Life's Whirlwind Adventures

Welcome to another edition of Friday Five! This Friday Five is dedicated to making five goals for myself this summer! Five things I want to do and how I am going to incorporate them into my summer. 1. Reading, reading and reading. I put myself on a reading hiatus for June.  I did this because I was reading a lot and I didn't want to clean out my school library before the summer hit!  I also used July to focus more on my novel writing so there was that too.  For the Summer I am going to read 14 books, I have already started book number 5 so I think I am on pace to reach this goal! 2. Writing, writing and writing. I love writing, but I find I always make excuse why I can't write, or find other things to distract me with so that I don't actually write.  But I am putting aside an hour a day to do some writing.  This is turning into an hour in the morning before my kids are allowed to get up for he day.  Teddy doesn't listen to this but he is usually...

I know this does nothing to boost my readership, and that is both frustrating and understandable at the same time.  I don't want to just put fluff on my blog, I am honestly trying to build a brand for my blog, something that I can say is my own, but I find my hands are just in too many things, I am good at a lot of things but not an expert at one of those things. Maybe that's what it is, I am putting too much pressure on myself to be creative with my blog, with my life, that I am not celebrating what my life is and what I have to offer. So I am making a change, this blog doesn't have to alter the world for anyone person, it's already altering my world. Focusing my writing skills, to make them better, focusing my photography skills to make them better so that is what I am going to do. I also gave up reading for 6 weeks, 6 weeks I will not pick up another novel, and so to fill my time I used to spend reading I am going to be writing.  I've been working on a nove...

Welcome to my new Saturday Series, this will be a series of six things I love, admire, want to accomplish but all will be related to a new topic each Saturday. Today's focus my bucket list, so here are 6 things on my bucket list. 1. Becoming a published author.  I have wanted this since I was in Grade 6 and I am working daily, on this blog to help me get back into writing, I'm also setting up 45 minutes each week in school to do Creative Writing during a flex session with some students.  I figure this way I will commit to it and hopefully it will get me out of my writing slump. 2. Travel to Norway, Denmark and Sweden.  Finland is cool too, but I need to see these three places first.  I'd love to take a train up the coast of Norway seeing all the Fjords and then walk the quaint streets in Copenhagen and take a boat across to Sweden.  I'd rather travel these places in the summer but I'm sure winter would be beautiful too. 3. Travel to Greece, and take a myth...

I'm trying to think of my proudest moment, I've had a few proud moments that I take a lot of pride in but my proudest moment really has to do with my children. I am proudest of the strong working young man Chandler has become, he never gives up and he always does what he needs to do.  He's kind, grateful and has a great sense of humour. I am proudest of the compassionate, loving, space invading young man Leigham is, he loves everyone and is always first for a hug and quickly goes to those who look down. He's a genuinely kind soul who isn't afraid to show his emotions. I am proudest of the determined, outspoken little boy in Theodore.  He knows what he wants and he will go for it and don't you stand in his way, he is not a push over and will not let anyone be the boss except mommy and daddy.  He's a go getter, he just needs to learn to pull in his temper with his brothers. I am proudest of all the moments I get to be a mother and friend to my ...

When I win the lottery.... man that  is a loaded question really. Would I continue working, or would I venture out to work on my own doing what I love most? (I don't know what that is except helping others reach their potential) Would I travel or maybe move somewhere far from home? (this is a possibility but only if I can move all those I love with me....I'm greedy that way) Would I go back to school to continue learning and get a bunch of useless degrees simply because I can? (there is a 60% chance that something like this will occur.) Would I donate to charity or maybe start up my own charity to help single teen age moms realize their full potential and give them a chance to prove that being a young mom doesn't stop you from reaching your dreams.  (It didn't stop me!) The day I win the lottery, it will be a surprise, an off chance that I buy a ticket or decide to join some co-workers in purchasing a bunch of tickets.  That day will be going well, it will be ...

Why is it easier to point out the things we aren't so proud of, I could come up with a list of 10 characteristics about myself that could be improved.  Yet coming up with three that I am proud of.... a struggle. Well maybe not so much a struggle as there are ones I am proud of having, but I know that I can always improve them and they aren't perfect. So here are the three I feel are pretty much me without much need to a total overhaul. 1. I feel I am a good listener.  I am an active listener, I listen to listen not to respond.  I'm obviously not always perfect at this but I really try. 2. I am empathetic.  I feel for people when they are in a tough situation and even if I haven't been in that situation I can feel how they feel, this is obviously to a lesser degree than what they are feeling but I can definitely envision their trials and tribulations and how I would be in a similar situation. 3. I am imaginative.  I have a huge imagination and I can fin...

I am building new habits in 2018, one of those habits is to write a blog for every day of the week.  I know I haven't done this in the past at best I've been a Monday to Friday blogger, but I've had a change of heart, because casual blogging is not getting me the results I want so now I will start with 31 days of blogging.  Happy January 1, 2018!  I am going to spread this into February too, only because there are a few things happening in January and through the Christmas break that I want to share as well so I am going to leave 5 days in January free for me to blog about other things! Here is the blog list I will be following! I am excited to get these written and share them with you.  Also I am writing this a bit earlier than they are being posted so I can build in some self editing. This is me!! I'm actually in my PJs in this shot hahaha.  My next blog will be 20 basic facts about me, but for now I will let you know my name is Jennifer Louise.  ...

More than anything else in my life that confounds my schedule is my exercising.  I want to be a morning exerciser, get up before dawn and do sun salutations as the sun rises, seriously this is a dream, like a bucket list item.  And it doesn't matter how hard I try, or how much I plan for it, it just never really happens. I don't know why it is, maybe I stay up to late watching television, or maybe I just like to sleep until the time I was born.  I was born at 7:08 am and when I don't set an alarm clock I generally wake up at this time. I have gone weeks trying to get up at 5:30 and all that's happened is I get grumpy, I really want to be a morning exerciser but it just doesn't fit my schedule then. The only time it's going to fit my schedule is going to be in the early afternoon or early evening.  Maybe in three years when my young boys are older and can be trusted alone and to get ready for school this can change, but my reality is that exercising in the ...

I know I'm not consistent, it's what kills my blog. I know I need to be more consistent with sitting down to read, but my bed is so comfortable.  Like so utterly comfortable that to not be in it after work is really difficult. And then once I get into bed it would take a crowbar to get me out. I'm taking April by storm. I am going to really focus on myself and building a schedule that gives time to my kids and time to my own interests. That's my trouble is that I give way more of my time to my kids and to just finding excuses to not do things than I do to doing those things I know make me feel good.  So here we go.  30 days of healthy eating, 30 days of exercising, and 30 days of writing.  Even if it's just an update on the exercise routine I did that day.

I am struggling with the blog to find things to write about, things that I care to share with everyone that may be relevant or pertinent to them.  But does that matter??? I mean really, this is my blog, you are either reading it because one of my tags brought it up in a search engine (unlikely at this point) or you are one of my friends that clicked on the link on Facebook or Twitter (most likely). So then I can write anything and generate traffic because people will click the link regardless and if I can capitalize on those traffic increasing labels I can generate more readers.  But I have to be writing everyday or night. I wish my bedroom offered me a place to have my computer comfortably, because I enjoy typing in bed. I sometimes wish I'd just started a Video Log on youtube, that might be easier but then I'd have learn how to edit videos and stuff and seriously it is a lot of work. I've done it but I much prefer writing. I do much better when my days are organized i...

Yeah so it's the same thing again.  I want to do this stuff, I want to sit and write, I want to do some income building activities and yet when I finally get my kids down for the night, I curl up into my bed and do nothing..... well maybe I read or watch tv, but I do nothing that is going to help me reach my goals. So that would explain the radio silence. I am also much more effective at writing in the morning then I am at night, cylinders are all firing in the morning but not so much at night.  But how do I just do things that are rather boring for my kids but are what fills me with passion?  When my kids are up at 6:30 EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!  I would have to get up at 5 in order to get my workout and even half an hour of writing without being disturbed.  However, I am under the distinct impression that my children use me as an alarm clock, as soon as they hear me that is their signal to get up, so then I have to change my routine and do these things at night. ...

Well this day felt much less productive then yesterday!! My whole plan to bike to work, yeah, that got shot out the window, stupid flat tires!! Then well work was work, it was there we did it, the kids did the work and we made it through! Now I am home, after a lovely visit with my best friend!! I feel like my family and I need a sit down meeting, we just need to all be in the same room and talk for bit about what needs to happen in our home while things are the way they are. I'm rambling, no physical activity today as it became a rest day, but we will get onto it tomorrow again! But two blogs done so there is that!! Chat later everyone!!

Today is another Friday Five Link Up with the wonderful ladies Mar, Cynthia and Courtney !! Check out their blogs for some great reads!! So happy I found this link up!! It's hard for me to chronicle my days, because at this moment in time they are never exactly the same. Some I send the kids to school and relish in the silence, some Lil man is home and we are constantly on the go doing one activity or another.  Some days are weekends, everyone is home and we've got playdates and sports and activities planned. That being said, there are things I do every day, regardless of what's actually going on, they are routine and they are my favourite parts of everyday. 1) Waking up and checking my phone.  I check my phone for weather, for texts, for emails and sometimes twitter and Instagram.  I love rolling over and checking my phone before I roll out of bed, it's a way to make human connection.  It's dumb, but it's not, I also check my calendar to make sure I...

One of the journal prompts I have has asked me to list the three best things that happened last year and in a separate question it's asked for the three worst things that happened last year.  So today we are going to reflect on the past year. I will start with the worst, because I'd rather end on a positive note then negative.  Last year I turned 35, I was 7 months pregnant and was winding down my work in preparation for the arrival of our newest child.  Last year was a really good year, the worst things that happened weren't really that bad, but there were a couple things that stood out. Last March, on March 12, my sister's birthday I contracted a virus of some sort.  It attacked my ear and I had the worst case of vertigo EVER. I couldn't keep both eyes open, I was in the ER two days in a row, because I couldn't eat anything, everything was coming up. I was extremely dizzy and I was very worried about the baby.  How could he be fine if I wasn't eating a...

I have been working on this for years, and sometimes the writing process drives me crazy, no wonder some of the great authors were alcoholics!! I have actually completed this novel pen to paper years ago, but I'm trying to transcribe the second draft onto my computer.  Transcribe might not be the right word, but I'm typing the second draft, which will make editing easier for the third and fourth drafts.  I'm probably 7 chapters in I'd say half way and I've changed the timeline  because there were issues in the first draft, I've also change the antagonist and I'm considering changing the Point of View, which is a lot of work!! I'm so picky when it comes to my writing, maybe that's what's kept me for publishing or seeking a publisher for years.  I'm a bit of a perfectionist, not that I think my writing is perfect, but I know how I want the book to read, but it's not there yet.  That and I write when the mood tickles my fancy, I've not...

Lent is a time of the year when Christian's give up something as a form of reflection to mimic Jesus' choice to give up all he gave up for us.  And blahdeeblah.... anyways I don't usually give things up, I like to hoard my obsessions and addictions but I found like I'd stated in my previous post that Social Media was not improving me but in fact it was impeding me from becoming a better person. I've now taken to writing letters to friends, some of you will get them, some of you may already have gotten them.   I'm spending time with my kids, I'm planning my blogs more efficiently, I'm spending time writing my novel and working on that aspect of my writing.  I'm also focusing on what I've got to do when I get back to work, what I want that to actually look like. Not constantly checking in with Social Media has freed up more time in my day to spend with the boys playing. We stay focused on what we are doing and notifications of a like or new pos...

Does anyone else feel absolutely drained in January?  Like in your head you are ready to do all these great things and get the year jump started into something AMAZING, but your body is like "nope, let's sit this out for awhile." That's me, as December rolls to an end I'm already with goals and resolutions and I've plans to get things done. I work out a schedule to allow me time to do all the things I want to do, balancing all the things I need to do with all the wants in my life. And on paper it looks GREAT, absolutely do-able and then January 2 rolls around. (Let's be honest January 1 is a write off for most people) As of January 2, it's like all the adrenaline that has been coursing through my body to get through the holidays takes a flight down to Cuba, not to be seen again for months.  (ok maybe not that long, but it takes awhile to convince it to come back)  I definitely go into the hum drums in January, I don't want to do anything, I ...

Let’s make some goals together!! But really let’s make some lifestyle changes that are going to last and not just disappear after a week.   I am actually really good at making goals; sticking to them, well that’s a different story. But if you are all hear reading and keeping me accountable then maybe, just maybe my goals will stick.   I’m looking to overhaul my lifestyle, I’m looking to focus on what’s important to me this year and to really make these goals a reality.   I’ve picked out three areas that I want to focus my energy and time on this year, these are three areas that I feel will bring me the most fulfillment that I haven’t already focused on.   I’m going to set goals for my writing,   the Seawheeze and to save money. First, let’s figure out the best way to set goals.   There are many ways a person can do it; you can say it in your head, write it down, collage it, put it on a vision board, really the ways to do it are countless.   I pref...

I always had a love for school, even when it irritated me I loved school. I loved learning new things, I loved finding new books, I loved hanging out with my friends, all in all I loved school. Sure there were times when I didn't like a teacher, or I didn't like a subject we were taking, but in the grand scheme of things I enjoyed school.  So it would not surprise anyone that one of my favourite rainy, non school day activity was playing school.  I would set up my sister and our stuffed animals in a classroom area of our basement.  I would then set up colouring or writing or story activities to do with them. Sometimes I even let my sister be the teacher, but she was younger and did not know as much as me, so that was only sporadically. It's ironic right, kids complain about school, yet when they are left to do free play they play school.  I find it funny, but I think it's one of the best games or activities that I as a parent can foster.  Do I want to guide th...

So because I've become determined to finish my novel that I have written I've dedicated a blog to my writing.   Imagination Destination   is the blog title, it's where I'll post short stories, character sketches in the form of interviews, some time line sketches and writing prompts that get my creative juices flowing. If you would like to contribute to that blog, once I get it to brome a more consistent blogging platform, please let me know and I would be happy to get that set up. Here are some other author blogs that I read regularly! LisaAnn used to write at Kicked, Corner, Bitten and Chased but has upgraded recently to this website, I enjoy reading her posts, check it out.  http://lisaannokane.com/blog/ Mireille is a friend of mine from school. She's the first published author I know and I am so proud of her and all her writings.  I didn't know she had the same love for writing as I did back in school, wish I had known that I may have been inspired to s...