need to discipline my kids? When do I need to repect their individualism and grant them more freedom? Control or let go?
4. Money - When I am being "frugal" out of fear and faithlessness (ie spirit of poverty) and when am I spending too much out of greed or fear of not having later?
5. Emotions - When am I too dictated by how I am feeling in the moment? When am I repressing stuff that should be said or dealt with?
6. Social Interation - What is a healthy respect for someone and when does it cross the line into insecurity? When does confidence cross the line into pride?
7. Exercise - When am I motivated by a desire for a healthy body and at what point does being thin become an idol?
8. Mental Health - When I am relaxing by watching t.v. and when am I escaping into a vegatative state? Too muchTeletubbies will melt the brain cells quicker than weed!
9. Spiritual Health - When I am seeking the perspective of God and when am I losing my grip on the world I live in right now, and losing my relevance to the real world? I want to be able to relate to people outside of a church setting.
10. General Life - While raising my kids, when is it ok to play and when do I need to be the responsible adult person?

(You see the theme? 10 examples ought to do it! ha! ha! ha!)

I don't feel like this is a big guilt, or fear thing. I don't feel like I have to get everything right, just that I need to find the balance in these areas of my life for ME! I'm not going to go "shoulding" all over myself when there is an unbalanced area(s) of my life! Yet it is something I am trying to examine and understand. What is healthy for me?

Its like God is the sound-man at the church. The great equalizer of my life. Adjusting all the knobs and buttons until my life fits the conditions in which I will thrive. So I gone on searching for balance (which is really truth I guess) in each of the areas of my life and balance between all these areas....where do I put my energy?

The search goes on.....

A Bit 'O Wisdom...

I read today this little quip "Depression is just anger without enthusiasm."

At first I giggled, as the quote was meant to be funny but then I thought, "hey, that's true."
I think there are a lot of people (especially GOOD people) who don't know how to deal with anger. Anger seems like such a scary thing, they tend to shy away from it in favor of being overwhelmed, then confused, then depressed and tired by the lack of release.

Sometimes, I can be one of the good people, the nice people, the smiley-happy faces who need to let out some anger. I think people like me should be given a sound-proof booth so we can have some rage therapy whenever we need it. (sound-proof so as not to bother anybody else by all the screaming, swearing and freaking out that is may occur in the booth)

I think it would healthy. Then after a few minutes of screaming....we can go back to be happy, and kind once again. It would be quite cathartic really!

Any other closet screamers out there want to give it a shot? You never know unless you try!

Aaaahhh...the British....

The land of decorum and polite diplomacy has done it again!

In the U.K., they have "Spastic Houses" for the mentally disabled.
The have homes for the "wrinklies". (personal care homes here)

Now in the news, there is a group of British teachers rallying to have special classes for pre-schoolers (ankle-biters) who are difficult, or rowdy. They want to put all these "naughty" kids into special classes they've already nicknamed "Sin Bins".

Oh dear! Leave it to the British! Ha! Ha! Ha! Some people in the U.K. are pretty crazy!
Hey! I wonder what word they have for the mentally ill?

Big White Elephant

You know the expression about the big white elephant in the middle of the room but no
one is willing to acknowledge it? No one wants to be rude, so we ignore what is there.

I thinkFEAR has been my big white elephant.

Polite, nice girls don't offend. If you have nothing to nice to say, don't say anything at all. Don't rock the boat! Whatever! Just let it go! And all those other lovely Canadian sayings....

I'm done with that. Even if I can't change it all today, I want to be done with it. I am going to fight fear....until I'm done with it, and its done with me.

So here I go....fighting the lies again......and speaking the truth.....

- I am NOT afraid of what people will think of me.
- I am NOT afraid of telling the truth, I can be trusted to speak in love without fear of offending.
- I am NOT afraid of looking foolish so I can be who I really am.
- I am NOT afraid of being different than everybody else.
- I am NOT afraid of making mistakes and looking foolish.
- I am NOT afraid of succeeding and being acknowledged.
- I am NOT afraid of speaking my heart even when people won't agree with me.
- I am NOT afraid.

I'm tired of having the look of a hunted animal. Although I'm not perfect, I'm still in training, I'm just learning how to be stronger, even now, I am going to step out. I'm not hiding anymore.
The hunted becomes the hunter!

Lynne's comment on having a shuttle to my gym so M.W.C.s could go,
(moms without cars) reminded me of another idea I had last week.

I love to go out for lunch. (its a passion I inherited from my parents)
However, its hard to have a conversation with friends and "catch up" as you entertain,
feed, and then clean up your children.

I thought, I should start a restaurant that has childcare. You drop your kids off at one entrance, and then go eat with the adults at another. It would be a quiet and cozy environment.

You could meet another mom there, and eat together while your children play together.
You could meet friends who don't have children yet, especially those who don't understand life with kids and are stressed by eating with children.
You could go on a date with your husband without having to pay a babysitter huge bucks, and it could be spontanteous.

But as Lynne pointed out, during the day, it would have to have a shuttle service.
It would have to have excellent childcare, and still not be too expensive.
It would have to have good food, because without their kids around, people will notice what the food tastes like.
And finally, it would have to take reservations, because I think it would be booked up the wazzu!
And......
(any other requirements for a "civilized" lunch date?)

I attended a conference this morning on the state of health (for Canadians) in regards to their level of physical activity.

As it turns out, its not a good state. The research showed that people think they are healthier than they actually are. Most people thought they had enough phyical activity in their lives to stay healthy (77%). I guess this means that 23% of the population aren't fooling themselves?

Well of those people who felt they were physically active , only 36% of them were active enough to receive any sort of health benefit from their efforts.

And 60% of YOUTH are obese! Yikes!

But the presenter was very positive and saw it as a huge opportunity for improvement.
Now all we need to do is over-come the barriers to activity: winter weather, finding indoor space and making it affordable for all people, educating people about the dangers of inactivity, stopping people from feeling intimated about going into a gym, and eliminating competitiveness from sports.
NO PROBLEM!!!

I think I should start a gym for people who hate gyms. Maybe you'd have to have over a certain percent of body fat to just to get in! No skinny people! There would be no mirrors or cameras or anything else intimidating. No scales. And all the t.v. screens would have Oprah on....pelting people with positive encouragement stories as they worked out. You can do it! You go girl!

I know S.N.L. has made fun of this many times but its still funny.
There are so many commercials out there for medications that solve
various problems, but the side effects they have to list are ludicrous.

I saw one the other day that listed anal leakage as a side effect.
Seriously! This isn't a joke.
That's not exactly a mild side effect!

I would have something seriously wrong with me to take a drug that would give me anal
leakage! Like it would have to keep my head from falling off or something! We're talking
life and death situation!

Ewwwwwwwwww.........