Last weekend I went to a Scentsy conference in a suburb of TO. It was a blast! I got to meet lots of other consultants including my awesome director among other amazing women. I can only hope to one day be as successful here in TO with my Scentsy business as she has been in Calgary with hers. I came home really motivated to make a serious go of this new thing I've started. My husband's reaction was "you really drank the kool-aid, didn't you?". Joking, sort of. He is really supportive but he also thinks maybe I've been brainwashed just a bit. Maybe I have, but in a good way. The way that makes me believe that anything is possible if you put enough work and passion into it. Well I have the passion down I think because it's a great product. Now I just have to put the time in. The good news is, I'm a lot more willing to try to MAKE the time for this than I have been for some previous endeavours....ahem...steno :)
So far I've had one real "party" and did pretty well, but the key thing is, it was also FUN. I've sold a few items here and there to family and friends and have two parties coming up. I've also got a couple of salons interested and a couple of potential recruits. So it's looking good, I just need to pound the pavement some more.
Life has been pretty much absorbed with trying to get that off the ground. Other than that...CW's behaviour has been less than stellar lately. DH has been away a lot which is really difficult on all of us because my attention is divided further and both kids have to go a lot more places instead of being able to use the "divide and conquer" strategy we frequently make use of when both parents are around! Last night we had a pretty bad episode in the parking lot of the place where CW takes karate. I had no choice but to take AK along for the ride which CW was so NOT happy about. CW resorted to his old ways and there was kicking and hitting and biting and it got pretty ugly.
He eventually calmed down enough and went to his class. I thought we were over it, but then today when I picked him up at school I was informed that he had pushed a grade one kid!! And then, threatened another one saying "I'm going to kill you". Great. I guess he wasn't over it after all. We chatted about it and DH chatted with him about it but we just don't know what to do to make sure he stops and thinks about things before reacting. But then, I guess that's all what ADHD is all about, but I still find it really hard to comprehend. In any case, I hope it really is over now and we can all move on and forward. He is doing really well at his behaviour group that we've been attending, and the parents group has been remarkably therapeutic for me as well. So, onwards and upwards. All around.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
New beginnings
I know it's January 13th, Friday the 13th even. But it's taken me until now to really get back into routines and get started on some new things for 2012.
Firstly, I've signed on as a consultant with Scentsy, a great company that has been in Canada since 2009, and in the US for longer. Now that I'm getting into it, I really with I'd signed up sooner because, as with any direct selling enterprise, the sooner you can get in the better. But that said, I'd like to think that for the GTA area I'm still getting in at a good time and there is a lot of potential. I really love the products because they smell SO good and are reasonably priced. This isn't a sales pitch, but if anyone's reading of course feel free to check out my site. Just saying that I've never been that tempted to get into direct selling because the products sold by other "party" companies never really appealed to me this much before. Anyway, it's something new to do, not that I needed more to do, but there you go.
Second, starting next week, I'm going to be a volunteer at Sick Kids hospital here in TO. I've been wanting to do something to give back for a while, and though it isn't much, I think spending time with sick kids will be a great experience for me, and hopefully them too. Also, since I was born very early way back when and spent time in an incubator at Sick Kids, I have a bit of a soft spot.
I'm going to visit my dad today for the first time in a while. I've had a cold so didn't want to expose him to germs but now it's pretty much gone so should be okay. My mom says he is still having a hard time eating and exercising enough so recovery is uber slow. I don't know if I can get him up and eating today, but I am sure going to try. I can't stand seeing my dad like this. I mean, I know he is old, but just a few short months ago, he didn't seem old at all. He was playing with the kids and doing things and totally independant. I can't stand to think that this may be the time that he doesn't get back to being the person he was. I know that time will come, but I'm just not ready for that time to be now.
Anyway, I'm hoping 2012 is going to be a good year for all my friends and family. I know I've already said Happy New Year, but it's been so busy until this point I haven't really sat down and thought about it much, so I feel like I need to say it again. So, Happy New Year. Again.
Firstly, I've signed on as a consultant with Scentsy, a great company that has been in Canada since 2009, and in the US for longer. Now that I'm getting into it, I really with I'd signed up sooner because, as with any direct selling enterprise, the sooner you can get in the better. But that said, I'd like to think that for the GTA area I'm still getting in at a good time and there is a lot of potential. I really love the products because they smell SO good and are reasonably priced. This isn't a sales pitch, but if anyone's reading of course feel free to check out my site. Just saying that I've never been that tempted to get into direct selling because the products sold by other "party" companies never really appealed to me this much before. Anyway, it's something new to do, not that I needed more to do, but there you go.
Second, starting next week, I'm going to be a volunteer at Sick Kids hospital here in TO. I've been wanting to do something to give back for a while, and though it isn't much, I think spending time with sick kids will be a great experience for me, and hopefully them too. Also, since I was born very early way back when and spent time in an incubator at Sick Kids, I have a bit of a soft spot.
I'm going to visit my dad today for the first time in a while. I've had a cold so didn't want to expose him to germs but now it's pretty much gone so should be okay. My mom says he is still having a hard time eating and exercising enough so recovery is uber slow. I don't know if I can get him up and eating today, but I am sure going to try. I can't stand seeing my dad like this. I mean, I know he is old, but just a few short months ago, he didn't seem old at all. He was playing with the kids and doing things and totally independant. I can't stand to think that this may be the time that he doesn't get back to being the person he was. I know that time will come, but I'm just not ready for that time to be now.
Anyway, I'm hoping 2012 is going to be a good year for all my friends and family. I know I've already said Happy New Year, but it's been so busy until this point I haven't really sat down and thought about it much, so I feel like I need to say it again. So, Happy New Year. Again.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Yesterday; Florida. Today? Coldwater!!
I am happy to report I survived my 4 days of solo parenting in Florida and made it safely back to Toronto with both kids yesterday afternoon. I was really looking forward to crashing and having an uber lazy weekend at home, however, that was not to be. Not that the alternative is too bad of course. My mom decided to go up North to their cottage in Coldwater and we asked if she wanted some company. So last night I unpacked all our shorts and t-shirts and repacked a bag of warm clothes so we could leave this morning for Casa Barco, their cottage near Coldwater, Ontario. My mom also went skiing today and we could have joined her but after travelling yesterday I just didn't have it in me to try to get all the kids' ski gear together and get out of the house in time for that this morning.
So here we are up North chilling and BBQ'ing our dinner. The kids are watching a movie and all is blissfully quiet. Even the dogs - there are two of them including our Snickers and my mom's dog Schnitzel - are calm. Looking forward to another calm day and night before the chaos of the new year really begins anew.
My dad is at home with a nurse who comes daily to help out and make sure he is okay. He is recovering, albeit pretty slowly. Hopefully that will speed up as he starts to eat more and exercise. Here's to a better 2012 than 2011!
So here we are up North chilling and BBQ'ing our dinner. The kids are watching a movie and all is blissfully quiet. Even the dogs - there are two of them including our Snickers and my mom's dog Schnitzel - are calm. Looking forward to another calm day and night before the chaos of the new year really begins anew.
My dad is at home with a nurse who comes daily to help out and make sure he is okay. He is recovering, albeit pretty slowly. Hopefully that will speed up as he starts to eat more and exercise. Here's to a better 2012 than 2011!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
2 days down, 2 more to go.
Of solo parenting, on vacation that is. Still in FL with the kids. And about losing my mind! Again, I know I can't elicit much sympathy from anyone over being in FL. But actually for FL it is rather chilly so it's not like we can just hang by the pool or go to the beach all day.
Yesterday I braved taking them to a movie; Chipwrecked. Miss it if you can. But the real highlight was the huge argument before we even left the house to go to the movies over what food we would get once we got there. It wasn't a lighthearted discussion as one might expect for such a topic. Oh no. there were tears, and stomping and crying. Who would get gummies and if we could just get a giant tub o popcorn and share and who would get what drink and who would sit where. I almost called the whole thing off, only for the fact that if we stayed home I would have to deal with them all afternoon.
Once the movie started at least I didn't have to listen to them bickering, but sadly I had to listen to the Chipmunks singing which is almost as painful. After the movie, because I'm a glutton for punishment, I decided to stop at Whole Foods for some fruit and veggies because we were already out and it was on the way home. Bad idea. The kids screamed and yelled all over the place and it was just really embarrassing in front of all the yoga granola moms that frequent that place, especially here in South Florida.
Today we asked a kindly friend of the family to hang out with us and go to Sugar Sand Park. It's a little playground that also boasts a carousel ride and some neat features. That went relatively well. Until it was time for the car ride home. Then the bickering began again. CW would not stop fiddleing with AK's carseat and she wouldn't stop screaming at him to stop, even though if she would just ignore it she probably couldn't even feel what he was doing. It got so bad that they were both crying and screaming and I could barely concentrate on the road. It went on. And on. And on. To the point where when we finally arrived home, I left CW in the car and put AK in the house and sat on the porch for a few minutes just to calm down. Then I sent them both to their rooms where they still are and I'd really like to not let them out. Until tomorrow morning. At least. I guess I better feed them before doing that huh? So that was fun. I had all these ideas of things we could do and places we could go tomorrow but honestly I think I will just stay home and lock myself in my room if I can't stand it anymore. Mom Fail! I know. But for some reason this vacation feels very long. Oh right. I'm alone with my kids!!! Yeah!
Oh one more thing...I got a couple of comments on my last post about how I'm terrified to take my kids to a "gargantuan American grocery store". Mostly people thought it was funny. But I just want to clarify, it's not like our stores at home in Canada are tiny or anything, wouldn't want to start any false rumours! It's just that at home I know my way around and can generally get in and out pretty quickly without losing my kids. That is when I can't avoid taking them there at all. Because I don't really enjoy taking my kids to any type of store, gargantuan, tiny, or anything in between! It's just NOT fun.
So it's Wednesday, and we leave Friday for home. And yes, this is one time I think I may actually be looking forward to going home from vacation. I'm not looking forward to the cold weather that will greet us. And of course I know how lucky we are to even be here and be able to go on vacation, it's just that it isn't the same without the whole family here and my parents being at home and my dad being sick and so on. So this time will be home sweet home I think. I hope.
Yesterday I braved taking them to a movie; Chipwrecked. Miss it if you can. But the real highlight was the huge argument before we even left the house to go to the movies over what food we would get once we got there. It wasn't a lighthearted discussion as one might expect for such a topic. Oh no. there were tears, and stomping and crying. Who would get gummies and if we could just get a giant tub o popcorn and share and who would get what drink and who would sit where. I almost called the whole thing off, only for the fact that if we stayed home I would have to deal with them all afternoon.
Once the movie started at least I didn't have to listen to them bickering, but sadly I had to listen to the Chipmunks singing which is almost as painful. After the movie, because I'm a glutton for punishment, I decided to stop at Whole Foods for some fruit and veggies because we were already out and it was on the way home. Bad idea. The kids screamed and yelled all over the place and it was just really embarrassing in front of all the yoga granola moms that frequent that place, especially here in South Florida.
Today we asked a kindly friend of the family to hang out with us and go to Sugar Sand Park. It's a little playground that also boasts a carousel ride and some neat features. That went relatively well. Until it was time for the car ride home. Then the bickering began again. CW would not stop fiddleing with AK's carseat and she wouldn't stop screaming at him to stop, even though if she would just ignore it she probably couldn't even feel what he was doing. It got so bad that they were both crying and screaming and I could barely concentrate on the road. It went on. And on. And on. To the point where when we finally arrived home, I left CW in the car and put AK in the house and sat on the porch for a few minutes just to calm down. Then I sent them both to their rooms where they still are and I'd really like to not let them out. Until tomorrow morning. At least. I guess I better feed them before doing that huh? So that was fun. I had all these ideas of things we could do and places we could go tomorrow but honestly I think I will just stay home and lock myself in my room if I can't stand it anymore. Mom Fail! I know. But for some reason this vacation feels very long. Oh right. I'm alone with my kids!!! Yeah!
Oh one more thing...I got a couple of comments on my last post about how I'm terrified to take my kids to a "gargantuan American grocery store". Mostly people thought it was funny. But I just want to clarify, it's not like our stores at home in Canada are tiny or anything, wouldn't want to start any false rumours! It's just that at home I know my way around and can generally get in and out pretty quickly without losing my kids. That is when I can't avoid taking them there at all. Because I don't really enjoy taking my kids to any type of store, gargantuan, tiny, or anything in between! It's just NOT fun.
So it's Wednesday, and we leave Friday for home. And yes, this is one time I think I may actually be looking forward to going home from vacation. I'm not looking forward to the cold weather that will greet us. And of course I know how lucky we are to even be here and be able to go on vacation, it's just that it isn't the same without the whole family here and my parents being at home and my dad being sick and so on. So this time will be home sweet home I think. I hope.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Don't feel too sorry for me...
Happy New Year everyone! This year we actually had a lot of fun celebrating new year's. We went to Delray Beach, a town about 20 mins away from my parents' place in FL. They had a First Night celebration. The highlight of the night I think was watching the kids run around on a gigantic bubble wrap "floor" that had been put down for the event, while they sprayed millions of bubbles into the air. It was really unusual, yet surprisingly a lot of fun! The kids also got to do some crafts and have fro-yo and then we watched a great fireworks show. At the end they sprayed ping pong balls into the crowd, and did a countdown at 9pm for the kids. We then went back to the house and put AK to bed and then DH, CW and I watched a combination of Dick Clark and Anderson Cooper. I had hoped to see my tweets on Anderson...but it wasn't to be. In any case it was a fun night. The last two days were spent in a pretty lazy way, mostly lounging around with a little shopping thrown in. But sadly, today DH had to go back home due to limited vacation time.
We got back to my parents house in Florida a little while ago after dropping DH at the airport for his flight home :( I'm not happy about this. The original original plan was that my parents were supposed to be here so we'd have a week in the sun with a little grandparental company (and free babysitting to boot). Then the original plan was that if my dad was stable enough, my mom would come down and keep me company for a few days after hubby left. But neither of those was to be.
The good news is that my dad is home from hospital and slowly recovering. But the fact that he is home means that there was no way my mom could leave and come to Florida. So she is there and we are here. Now I know that being in FL I can't expect any sympathy from anyone....and nor should I...but I can still whine a bit. This is my blog after all. The thing is, being at home solo parenting is one thing. Being on vacation with two kids who fight incessantly by yourself without all the comforts of home is actually more work than being at home. Maybe it's because you expect vacations to be nothing but fun and relaxation and when they aren't....well they just aren't that with kids. In any case, today begins day one of 4 days in FL with the kids by myself. And, again, not that I expect any sympathy, but the weather is supposed to turn cold-ish, which means my thoughts of sitting by the pool watching the kids swim all day may not materialize and I will have to find indoor things to do with them in South FL. Anyone?
I have stocked up on groceries because the thought of taking both my kids to a gargantuan American grocery store freaks me the hell out. Here's hoping I was organized enough in my shopping to get through four days without such an expedition. Lord knows I can't seem to do that at home...but here's hoping. Tomorrow if the weather is bad....I think I may try taking the kids to a movie. Chipwrecked, Tin-Tin, Arthur Christmas, Hugo or We Bought a Zoo are all contenders. If the weather stays bad, we may see them all this week as I don't know much else in the area to keep the rugrats occupied...and myself sane!
So there begins our 2012. Happy New Year everyone!
We got back to my parents house in Florida a little while ago after dropping DH at the airport for his flight home :( I'm not happy about this. The original original plan was that my parents were supposed to be here so we'd have a week in the sun with a little grandparental company (and free babysitting to boot). Then the original plan was that if my dad was stable enough, my mom would come down and keep me company for a few days after hubby left. But neither of those was to be.
The good news is that my dad is home from hospital and slowly recovering. But the fact that he is home means that there was no way my mom could leave and come to Florida. So she is there and we are here. Now I know that being in FL I can't expect any sympathy from anyone....and nor should I...but I can still whine a bit. This is my blog after all. The thing is, being at home solo parenting is one thing. Being on vacation with two kids who fight incessantly by yourself without all the comforts of home is actually more work than being at home. Maybe it's because you expect vacations to be nothing but fun and relaxation and when they aren't....well they just aren't that with kids. In any case, today begins day one of 4 days in FL with the kids by myself. And, again, not that I expect any sympathy, but the weather is supposed to turn cold-ish, which means my thoughts of sitting by the pool watching the kids swim all day may not materialize and I will have to find indoor things to do with them in South FL. Anyone?
I have stocked up on groceries because the thought of taking both my kids to a gargantuan American grocery store freaks me the hell out. Here's hoping I was organized enough in my shopping to get through four days without such an expedition. Lord knows I can't seem to do that at home...but here's hoping. Tomorrow if the weather is bad....I think I may try taking the kids to a movie. Chipwrecked, Tin-Tin, Arthur Christmas, Hugo or We Bought a Zoo are all contenders. If the weather stays bad, we may see them all this week as I don't know much else in the area to keep the rugrats occupied...and myself sane!
So there begins our 2012. Happy New Year everyone!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Next stop....Florida
In a few minutes we will be heading to the airport to go down to Florida. My dad is still in the hospital but stable and hopefully will remain so while we are gone. It won't be the same without him there because Florida is his favourite place, but he wants us to go and my kids are so excited I wouldn't want to dissapoint them. My mom is still hoping to come down for a few days next week provided my dad is okay, so crossing my fingers that he will be, both for his sake and so we get my mom's help and company next week!
The holiday so far has been pretty hectic. The kids get on each other's (and our) nerves quite a bit. Although I have to say there have been surprisingly many moments where they have played nicely together! Hopefully that continues while we are away...and for the trip down to Florida. In a weird turn of events, DH is on a different flight than us. We had originally planned to leave at 10am this morning when we thought DH had to work today. Our flight got cancelled though and is now leaving at 4:30pm. DH's flight, on another airline, leaves at 5:50pm!! So I get the joy of travelling alone with the kids while DH gets to sit and enjoy the in flight movie. Not. Fair. I really hope they choose to be on their best behaviour because travelling at best can be stressful...and with two fighting kids....worse.
Wishing for nice weather and well behaved kids...for the next 8 days!
The holiday so far has been pretty hectic. The kids get on each other's (and our) nerves quite a bit. Although I have to say there have been surprisingly many moments where they have played nicely together! Hopefully that continues while we are away...and for the trip down to Florida. In a weird turn of events, DH is on a different flight than us. We had originally planned to leave at 10am this morning when we thought DH had to work today. Our flight got cancelled though and is now leaving at 4:30pm. DH's flight, on another airline, leaves at 5:50pm!! So I get the joy of travelling alone with the kids while DH gets to sit and enjoy the in flight movie. Not. Fair. I really hope they choose to be on their best behaviour because travelling at best can be stressful...and with two fighting kids....worse.
Wishing for nice weather and well behaved kids...for the next 8 days!
Friday, December 23, 2011
The night before Christmas...
Yeah I know it's December 23rd. But for us, it kind of is the night before Christmas because we have our big family dinner on Christmas eve....tomorrow!! Gah!! I will be cooking my first ever turkey in our new house, and my second ever turkey period. We arehaving my mom's brothers and partner over so tomorrow will be spent mostly cooking.
My dad's surgery finally happened this past Tuesday after much anticipation. After he had been in the OR for over four hours my mom and I really started to panic and fear the worst. Thankfully soon the surgeon came out and told us that the surgery had gone really well, actually much better than he expected and that, though my dad will be in for a long and difficult recover, he will recover. So we were all very relieved and thankful.
However, despite being beyond happy that my dad is okay, it is still kind of sad having him in the hospital for the holidays. He is pretty miserable too. I took some holiday decorations to spruce up his room a bit, but I'm not sure if it cheered him up or actually more miserable to be there rather than at home. In any case at least today he was able to manage a little soup and walk around a bit which is all supposed to be good for healing. There is a risk of infection with the type of surgery he had though, so they do have to watch him closely and sadly keep him in hospital for a while.
As for our Florida trip, as long as my dad is doing okay, it looks like it will still happen. DH is coming with us for the first few days, and if my mom feels okay about leaving my dad, and my dad is okay about her going, then she may come down for a couple days and then fly back with us. Let's hope that my dad is well enough that it can happen that way. Though even if he is, I feel pretty bad about us all going without him, but he says he wants us to, and the kids are really looking forward to it and have been for a while.
So that's where we are now....wish me luck with all the cooking!
My dad's surgery finally happened this past Tuesday after much anticipation. After he had been in the OR for over four hours my mom and I really started to panic and fear the worst. Thankfully soon the surgeon came out and told us that the surgery had gone really well, actually much better than he expected and that, though my dad will be in for a long and difficult recover, he will recover. So we were all very relieved and thankful.
However, despite being beyond happy that my dad is okay, it is still kind of sad having him in the hospital for the holidays. He is pretty miserable too. I took some holiday decorations to spruce up his room a bit, but I'm not sure if it cheered him up or actually more miserable to be there rather than at home. In any case at least today he was able to manage a little soup and walk around a bit which is all supposed to be good for healing. There is a risk of infection with the type of surgery he had though, so they do have to watch him closely and sadly keep him in hospital for a while.
As for our Florida trip, as long as my dad is doing okay, it looks like it will still happen. DH is coming with us for the first few days, and if my mom feels okay about leaving my dad, and my dad is okay about her going, then she may come down for a couple days and then fly back with us. Let's hope that my dad is well enough that it can happen that way. Though even if he is, I feel pretty bad about us all going without him, but he says he wants us to, and the kids are really looking forward to it and have been for a while.
So that's where we are now....wish me luck with all the cooking!
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