I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack!

So now that I'm settled into work and my online shopping addiction has reached a fevered pitch I'm back to my first internet love.  GIVEAWAYS! 

Lots to come....I missed typing on here to no one :D

Long time no blog...

Gosh things have been so busy.  Christmas, New year all that fun stuff.  DH and I went on a trip to the Dominican Republic and it was AWESOME.  My parents watched the kids and it was fantastic.  Funny how when you have kids the simplest indulgences are 10x's what they would have been before kids.   Just sleeping in was a dream!  The beach and the rest of it...gravy.

Gosh I wish I could photo shop that!  Like most couples we rarely have photos together.


I also haven't done much in the way of giveaways.  I kinda got bummed out after winning a giveaway on abutlife blog back in October and the blogger not following through.  I kept on top of it giving lots of time for her to contact the sponsor and I was severely disappointed by her response.  She pretty much shrugged when no one responded to her email that I requested she send.  I know lots of the other bloggers take that sort of thing very seriously, completely outing the company and what not.  Not that I feel that was necessary but nothing?  Like NOTHING.  Needless to say I will not be entering giveaways on that blog.  But the vast majority of bloggers are very professional and stand up ladies.  I'm back at it!

Sooooo, back in the summer I was lucky enough to get to see Yo Gabba Gabba live in Toronto.  It was AWESOME.  My daughter really enjoys YGG but it doesn't hold a candle to her love for Toy Story.   So to hear that Natural Baby Goods blog is giving away tickets to Toy Story 3 on ice made me giddy!  Follow the link to get your entries in!  You have until Feb 28th to enter. In the mean time use the code 'blog' to get $5 off tickets.  Good luck!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Was E's birthday a little while back.  I can't believe how big she's getting! This year she wanted a Spiderman birthday.  I LOVED doing that theme.  First of all there is just so much Spiderman stuff out there it was really easy to find things.  Also blue and red are the easiest colours to find for decorations. 


The party was a success!  We had all of our family over on both sides minus my brother's family out west and it was a bit of a crowd but worth it.  Thanks again to Landa of Kangacrafts for the photo banner. It's my favourite yet and a fun keep sake, I've been collecting them.

We decorated cookies with spiderman colours.  The cookie cutter shapes of spiders and webs didn't work out so well.  the sugar cookies just turned them into circles anyhow.  It was fun, not sure how I thought they'd not eat them before dinner lol but oh well, it is a party,

Some photos....

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had the most fantastic Thanksgiving this year.  I love seeing my kids interact with each other, my family and their environment.   We went to a local apple/pumpkin farm with a petting zoo and play area and the kids had a blast. 


Lately I've been so bummed lately that my kids are going to get big so fast and I'll never get these days back.  They're so freakin' adorable right now I'm not looking forward to the days they don't want to talk to me or are embarrassed of mom :( Oh well, part of the game I suppose.  I'm going to enjoy every minute of it now.

Big girl bed time!

So E's in her big girl bed now.  She was just so super cramped it was time.  After a little mistake about what size mattress we needed (ugh) AND trying to figure out how to convert her crib to a bed. Don't even get me started, this company basically sells you a generic bedrail set and makes you drill your own holes and get bolts.  Um yeah that's not exactly convertible..that's a DIY dude.

Anyhow so now she needed new bedding.  YAY!  Her room is painted like this...

Her old bedding is on the chair there.  So naturally I think brown and pink.  I want something that will be good for more than just a 'little girl' room.  So after lots and lots of looking this is what I decided on. 

I am SO in love.  It's by dwellstudio.  As a matter of fact I HAD to get some for Jake too.  This is his room 

 

Just the one wall is like this and the others are the lighter blue.  So the bedding I got from dwellstudio for him...

Adorable right??  I'm so excited to receive it.  Jake won't even use it for another half a year or more probably. The kid isn't even eating solids more than baby food or walking *sigh* .  But I digress...

The only thing I am now desperately in search of is some sort of space saving chair we can both sit in nice and cozy and read books.  Enter  Gorilla bags.  I ran across these in a giveaway on Survey Junkie and it's a perfect fit!!!  I've entered to win and you can too until Oct 9th. US only.  (I'm willing to drive down :D)

My favourite is the brown passion suede 5ft.

Wish me luck!

It's always sad when a 'professional' disappoints

So we had family photos done by a photographer who was selling a discounted sitting fee at a home show in the Spring.  And when I say family, I mean my little family and my whole extended family.  My sister and her two kids, my three brothers and one nephew and my parents.  AND one of my brothers with his wife and son came out from Alberta. 

SO,  we show up and the 'studio' is in her shed, which is a good size and clean and furnished etc. No problems there but, it's hot as h*ll! Mid July and no air conditioning??  Not fun.  To start she decided to quiet the kids all two and under by yelling EVERYONE BE QUIET!  I'm seriously shocked that they didn't start crying.  So I'm already not happy but out of respect for my parents I zip it.  So then we're taking photos and she is SOOOOOO slow to take a photo and uber picky that the kids can't possibly stay still and are crying and sweating and really really hot.  Also my sister is two weeks post partum with a messy cesarean section, she was very uncomfortable to say the least. 

Anyhow we took some outside after everyone had to go outside to cool off lol.   So a few weeks later my parents go to view the photos at her studio and the experience is odd.  The photos are washed out and all in black and white, she makes a big deal about putting them in colour.  We all know it's a freakin' button now a days.  Eventually they agree to buy  A LOT so she'll put them on her website so my brother in Alberta can see them. 

So I go to check them out online and they are so washed out I honestly can't even tell where my arm ends and the white background starts let alone facial expressions.  The kids faces are all crying...which SHE offered to photo shop in their faces from another photo.  And the large family ones are so pixilated I can't even make the facial expressions.  So we send her some less than happy emails and she fixes the washout.  Only to find out the outside photos have been photoshopped using an inside photo and put outside then manipulated to fit the location.  And my brothers faces are all distorted.  I mean like almost Goonies monster distorted.  Give me a break.  By now I was actually laughing.

I can't even begin to go through all the other small things I had problems with but if anyone happens to be in the GTA  avoid 'As it happens photography' in Mississauga.  I refuse to pay for any of the photos even though my kids ones turned out great.  I'm so angry she stole the opportunity for us to have photos with my brothers family when they were down from Alberta and I WILL be posting negative reviews on all photography sites I can find.  I would be mortified if she was my wedding photographer and I want to save some other family from the disappointment.  Sometimes it boggles my mind how some people work so hard not to do the job they present themselves to do.  Pathetic!

And some photos just cause :D

Bring on the vacay!!!!

I SOOOO needed this week off.  I had a week off a couple of weeks ago but the hubbs was working and with the kids it was really just more work that work :D  He's off this week and I'm thrilled.
We have plans to catch up on lots of chores around the house in and out.  I weeded my backyard garden and got FIVE yard waste bags to add to the two from out front!  My garden is huge but that's a project for next spring.  We'll be painting/staining the deck and doing paint touch ups, weeding the lawn and the driveway (annoying).
But best of all we'll be making trips to the splash pad and to a place called ZOOZ in Niagara Falls.
We went to story book gardens with the inlaws.  It was fun, pretty low key. Got some good photos to share :D

 

Giveaways:

* Leslie loves veggies is giving away a soft serve icecream machine from CSN stores.  This thing holds sprinkles...are you kidding me??  Sprinkles!  Wait maybe I shouldn't enter this giveaway.  Oh well I'll let fate decide if I need to do more cardio :D  Ends August 12th and is open to the US and Canada.

Special delivery from Alberta

So my brother and his wife and son are visiting this week from Alberta.  SO! exciting. We don't get to see them much for obvious reasons. This is only the second time (week visit) I've gotten to see my nephew.  It's so cool to see him play with J now that they're both a bit older. He was only 7 months when he was here last.

Fun at the park with all the munchkins..

J is wearing his cousins glasses and clearly not used to how it feels.

Giveaways:

*Cartoon lovin' Mama is giving away a kung zhu pet package.  My kids have never had a zhu zhu pet but I KNOW this is something that they'd love.  My daughter is nutty for animals and loves track toys.  Enter now it ends on July 26th.

He's here!

The newest addition to the family.... my new nephew!  He's absolutely adorable and I haven't gotten to hold him yet but I can't wait.  Meet H...

I think he looks like my son in the eyes and nose....which is my side of the family... and his mom which is my sister....  for comparison...J

long time no typey.....

I have been so busy! I can't even remember the last time I worked out, or blogged.  I even skipped entering blog giveaways for two weeks :O  I haven't done that since I began last Christmas!  I've been working 15hour days for the past bit and it's been hectic. My poor Hubbs has been taking care of the kids at night by himself because I had to stay out of town.   As tiring as working was, it was a nice break to only have to look after myself.   Get home get dinner, have a drink and crash when I needed to.  I even painted my toe nails lol. 

So yesterday we took E and J to the zoo/safari to make up for some lost time.  It was a BLAST.  The kids loved it. It was a tad on the hot side but the water park totally made up for that and then some.  I can't wait to take them back.  E has a slight obsession with horses.  So when we saw the pony ride we knew she'd love it.  I'm not normally a worrier but with my kids it's a whole other story.... when I realized she was hanging on all by herself with no assistance I about had a heart attack....  I should have taken a picture of my face lol.

My heat was so full!  She's getting so grown up, I am so proud of her.

Some other photos of feeding the animals.

My brother is coming from Alberta to visit next week and we'll have much more of the fun day trips to come! 

Giveaways:

*  Cocktails with Mom is giving away a Colby Snapp cam5000.  It's a perfect size to fit in your bag on a trip.  I wish we'd have had one like that for yesterday. We left our digital video camera at home because it was too big to carry easily.  This cam we could have slipped in a pocket so easily and voila!  Check it out. Closes July 12th.

My little man looks like a little man now :D

J got his first haircut by Nana.  He was suprisingly good.  Not still but good.  He looks so handsome!

of course this is the best shot I could get after :D.  ADORABLE!!! If I do say so myself.

Wordless wednesday

They enjoy the simplest things don't they?  Think they'd want to play IN the sand? Nope, lets splash water on top after Mommy rinsed it.  Gotta love em!

Looks like we skipped Spring!

So the past week has been 30+ degrees!  Scorching!  Poor kids and my poor Mom trying to keep them entertained.  So I bought a blow up pool and a new climb structure to add to the play house and smaller slide we have.  It's  great.  So much to do and the kids love it.  I had no idea they could play so much and so long with one slide!  You've got to love kids for that.  It's like they don't even notice the heat. 

Playing in the yard...

Giveaways:

* Before I got pregnant I always used to wear my baby G watch.  With all the swelling I stopped.  BUT I came across the newest version.  The Mini G shock watch.  I am in LOVE with the white with pink face.  I came across it on the blog Guessing all the way  and she's giving one away!  Head over and enter, ends May 30th.

*Exhale* :D

Awesome, awesome, awesome weekend!  Man it's been a long time.  Got all the things done I needed to, spent time with family and old friends, the kids let me sleep in!!!  Does it get better? 

For the holiday Monday we went to a local park and E played and played on the huge playground and we waded in the stream.  It was the closest thing to perfect.

My friend is doing better.  It's amazing how friends and family come together in times of trouble.  Makes me realize how lucky I am.  I feel like I've never been happier and it's only going to get better : D   Sending out the positive vibes.....I feel like just thinking positive has made such a huge difference for me, I challenge you to try it!

Some photos from our long weekend...

I love my life!

My kids are awesome! I'm finally getting settled in with work after my mat leave.  And I've been able to spend some time with my sick friend.  Although it's rocky I don't take any time for granted.  Got to hang out with the kiddos on Mother's day and realized what a lucky lady I am :D. 

I won't be able to post much for a bit. With work and kids and hospital visits I'm pretty busy but I'll try to post photos if I can. 

Anything can happen

A more serious post today.  I found out one of my highschool girl friends who is also my aunt (after highschool and a long story lol but not as gross as it sounds)  is very sick.  She had a stroke at 33 years.  She's in the hospital and waiting on an MRI and it only reminds me how quickly things can change and how precious life is.  Hug your families tight and say a prayer for my friend if you have a moment.

Backyard fun...

My kiddos love to play in the backyard.  We have a tiny slide/climb tower that E goes up and down...no joke...at least 100 times a day.  She loves to stand by the compost (like in the pic) and wait for you to say 1-2-3 GO! and run down the mini hill.  Such a small yard yet kids find a way to make the most of it.  J is just happy to crawl around and rip grass out of the ground :D 

I'd love to win the Hearthsong Giant Outdoor Ball from Lollidots.  We'd have to take it to Nana and Grandads or a park but wow would they ever have a blast! Giveaway ends May 10

 

It's coming, it's really coming....

Summer!!!  The air was so humid today it was a sneak peak of summer! All we need is a good thunderstorm to start it off.  We went for a long walk this weekend and spent some quality time with the fam.  I've been trying to be more positive and I feel like it's really making a difference. The positive feelings last instead of being short lived.  I no longer feel overwhelmed by chores or life in general.  The walk didn't feel like an obligation or scheduled it was just as much time as we wanted to take doing what we wanted to do...which for some time was searching for ants and naming them :D  It's the little things....

 

Giveaways:

* Northern Mama is giving one Canadian reader a YEARS SUPPLY of Sunlight Green Cleaner.  An environmentally friendly laundry detergent.  I'll tell ya with a one year old and a two year old playing in the grass all day this would be a lifesaver!  Head over and enter. Ends May 6th.

A real hero...

I came across this story on facebook.  I verified it's true.  Thank God for people like this man.  It makes me so happy there are people like him fighting for the right....  Here is the story.

BELOW IS THE REAL WINNER OF THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE!
John Gebhardt's wife, Mindy, said that this little girl's entire family was executed. The insurgents intended to execute the little girl also, and shot her in the head...but they failed to kill her. She was cared for in John's hospital and is healing up, but continues to cry and moan. The nurses said John is the only one who seems to calm her down, so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both slept in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing. He is a real Star of the war, and represents what America is trying to do.This, my friends, is worth sharing. Go for it!! You'll never see things like this in the news. Please keep this going. Nothing will happen if you don't, but the Canadian and American public needs to see pictures like this and needs to realize that what we're doing over there is making a difference.. Even if it is just one little girl at a time. James Gates U. S. Navy


Giveaways:

So I'd LOVE to win Jake a pair of Eleven shoes. He's just starting to get close to walking and I think it's SO important to have good shoes.  Eleven shoes are stylish and adorable! Seeryus Mama is having a giveaway. Check it out.