Life's Whirlwind Adventures

So last year I got it into my head that I wanted a dog. After much research and self debate i chose to get a Great Dane-mastiff crossed puppy that was for sale just north of Red Deer. The add for these *little* puppies had been in the paper for three weeks. I called the number and they had one little girl left so Adrian and I went up to take a look to see if I wanted this little puppy. Well they were adorable, they looked like little cows and she had some unique eyes. They asked if I wanted to hold her and I said ok and that was the end of that I was taking home the little cow to become my puppy. So this is her, the little princess. She's sitting in the front seat of my car at this point. But as all dogs grow, Sasha began to grow. She didn't grow really fast but she began to grow and as she grew I noticed other idiosyncrasies about her as well. She suffered from separation anxiety, she would whine and howl if I had to leave her at home by herself. As I had to work she ha...

So for my baby shower I wanted to be able to share with everyone some of his photos from his first month of life. So I created a movie to play during the baby shower. Having so much time free now I have discovered great programs that I can use on my computer, that previously I was unable to use because I had no time to figure out how to work them. Now that I know how to use them it is fun and it could be a new part-time job for me to make these little videos. They would be great for reunions, birthdays, yearly catch up videos for family far away. I am seriously loving this time off because I am learning new skills!! So I am going to upload this video to share with you! Hope you enjoy it!!!

Just wanted to thank you to all the girls that came out to the baby shower. We had fun!! Big thanks goes out to Tara and Stacey who did all the planning it was a lot of fun!!!

Here are pictures of little man and the changes he's gone through in the past four weeks. He's four weeks old this week:(

So one of the things new parents do with their new babies is burp them. So the new mom feeds the baby and then places the baby on their lap in a seated position, or laying across their lap or over their shoulder and begins to pat their little backs to get that gas bubble out of their stomach. Sometimes it takes FOREVER. you feel like by the time this child burps, you will be needing to feed them again. Our parents tell us their tricks for burping but they all seem the same, just some variation on what the nurses in the hospital tell us. There has got to be an easier way to burp these little guys!!! I am about to let you in on a secret, I have found a way. It is an amazing little trick, but it works everytime. It's simple and easy and what's strange is I have no idea why it works. The secret is this.... lift the babies arm up. You can lift them alternately, or together. Usually the lifting of the arm brings the burp up, if the baby doesn't burp, pat their back and w...

A few years ago, like a lot of years ago, the movie Pay it Forward came out. It was a little movie with a big message. I have always loved that movie, more for what it taught me then for the acting skills of the actors in the movie. The actors were fine, the story was fine but the theme of the movie really resonated with me. For those of you who never saw the movie or read the book, here is a quick synopsis of what the movie was about from my memory. I have only seen the movie once and I read the book once but again this was years ago, so if my memory fails me with the details just bare with me. In the movie a teacher challenges his students to come up with a service project to help make the world a better place. (this is the detail I am not sure about) So Haley Joel Osment (the kid from the Sixth Sense) comes up with the idea for pay it forward. He decides to do three good deeds for random people, and all he asks that these people do is return his good deed to three other peop...

http://www.breastfeeding.com/reading_room/change_your_life.html My friend Roxi pointed me to this article I thought I would just share it with you all too. It's so true!!!

So Chandlerman is in soccer. He really enjoys playing indoor soccer and he's not bad at it. He has played all positions. He does well at seeker, and he did pretty well at defense. He is a very positional player. If he is told to play right wing, he sticks to the right wing, if he's told to play defense he stays in his predetermined position. Last year he had an excellent coach. His coach was well versed in soccer and really knew what was going on. He was able to communicate to the children the positions he needed them to play. Sometimes he would use sayings like "touch tight", some parents would voice that the children didn't understand that. But, the kids did understand and they followed his instructions. The reason, he explained what he was saying so the kids knew that when he called out instructions they would know what to do. He celebrated the children's accomplishments and congratulated the children when they did what they could even if they l...

When you have children you wonder what will they be like when they are older, you wonder what they will desire to do with their life and you wonder if you will be able to protect them and teach them to be responsible, contributing members of society. Well those are some of the things I contemplate as I hold me babies. As Chandler grew I noticed interesting personalities quirks that he developed. He showed from a young age that he cared about animals and bugs. Sometimes his caring got a little carried away. Once he was concerned his fish were cold in the water so he scooped the fish out with his bare hands and put them in the register to warm up. But it was the thought, he didn't understand at 2 that his fish were cold blooded and needed to be in water to survive. I saw at a very young age that he was spiritual. I am Catholic, but I have not really raised my son to be religious. But at 2 and 3 Chandler was already inquiring about Jesus and God and how people got to heaven. I...

I am loving the Olympic torch relay. I have loved the idea behind how they chose the people to run with the torch, I love the ideals the Olympics stand for and I love that Olympics bring people together. I never applied to carry the torch. I did not feel like I would have qualified to carry the torch. I live a fairly healthy lifestyle. I work out, I eat healthy, I don't smoke or do drugs so I could have possibly been a contender but I did not apply. I am not doing much to help with the environment. I mean to, I recycle my paper and cardboard and my bottles, but I have not done anything over and above. I would like to send out a thank you and big CONGRATULATIONS to all those that are doing things to be healthier and make our world healthier!!! Since I have a year to be at home with my little man, I plan to do more to help create a more beautiful world for my family to live in!!

I have gone through life wanting things, desiring more than I had, and wanting to keep up with those around me. I have sometimes forgotten to appreciate the things I have and done. I get caught up in life, the media promoting images that tell you will make you happy and without those things you will not be happy. I am guilty of keeping up with Joneses, guilty of trying to fill a hollow in my life with material things. I am not always this way but I have found that there are times in my life where those material things matter more than the important things. I know what's important in life. I value those close to me and foster those relationships that deserve to be fostered, loved and grown. I love my family, my friends. I care for people, I want to help make the world a better place, I want to show respect for everything and everyone. I try to live by my values everyday, showing respect and love for everyone. I get better everyday and have a better understanding everyday of...

So when I first decided to start writing this blog I had an idea in my head of what I wanted the blog to entail. It stemmed from my belief in the teaching field and my beliefs in parenting. These beliefs include rewarding children for positive behaviour and not spending much time on negative behaviour, basically the scale should be more time spent rewarding good behaviour and less time penalizing bad behaviour. Children should not be punished but taught how to be disciples of positive behaviour. We can't expect children to know how to behave unless we teach them how to behave properly in various situations. It is the foundation to having a well run classroom, and having well behaved children. I think that if we took this philosophy and applied it to the world at large the world could be changed into a better place. I wanted a place to blog about those positive stories, those stories that show the world to be a great place, and that's what I am going to be working on, hope...

Motherhood is always a new experience with each child. Not only do you have to balance your life in accordance to the child that first arrived but you have to make allowances for the new babe in your life. Being a first time mom is different from being a second or third time mom, but in ways that are very different then I ever expected. With my first child, all eleven years ago, I was experiencing all the new joys of motherhood for the first time. First feedings, diapers, smiles, and noises babies make were all new wondrous moments for me to experience. Also developing a routine with this miraculous little babe that was in my care was sort of challenging. You wonder if you will ever sleep again, if you will ever be able to be able have a relaxing bath again, if you will ever get your hair back under control, but even if you don't it's all worth it because that little babe in your arms is the most amazing thing you have ever created. I do not necessarily believe that I am ...

OK so I am not a big news watcher.... not even a little bit, but my mom, well she watches the news and always feels the need to share weird stories with me. Most of the time these stories are humourous , but sometimes they are a little disturbing. So I feel the need to share this outrageous story with you guys... I do not know what some people are thinking sometimes they just seem absolutely crazy. So apparently some guy was sentenced in the states to three years in prison. Three years in prison for having... wait for it... sex with a HORSE!!! Not just once but he was caught doing it twice. The lady who owned the horse thought he was doing it, caught him, he was charged, and she figured he was still doing it so she set up a video recorder and caught him on video doing it AGAIN!!!! What the heck is wrong with people!?!?!?!?! Yes so a word to the wise you can go to jail for beastiality ..... especially if the beast you are fornicating with is not your own. Seriously, it is just dis...