Back In The Land Of The Living

Hello Blog-land!  I have missed you dearly.  I was so pumped to get back on the writing train and make a much better effort at blogging.  Of course, that is when the summer colds and stomach flu hit and all was lost.  Okay, not really lost, but you catch my drift.  We are starting to feel much better around here, thankfully, with Miss. E finishing her fight with this cold.  She has a harder time with such things, because of her lung issues.  She is, however, eating and playing again which was a relief to see after that nasty stomach bug!

I have been brainstorming as to how I should go about getting back on the blogging train.  For July, I plan to post every day.  I think that this commitment, although crazy, will help me learn to schedule the time to spend on my blog.  The posts won't be long or elaborate, but they will be present.  It is my hope that this will spur on better time management on my part so that I can work to dedicate more effort to Peaceful Simple Life.

I love this world of blogging and the friends that I have made in it.  I feel like I really know all of you and I promise to make a better effort to catch up with you on your blogs.  I have missed you!  I plan to spend time over the next few days reading the posts that I have missed.  I will be back for "High Five For Friday" and to kick off my month of blogging!  Thanks for sticking with me!

Hello Friday! 10.06.16

I haven't done a link up in FOREVER. (At least it feels that way.)  I am still trying to get my head on straight with this living in 2 cities thing.  Anyway, I am happy to join in the link up again!  I am particularly excited for this Friday.  I get to go see Garth Brooks in concert tonight!  I have never seen Garth Brooks in concert and I grew up listening to his music.  It should be a fun night!  Here are the 5 highlights from my week:

1.)  Miss. E broke my sunglasses this week.  I don't really buy expensive sunglasses, but it was still a bummer.  I found a new pair, however, and I actually like them more than my old ones!  They fit better and the lens colour is really nice!

2.)  We had a family supper night out on Sunday and it was really nice.  Miss. E was pretty calm and happy, so Hubby and I got some conversation in.  It was a much needed family outing and the food was great!

3.)  On Saturday we participated in the Red Shoe Walk, benefiting the Ronald McDonald House.  We stayed at the House when our daughter was in NICU after her birth.  It truly is a home away from home for the families of sick children and we were so grateful for the House when we stayed.

4.)  My Mother-In-Law bought Miss. E a bubble "gun".  It has a fan that blows multiple bubbles.  Miss. E had a blast with it and so did I!  She kept blowing bubbles at me, shouting "Catch them, Mommy!".  I don't mean to brag, but I have impressive bubble popping skills.  Ha ha!

5.)  I found the cutest pair of shorts.  They are pink with lace trim at the top and are by far the comfiest shorts I have ever owned!  Yay, Summer!

How was your week?   Link up with the lovely ladies below and tell us all about it!

10 days Away and a 6 Hour Drive

It's no secret that my husband is working away.  Miss. E and I travel to stay with him, for at least a week at a time.  I am getting better at packing for our time away, although I still have a lot to learn.

These are the clothes that I packed for our last 10 day trip.  I try to have 3 hot weather outfits and at least 1 cold weather outfit.  I also pack a dressier outfit for church.   We stay with my in-laws so I know that we have access to laundry facilities, which is helpful in cutting down on the number of items that I need to bring.  I try to make the colors of the pieces co-ordinate so that I can mix and match to make new outfits.  In addition, I pack our rain jackets and shoes.  I manage to get it all into one suitcase which makes life easier!

For our 6 HOUR drive, I try to pack items to keep Miss. E entertained.  I usually bring her play 'lap-top', a notebook with stickers, her 'baby' and, as a last resort, a DVD player and movies.  I have done this drive with her several times now.  She usually does really well and I don't have to grab the DVD player, but this last time was downright painful so I popped in a movie.  I also pack easy snacks, such as cheerios, crackers, and Goldfish snacks.  I like to have a box of apple juice with me.  Miss. E doesn't get juice very often, so it is a great treat for the ride!

Miss. E also loves to look for cows and birds out the window and sing songs.  I like her Fischer Price 'Sunday School Sing Along' C.D.  and so does she!  It has some really great, upbeat songs for our drive.

What do you like to pack for long trips with your little one?  How do you keep from over-packing your suitcase?  I would love to hear what works for you!

Hello There!

It feels like it has been such a long time since I have done any blogging.  I honestly have trouble keeping up with "real" life sometimes and the blog inevitably takes the back burner.

So.... what have we been up to?

-I did a 5 km Muck Run.  It was a lot of fun and challenging, too!  I was excited because I was able to complete every obstacle.  It was fun!

-That night, I held a bridal shower for one of my friends.  It was fun and ended early(ish) because everyone was tired from the race.

-We celebrated Mother's Day with my Mom and Grandma.  It was a fun and special day.  That evening I had supper with my parents.

-I have been working and the instruments were acting up (I feel like this happens a LOT!).  I worked late and my Mom came to stay with Miss. E.  I was able to get them working again.  Thank goodness!

-My in-laws stopped at our house on their way to visit family.

-I babysat my friend's little girl.  Miss. E had a blast and was very helpful!

-I got to meet another friend's brand new little girl.  She is such a sweetie!!!

-I organized a bunch of our belongings so that moving will be easier.  I packed up more than 10 boxes for donation.  It will be nice not having to haul them across the province.

-Of course there has been all of the 'regular' stuff as well.  Laundry, cooking , cleaning..... That sort of thing.

We have been busy!  Sometimes the back and forth between cities makes it difficult for me to get any blogging done.  I am trying to carve out time, but I have found it super challenging in recent weeks.  I hope to establish a better 'routine' amid the chaos.  This part of our life has been quite the learning curve.  I will be trying to put more effort into blogging, so I hope you stick with me!

For All the Moms...

Every time I turn around, it seems that someone is giving me a piece of (unsolicited) advice about how to raise my daughter.  It can make a person feel exhausted.  I know that I am not the only Mom who experiences this.  It seems that everyone wants to offer their two cents.  I acknowledge that this comes from a good place and that most people are actually trying to be helpful.  I choose to believe that they are not criticizing my parenting.  I choose to believe that they are giving me a useful nugget of information that worked for them.  Sometimes, however, the "advice" clearly comes from a judgmental place.

Can we agree on something?  The majority of parents are working hard to raise their children in the best way they can.  The majority of parents love their children.  This is the most important thing a parent can do:  Love their children.

Can we also agree on something else?  Children are individuals and families are unique.  What works for someone else's family may not work for yours.  And vice versa.  It is also true that children are individual people so what works for one child, may not work for another one.  This can be true even within the same family.  For example, when I asked my Mother if I could go to a party, she would ask me, "Do you think that's a good idea?".  To which I would reply, "No".  End of discussion.  3 years later, when my brother asked to go to a party she gave him the same question.  To which he replied, "Yup".  She gave him a curfew and off he went.  I sat there dumbfounded.  I told my Mom, "I didn't know I could say yes!"

I think that many parents, especially Moms, can feel discouraged, especially when someone else's advice contradicts what we are doing.  Even worse, when someone insinuates (or flat out tells us) that we are parenting "wrong".  So listen closely (or read closely?):  you are doing a good job.  If what you are doing is working for you and your family, then keep up the good work!  Trust yourself.  We also needs to recognize that someone with a different parenting style is just parenting in a different way.  It isn't a personal attack on your parenting style.  It isn't the "wrong" way to parent.

I try to keep an open mind when people offer unsolicited advice.  Most of the time it truly is meant to be helpful.  I ultimately get to decide what I use and what I don't.  So do you.  Let's be supportive of one another.  This parenting gig can be challenging!  Surround yourself with friends who support you, even when their parenting choices are different than yours.

High Five For Friday- 06.05.16

I am from a small town in Alberta, Canada.  This week a terrible fire broke out in northern Alberta and the whole city of Fort McMurray was evacuated.  80, 000 people had to leave everything behind, not knowing if they will have homes to come home to.  The fires are still burning out of control, with no rain in the forecast.  I am proud to be Alberta-born and to be Canadian.  Our country is filled with strong and generous people.  We are trying our best to help the evacuees find a safe place to stay, clothing to wear, and the necessities that they need.  Please keep these people in your prayers.  If you wish to donate to the people of Fort McMurray, The Canadian Red Cross is accepting donations.

Here are the five things that brightened my week:

1.)  I got tickets to see Garth Brooks!   My Dad has always been a big fan of Garth Brooks.  I, of course, followed suit.  I have attempted to get tickets to see him before, but to no avail.  I was able to score 6 tickets to see him in June!  I will get to attend the show with my Mom and Dad, Hubby's Aunt and her friend and my Hubby.  I am so looking forward to the concert!

2.)  I was lucky enough to get some solo shopping time on the weekend.  I bought some new summer clothes and I enjoyed having the time to myself.

3.)  We went to the lake as a family this past weekend.  We played at the park and made sandcastles at the beach.  It was such a fun afternoon!

4.)  One of my lab instruments broke down yesterday.  After working on it for hours (!), I was able to get it up and running again!  I was so excited to get the instrument working again!

5.)  Hubby and I got some time alone together over the weekend.  We sat out on my in-law's deck and got to talk and reconnect.  I really don't like living apart, but I know that this is only temporary.  I really enjoyed the time we got to spend together.

Have a lovely weekend!  If you would like to join in H54F, link up with the lovely ladies below:

Loving Lately...

I feel so busy lately!  Oh my!  Between traveling, working and maintaining our home, I am exhausted.  This week's post was supposed to be about how to pack minimally and how to survive a 6 hour drive with a toddler and dog.  Ha!  Let's just say that the post is a definite work in progress!  I think that I can do better with my minimalist packing.  I have improved over the last few trips, but I think that my next trip will prove to be far better to write a post on.

In the meantime, I thought I would share some things that I am loving lately.  There are no affiliate links, by the way.  I am not that cool.

-I just finished the book Hoodwinked:Ten Myths Moms Believe & Why We All Need to Knock It Off by Karen Ehman & Ruth Schwenk.  It was a great read and a reminder that we need to rely on God during our journey through motherhood.

-I love Whitney's Blog.  I especially love her Marriage Matters posts.  It is refreshing to read a post that is supportive of marriage and that recognizes the value of putting effort into marriage.

-I bought this jumpsuit this weekend and I love it!  Comfy and cool?  Yeah!

-I would like to hug the wise person who invented this juice box holder.  AH-MAZ-ING!  No more juice all over the car!

-I also bought this skort.  A skirt without the risk of a wardrobe malfunction?  Yes, please!

I hope you are all having a great week!