Wow. It is hard to believe how quick 2017 has slipped away. I am very happy with my goal progress. With only a few short weeks until the end of the year, I am quite happy with the results of my goals.
Goal #1- Complete a No-Spend Year
November was another successful month. I feel like this goal has really taught me about my spending habits. I am much more resourceful now. I tend to search my own home to find the things that I 'need'. It has given me pause and made me think more about my consumerism and how it affects myself and my family. Shopping is no longer an option for my self care and that is a wonderful thing. I have learned how to best care for myself without the temporary high that shopping gives. I have really enjoyed my no-spend year so far.
Goal #2- Establish a Self-Care Routine
This goal goes hand in hand with the above goal. Self care (for me) really boils down to getting enough sleep (oh boy, that one is going to take a hit soon!), being careful not to over-schedule myself (October is a great example of how that worked out), and taking time to be alone. I am really an introvert by nature and I find myself recharged when I get to spend time alone. This past month I have been really good at asking for help when I need and resting when I need it. I haven't been pushing past my limits (much) and it has made a big difference in my health and well-being.
Goal #3- Say Yes To Family Time
This goal has gone well again. I have learned how to prioritize family time. External pressures always exist, but I am much better at letting those pressures go when my family requires quality time.
Goal #4- Start School in September
On hold during my pregnancy and newborn phase.
Goal #5- Learn more about traditional prayers and incorporate them into my prayer life.
I think I finally have this goal figured out. I have decided against trying to incorporate these prayers in a "schedule", but rather every time I have a certain intention. I have quite a few mothers on my prayer list, so when I pray focus my prayers on them, I incorporate the traditional prayers. It has worked well and I plan to continue this pattern.
Goal #6- Establish a routine for the blog and stick to the blog's vision.
I have done more background work on the blog in terms of planning and narrowing the type of posts that I want to write. I plan to implement these changes in the New Year and I am excited to do so. My routine will have to change when Baby arrives, but I am hoping my planned framework for the blog will help me through those changes.
How have your goals gone? Have you achieved your resolutions? There are still a few weeks left!
Wednesday, 13 December 2017
Friday, 1 December 2017
High Five For Friday- 01.12.17
Hello December! I can't believe that it is the last month of the year! I am looking forward to the excitement that December brings. I love experiencing the magic of Christmas through my daughter's eyes. I am also so excited because we will welcome our new little one this month. That is, if they arrive on time!
I am linking up with Katie, Becky, Della and Tif to share the five highlights from my week!
1.) My favourite part of this past week was taking Miss. E on The Polar Express. We had both sets of Grandparents with us and Miss. E had such a magical time! I highly recommend the experience. You can read all about it here.
2.) I am 37 weeks today. I can't believe that in a few short weeks we will be meeting our new little one. Besides the odd ache or pain (or Braxton Hicks contraction), I am feeling really good. I am very thankful for this as I still have a few things I want to do before Baby arrives!
3.) This week, we were training the individual taking my maternity leave. She seems friendly and capable. I feel confident that I am leaving my clients and co-workers in good hands.
4.) Hubby had a work party last night, which we attended. To be honest, I was so super tired and I didn't really want to leave my house. I am so glad we did, though! We had lovely conversations, food and laughed a lot. It was nice to have an evening out with just my Hubby. I know that we won't get as much "us" time with a new little one, so I am enjoying our time together now.
5.) It was my Mom's birthday this week. We had a birthday party for her and it was so much fun. I so enjoy getting together with my family. My brother is in a relationship with a woman that we love. She has 3 amazing daughters and they are so good with Miss. E. Our family has really grown this year and for that we are thankful!
How was your week? Do you have plans this weekend! I would love to hear all about it!
I am linking up with Katie, Becky, Della and Tif to share the five highlights from my week!
1.) My favourite part of this past week was taking Miss. E on The Polar Express. We had both sets of Grandparents with us and Miss. E had such a magical time! I highly recommend the experience. You can read all about it here.
2.) I am 37 weeks today. I can't believe that in a few short weeks we will be meeting our new little one. Besides the odd ache or pain (or Braxton Hicks contraction), I am feeling really good. I am very thankful for this as I still have a few things I want to do before Baby arrives!
3.) This week, we were training the individual taking my maternity leave. She seems friendly and capable. I feel confident that I am leaving my clients and co-workers in good hands.
4.) Hubby had a work party last night, which we attended. To be honest, I was so super tired and I didn't really want to leave my house. I am so glad we did, though! We had lovely conversations, food and laughed a lot. It was nice to have an evening out with just my Hubby. I know that we won't get as much "us" time with a new little one, so I am enjoying our time together now.
5.) It was my Mom's birthday this week. We had a birthday party for her and it was so much fun. I so enjoy getting together with my family. My brother is in a relationship with a woman that we love. She has 3 amazing daughters and they are so good with Miss. E. Our family has really grown this year and for that we are thankful!
How was your week? Do you have plans this weekend! I would love to hear all about it!
Wednesday, 29 November 2017
The Polar Express
My husband and I have really been trying to move towards experience based gifts. As we work towards more simplicity in our lives, we are becoming much more intentional about making memories rather than collecting things. In our family, the adults don't exchange Christmas gifts. We do, however, always buy something for the grandparents from Miss. E. This year we did something a little different. Miss. E took both sets of her grandparents on the Polar Express in Stettler, Alberta.
I booked our tickets on the week that they became available. I was only able to attend the opening weekend, so I booked us on one of the Saturday trains. I booked by phone, as they don't do online bookings. The person I spoke to was courteous and efficient. Our tickets arrived shortly after in the mail and I made sure to put them in a very safe spot. The person I spoke to gave me all the information that I would need and told me that we were encouraged to wear our pajamas on the train. (Just like in the book or movie.) I made sure to pass that information along to the grandparents, who all agreed to join in on the fun!
Hubby's parents came down the night before and we had a lovely time catching up with them. On the day of the train ride, we all piled into my Jeep (I truly have easy-going, wonderful in-laws) and headed to Stettler. Stettler is a 2.5 hour drive from where we live. We had supper before we went to the train. It felt a little strange to be out dining in our pajamas, but the restaurant workers seemed to know that we were headed to the Polar Express.
The train station was well set up with bathrooms available to all the guests. I quickly ran to bathroom with Miss. E. Bathrooms are super important to a 36 week pregnant lady and a 3 year old! They had warm up tents available for the guests so we didn't have to stand out in the cold. (Although, it was unseasonably warm that day.) The experience began right away when a goofy "hobo" character approached my daughter and asked her to trade her ticket for a radish. We politely declined and he moved about the crowd, asking all of the children to make the trade with him.
The train came into the station after a short skit on the platform. The train came into the station while holiday music played. The characters were all at the windows of the train waving to the crowd. Miss. E was enthralled and excitedly waved back to all of them. I got choked up that she was so swept up in the magic of it. Ahhh... hormones....
We boarded the train and the inside was delightfully decorated in holiday decor. There were lights, tinsel and Christmas music playing in the background.
The train ride included hot chocolate in a beautiful souvenir mug, a cookie (which my Dad traded with the 'Hobo' for a radish), dancing and singing from the crew and a lovely retelling of The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg. We each received our golden ticket for the North Pole which was stamped with the word 'Believe'.
When we arrived at the North Pole we saw thousands of twinkling lights, the North Pole workshops, Santa, Santa's sleigh and the Elves. Everything was magical and Miss. E was so enthralled with the Christmas lights.
Santa then boarded the train and gave each child a sleigh bell. Miss. E is usually afraid of Santa but did really well. Santa was very kind and jolly. As we headed back to Stettler, we were given songbooks so that we could sing along with the Christmas carols. All of the children were having a blast, wildly jingling their sleigh bells to the music.
We had a magical time on the Polar Express and would highly recommend going. Miss. E had so much fun with all of the sights and sounds and her grandparents thoroughly enjoyed sharing the experience with her. It is such a fun family outing and a well-run one at that. I am thankful that the crew on the Polar Express was intent on making everyone's experience absolutely enchanting.
** I was not compensated in any way for my review of the Polar Express. The kind people at the Alberta Prairie Railway in Stettler don't have a clue who I am.**
Thursday, 23 November 2017
Peaceful Simple Holidays
Hi Everyone! Happy American Thanksgiving! With the holiday season upon us, I wanted to share a few tips on how to have a simpler holiday season. Sometimes we can miss out on the meaning of the season when we are rushing around trying to do everything. I prefer a 'slow' holiday. This is how I achieve it.
1.) Plan ahead. If you need to save up for your Christmas purchases, start early. If you have people on your list that you can pick things up for throughout the year, do it. Sit down with your family and discuss your expectations for the holiday season before saying yes to anything. A little planning goes a long way. We need to be intentional about our holiday season and how we want to spend it.
For example, our baby is due 3 days before Christmas. I did my Christmas shopping for my daughter in August. We stick to basic gifts and I already knew what we wanted to give her so I went ahead and got that part of my shopping done. We also made a "no plans" rule for December because we can't be sure of when Baby will arrive or how I will be feeling. Our families are both aware of this and are very understanding. I said no to Miss. E performing in her Christmas concert as it falls just a few days before my due date. I also said no to my staff Christmas party. All of this planning ahead will help to keep our holiday season quiet, which we may need more than we know!
2.) Cut back. This is a tough one. I know. We like to go all out at Christmas time, but in doing so we often break the bank and burn ourselves out. For a lot of our family and friends, this past year was a nice step in the right direction for economic recovery. Our local economy is slowly turning around and people are working again. It has by no means been a lucrative year for most people that I know. There is no shame in cutting back. In my family, we have cut out all gift giving between the adults and we focus on buying only for the kids. We have decided with friends to only gift on birthdays, rather than at Christmas. We also spend less on the gifts that we do purchase. Giving is a wonderful thing, but only if you aren't putting yourself at financial peril to do so.
I have also cut back on commitments this year. Our situation is a little different than most people's so my cut backs have been far more severe than they would be normally. We switch the holidays between my family and my husband's family every year. I always mind my calendar to make sure that we are still carving out time to just be at home and get our housework done. I make sure not to schedule anything on work nights so that everyone has enough sleep. If we say yes we truly weigh the consequences and what we may have to give up in order to commit.
3.) Give back. This time of year can be really tough on the less fortunate. It means a lot when we can give back to those around us. This can be done financially or through volunteering. I like to support my local food bank, especially since it's usage is up and donations are down. Homeless shelters are vital at this time of year to help shield people from the frigid elements. If you are able to help financially, please consider doing so. If you are able to help an organization with the gift of your time, please do that. Christ calls us to take care of one another. Let's make sure we heed the call at this special time of year.
What are your tips for having a simple holiday season?
1.) Plan ahead. If you need to save up for your Christmas purchases, start early. If you have people on your list that you can pick things up for throughout the year, do it. Sit down with your family and discuss your expectations for the holiday season before saying yes to anything. A little planning goes a long way. We need to be intentional about our holiday season and how we want to spend it.
For example, our baby is due 3 days before Christmas. I did my Christmas shopping for my daughter in August. We stick to basic gifts and I already knew what we wanted to give her so I went ahead and got that part of my shopping done. We also made a "no plans" rule for December because we can't be sure of when Baby will arrive or how I will be feeling. Our families are both aware of this and are very understanding. I said no to Miss. E performing in her Christmas concert as it falls just a few days before my due date. I also said no to my staff Christmas party. All of this planning ahead will help to keep our holiday season quiet, which we may need more than we know!
2.) Cut back. This is a tough one. I know. We like to go all out at Christmas time, but in doing so we often break the bank and burn ourselves out. For a lot of our family and friends, this past year was a nice step in the right direction for economic recovery. Our local economy is slowly turning around and people are working again. It has by no means been a lucrative year for most people that I know. There is no shame in cutting back. In my family, we have cut out all gift giving between the adults and we focus on buying only for the kids. We have decided with friends to only gift on birthdays, rather than at Christmas. We also spend less on the gifts that we do purchase. Giving is a wonderful thing, but only if you aren't putting yourself at financial peril to do so.
I have also cut back on commitments this year. Our situation is a little different than most people's so my cut backs have been far more severe than they would be normally. We switch the holidays between my family and my husband's family every year. I always mind my calendar to make sure that we are still carving out time to just be at home and get our housework done. I make sure not to schedule anything on work nights so that everyone has enough sleep. If we say yes we truly weigh the consequences and what we may have to give up in order to commit.
3.) Give back. This time of year can be really tough on the less fortunate. It means a lot when we can give back to those around us. This can be done financially or through volunteering. I like to support my local food bank, especially since it's usage is up and donations are down. Homeless shelters are vital at this time of year to help shield people from the frigid elements. If you are able to help financially, please consider doing so. If you are able to help an organization with the gift of your time, please do that. Christ calls us to take care of one another. Let's make sure we heed the call at this special time of year.
What are your tips for having a simple holiday season?
Friday, 17 November 2017
High Five For Friday- 16.11.17
Baby time is getting close! I am 35 weeks pregnant. We had a good week. I am linking up with Tif, Della, Katie, and Becky for H54F. Let's jump in!
1.) After a LONG week of recovery, Miss. E seems to finally be back to her sparky self. This last stomach bug and cold really knocked her down. I am happy to see her doing well again!
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| Cheering on Daddy's football team. |
2.) I finished almost ALL of my freezer meal cooking this past weekend. It was a lot of work, but I am so relieved to have it all done. I have one more soup to make and freeze, which I plan to do this weekend.
3.) Work went really smoothly this week, which is always a wonderful thing. I was super uncomfortable on Wednesday due to where Baby was lying, but I made it through the day. I waddled a bit, but other than that I was fine. Ha ha!
4.) Miss. E (and Hubby) helped me set up the baby room. I have everything washed and ready to go. Miss. E was a wonderful helper and was happy to stock the change table with me. Everything is coming together!
5.) I had an ultrasound today to check on baby's growth and position. I was thrilled to learn that baby has his/her head down. I was so sure that Baby was still transverse. The ultrasound tech showed me a few really cool things like Baby's heart, feet and the fact that we could see hair! It was fascinating. It is always fun to see Baby and I am very excited to meet our little one!
How was your week? Have a fabulous weekend!
Wednesday, 15 November 2017
Baby Prep- Frozen Meals
Baby is due to arrive in 6 short weeks. I have been busy making lists and trying to get things in order before our little one makes their grand entrance. This past weekend I made several meals and froze them. It was a lot of cooking, but it will be worth it when we have a newborn and a toddler to take care of! The original plan was for Hubby to be home on the weekend while I cooked. He would have kept Miss. E occupied and I would have concentrated on my cooking. Alas, he ended up working the weekend. I forged ahead. It took a little longer with hundreds of interruptions and a lot of 'help', but I managed to get everything done.
When planning which meals to make, I chose some of our family favourites. I find all of these meals easy to prepare and I know that they all freeze well. I did my grocery shopping the weekend before my cooking weekend. I measured out how much of each ingredient I would need and then shopped accordingly.
Freezer Meals
Lasagna
Squash and Carrot Soup
Sweet potato soup
Hamburger Soup
Banana chocolate chip muffins
Energy bites
Chili
Cookies
I spread my cooking over 4 days. One day I made the squash and carrot soup. The next day I made all of my hamburger dishes (lasagna, hamburger soup and chili). I spend the next day baking and made muffins, cookies and energy bites. Everything turned out really well and I am looking forward to having these meals to enjoy after Baby arrives.
What are your go to freezer meals? Do you do freezer meals regularly or just for certain seasons in your life?
Friday, 10 November 2017
High Five For Friday- 10.11.2017
It is that time of week where I join Tif, Becky, Katie and Della to share 5 highlights from my week. Let's jump right in, shall we?
1.) Last Friday and Saturday I did 2 huge shopping trips. I plan to make a bunch of freezer meals this weekend for when the baby arrives. I got everything I needed on my lists, which is almost unheard of. I usually forget something or the store will be out of something. The shopping trips went well and I am excited to get some meals in the freezer.
2.) I went in to work for a few hours on Sunday to prepare for our big day on Monday. It was well worth it because Monday went very well. I am so relieved to have that project over with.
3.) I was going to take my family out to celebrate on Monday evening, but Miss. E came down with a nasty stomach bug that afternoon, so we stayed home. Hubby brought home pizza for him and I which was nice.
4.) Miss. E is finally acting like she is feeling better today (Friday!). She slept really well last night so I am hoping she kicked the rest of those bugs to the curb. She was pretty lethargic this week and running a high fever so I was beginning to worry. I am glad that she has finally perked up. P.S. Did you know that they make chewable Tylenol for toddlers? I just found this out!
5.) Hubby brought in the baby change table the other night and we arranged the room. I ended up putting furniture in a different arrangement then I had wanted, but I think that this will work nicely. It is all coming together and I am starting to realize how soon this little one will arrive! (6 weeks!)
Have a fabulous weekend!
1.) Last Friday and Saturday I did 2 huge shopping trips. I plan to make a bunch of freezer meals this weekend for when the baby arrives. I got everything I needed on my lists, which is almost unheard of. I usually forget something or the store will be out of something. The shopping trips went well and I am excited to get some meals in the freezer.
2.) I went in to work for a few hours on Sunday to prepare for our big day on Monday. It was well worth it because Monday went very well. I am so relieved to have that project over with.
3.) I was going to take my family out to celebrate on Monday evening, but Miss. E came down with a nasty stomach bug that afternoon, so we stayed home. Hubby brought home pizza for him and I which was nice.
4.) Miss. E is finally acting like she is feeling better today (Friday!). She slept really well last night so I am hoping she kicked the rest of those bugs to the curb. She was pretty lethargic this week and running a high fever so I was beginning to worry. I am glad that she has finally perked up. P.S. Did you know that they make chewable Tylenol for toddlers? I just found this out!
5.) Hubby brought in the baby change table the other night and we arranged the room. I ended up putting furniture in a different arrangement then I had wanted, but I think that this will work nicely. It is all coming together and I am starting to realize how soon this little one will arrive! (6 weeks!)
Have a fabulous weekend!
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