Wordless Wednesday!

Sometimes there are no words to describe the things E does! The older he is getting, the more he is making us laugh!  Some days he has a mind of his own. Its none stop laughs when he gets going in one of his little performances!

What a boy!

Packing lightly... with kids!

The term 'packing lightly' and I really don't get a long. There's 'packing lightly', and then 'packing lightly with kids' - two very different things!

For a few weeks, I have been saying things to PC like... 'I plan on packing lightly' or 'the plan is to pack lightly', or 'if we pack lightly...' or 'by packing lightly we can...'. Its one of those... who are you trying to convince type conversations, and clearly the answer is ME, because today I broke out the kids bags and started my quest for 'packing lightly', and I came up short... by. a. land. slide.

Seriously. I started with E's clothes, and I am pumped that his summer stuff from last year still fits him, so I thought this packing lightly thing would be in the bag (no pun intended), because, I know his clothes well, and what goes together, and what it practical, etc. But, apparently, what I don't know is that I love everything I kept from last summer, and I don't need his entire summer wardrobe with us for a measly 8 days in the sun.

You should have seen his bedroom floor today... I had matchy-matchy outfits everywhere, then play wear, then swimwear, and lets not forget all the accessorizing hats and shoes. I mean god forbid if he had an outfit without the proper matching hat and sandals.

This is seriously how I think. I'm *ahem* trying to get better at not caring what my kids are wearing, but frankly I am so far from letting that ship sail, that I'm about to be tossed overboard.

I want them to look nice pretty much all the time, and I'm picky when it comes to what they wear (and I have a hard time letting anyone else but me dress them, but that's a whole other post).  So basically, having a variety of clothing that looks nice and packing lightly are NOT the best combo.

I managed to get E's wardrobe paired down to a few - okay... ten eight six - decent outfits, with options, and matchy-matchiness still entact. I was admiring my nice little pile of clothes for him when it dawned on me... I haven't even packed pajamas or long pants. Insert 'a few choice words' here and I basically called it a day on the packing lightly challenge.

I didn't even begin to tackle H's wardrobe, which *should* be easier given that he has a lot less to work with, and then there's myself. Given that I haven't had to wear regular (non-maternity) summer clothes in two years, I won't have much to pack, so maybe... just maybe, I can pack light for one of us!

The good news is... now that we are traveling by air with two kids, so in addition to PC, we get two extra bags and two extra carry-ons. I'm thinking packing lightly with kids must mean packing what is necessary and then having a little extra room just in case we decide to... SHOP!

Do you have any tips for packing lightly with kids? As you can see I will take all the advice I can get on this one!

Dose of M&Ms!

I never win anything... (or at least that's how I feel), but about a month or so ago I entered a little M&M giveaway over at LouLou's Reviews and I WON!!

Loukia notified me via email that I had won, but I had forgotten all about it, and then out of nowhere, UPS showed up at my door with a FedEx package (a whole other blog), and when I opened it this is what I found.

H was one happy little camper among all the M&M goodness! And when E got home he was LOVING the new M&M swag!

A few months ago, I stumbled upon the Pretzel M&Ms and man are they good! I love the mix of salt & sugar, so was extra excited to see a few bags of those in the mix, in addition to my other M&M faves. I just noticed at the grocery store yesterday they have peanut butter M&Ms ....ummm hello? Best combo ever!! I love them too... and although they weren't included in the prize pack, I am not complaining as we now have some awesome treats to take on our upcoming vacation - not to mention, I have some new reading material to dive into by the pool!

Big thank you to M&Ms Canada (@mmscanada on Twitter), and Loukia for hosting the giveaway.  I was very happy to receive the dose of chocolate, (although I doubt my hips will agree), and to actually WIN something! I think I better go purchase a lotto max ticket just make sure my lucky streak was a one time deal.

Sand Road Maple Farm: Sap is RUNNING!

I've noticed in the last week or so, I'm getting a fair bit of traffic from people searching Google for the Sand Road Maple Farm (formerly Sand Road Sugar Camp). If you haven't had a chance to check out their new website, do so! The sap is running and they are OPEN FOR BUSINESS - Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 4pm.

I did a post last year around this time about the Sand Road Maple Farm (located at 17190 Sand Road, off of highway 138)... as its now owned by my brother-in-law & his lovely wife (Scott & Angela Coleman). I thought I would do it again, just to remind people what a great time of year it is to visit a sugar bush.

I assure you Sand Road will not disappoint... their all-day full-spread breakfast will fill you up and keep you running well into your day, and while you're there, you can walk the nature trails, take a horse drawn wagon ride, roll your own maple taffy, and see the sap/syrup process in production.  They also have a quaint little gift shop if you're looking for something extra for that special someone, or if you'd like some maple products to enjoy at home. As an added bonus, the staff are a pretty friendly crew!

We were there this past Saturday with friends and the place was hoppin'! E loved every aspect of it again this year... and while I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked (hard to do when you go with two kids instead of one), I did capture just a few of our first trip to the sugar bush, but I know we'll be back again before the season is out.

Digital negatives please!

I read a post on photography the other day on Postcards from the Mothership about what some photographers are willing to work for, and while I didn't take the time to comment over there, it got me to thinking a lot about the price of photography and how hard I think it is to find affordable good photography these days that includes some of the digital negatives as part of the package.

I am definitely not out to discount any one photographers talent ... as I think that the art of taking good pictures is definitely a skill that one can benefit financially from. And who am I to say what your skill and talent as a photographer should be worth? No one.  But why can't most photographers include at minimum, low-resolution digital images, and a couple high-resolution retouched images as part of their overall fee?

It seems the more I look around for a photographer, the harder it is to find one that:
A. has an affordable sitting fee,
B. offers a few digital negatives,
C. is in the Ottawa area.

I get that by providing the digital files of the shoot, I have no reason to come back to you if I have the goods in hand, ready to copy and print as many times as I want, in as many sizes as I need, but here's the kicker for me... if you're a good photographer, and the pictures are as good as you advertise, I'll be back... every year, if not two or three times for a family session (and any other big occasion in between).  I have young children and young children change rapidly, and if you are charging $175 or $225 for a session, plus tax, and I'm happy with your services, you are going to get anywhere from $500 to $750 dollars out of me in a year. In addition, I'm going to tweet, and facebook my network of friends and colleagues, and recommend your awesome photography skills to everybody. and. their. dog.

I don't so much mind a steep sitting fee, as much as I mind the $50 charge for an 8 x 10, when you and I both know I can go to Shopper's, or Costco, or Walmart and get it for under $5. I know that its not going to printed uber high-quality paper, or with premium ink, but I could care less about that because I'll have the digital negative to print it again in 15 years when it fades, for probably less than $5 - which will still not be anywhere near $50.

I get that photography can be a competitive and time-consuming business and making a living off my $750 dollars/year is probably not going to pay all the bills (or even some of the bills) but put me together with 30 of my friends and 30 of their friends, and we're starting to make some headway I would think.

As you know, recently we had a friend of ours, Greg Snyder, take family photographs as a favour to us. We paid him minimal for his work, but now I am out recommending his work to my network, and in the future, when we need new family photos, we will be calling him and paying his full session fee because he was great and I was really happy with the results of the shoot. I have the digital negatives in hand, and I'm planning to use his services again!

I have also used the services of Cherie Lynn Buchanan in the past when she too was just starting out.  At the time (2009) she offered the digital negatives of the session, and I loved this about her. She takes amazing photos ... but now she doesn't offer affordable digital negatives and this honestly has deterred me from using her again - because it goes back to me not wanting to pay $50 for two 8 X 10s when I've already paid $225 or more for the photo session. These days she does run specials that includes print credits of $50 or 15% of her a la cart gallery, but no high-res digital images (unless you want to pay $400 in addition to your session fee). Like I said, her photos are AMAZING and she definitely has the talent to charge more money than average for her skills, but I still want digital negatives without breaking the bank.

In looking for local photographers (which I often do), I found this great looking website in the Ottawa area called Baby & Belly Photography, and I think that it is AWESOME - great pricing, great package, and great portfolio. I haven't had the time to try her out yet, but I have to say, she - Daisy, has definitely got the right idea when it comes to capturing the moments of young families and capturing the right price. For $135 you get an hour session, and a CD with 10 retouched images, and all your untouched images from the entire session mailed to your home within 2 weeks. To me, that rocks! I would have been satisfied with 10 retouched images, let alone all of the images from the session. For $135, I don't have to break the bank, I get great affordable photos, and I now have a photographer to call up the next time the family portrait is looking a little outdated or my boys are graduating from kindergarten, etc. (Note: a gift certificate from Baby & Belly would make a GREAT gift for any young family *ahem*).

Don't get me wrong... I really admire photographers who have a knack for shooting families and young children... it really is a skill to be able to get a young child to act themselves in front of a stranger, and to capture those special moments, we as parents see every day, but for the love of pete, please make it affordable to print those special moments and store them for many years to come.

Do any of you have fave family photographer that offers some digital images as part of the fee? From a photographer's perspective, am I being too unreasonable in wanting a couple digital images to keep?

Happy St. Patty's Day

Couldn't resist shooting my little leprechauns in preparation for St. Patty's Day.  Now that E knows and remember most of his colours, he had some fun in his 'grrrr-eaaaaaaan' (green) shirt! H was all smiles and happy to see the camera as always! For many, March 17th is just another day, but for bloggers and Moms, its a reason to break out the camera and whip up a blog post.

And PC joined us just at the tail end of our fun for a quick (unshowered, unshaven) pic with the boys! He loves St. Patty's Day, and knew exactly where his festive shirt was hiding !

Hope everyone has a great green day! And speaking of green, I can see a lot of grass in my yard - I can't wait for it to turn GREEN! Yay Spring!

Three months: first quarter down!

These little monthly milestones are flying by... H is three months old today, his first quarter of year one is now complete - WOW!

They say the three month mark is where it starts to get easier and while I agree, I have to admit, H has been fairly easy from the get go.  He is such a sweet little boy, happy beyond words, and so content to just take everything in. l am truly LOVING my days at home with him - the days where we don't have anything planned, but rather are just hanging out, getting to chat, play, and interact between feeding and napping.

H was 10 lbs, 4 oz at his 2 month check-up... so I suspect he's in the 11 or 12 lbs range now. He's a long little boy too... his footed sleepers are stretched to the max. H started rolling from his belly to his back a few weeks ago... so he can no longer be trusted to just lie still and coo! He's eager to master the roll from back to belly too, so it won't be long until he's full operational doing both rolls. His smile keeps getting bigger and bigger, and the more you talk to him, the happier he gets. He lights up at the sight of his big brother, and hearing Mommy and Daddy's voices.  He really is easy to please and so easy to love.

As tradition would have it, we had a little photo shoot today... which didn't turn out as great as I would have liked because it was such a dreary day here (natural lighting was poor), and we had a busy day of visiting so our little session time was crammed and had to be worked around coming and going, and a curious big brother! Nevertheless, here is my sweet baby boy at 3 months.

Love you to pieces Hudson!

Random decorative piece!

This is probably the most random thing I have in my house...

I've had it in my bathroom for over 5 years, it just sits on the back corner of the bathtub. Its ugly, its not my style, but yet its nowhere near close to death in this house.

The turtle trio was something that we bought at an auction, an auction that was selling the estate of PC's great aunt (Hilda). While there were many nice things at the auction, this was the piece that caught my eye. I think we paid $3.00 for it. I've always kind of liked it in an odd way because it had three turtles and made me think of PC and his brothers, and at the time I thought I wanted 3 kids too, so thought it might be a nice correlation down the road. I thought that because it was PC's great aunt that owned it, he might like to have it, so that's what I chose.

Turns out, he could really care less about the piece, and its me that can't bring myself to get rid of it! It's just one of those things.... an odd thing too, because I am the queen of decluttering, getting rid of any junk and sentimental clutter, but this piece for some reason has firmly found its place in our home, and because its not on display in any main room, I feel like it can stay.

Every time I look at it though, I kinda just shake my head because it is so odd... but yet its something that is part of this house, part of our family.

How's that for a random Tuesday post. Do you have any random pieces in your house that aren't your style but yet you continue to hold onto them?

Kids in bed by 7? Dream ON!

PC asked me a riveting question the other night: How (the hell) do people get their kids in bed by 7pm?

And we both looked at each other and responded at the same time: I. have. no. clue.

Seriously... no freaking clue how people have their kids fed, bathed, teeth brushed, stories read, and lights out by 7pm. I know there are a TON of families that do it - but we are not one of them, and frankly, we never will be.

The earliest we are all in the door throughout the week is probably 5:15, but its more like 5:30, 5:40. If dinner is planned ahead, its probably ready and on the table by 6:15ish, but if its not, then we are looking at 6:30 to 6:45 most nights.  We often finish eating when Wheel of Fortune is on, which airs every night at 7, so what does that tell you. We eat late... we always have, and we probably always will - that's how we roll.

If you are keeping track, its now after 7 and we are still at the dinner table in our house... then if its bath night, that takes us anywhere from 7:30 to 8, then we have to get pjs on, teeth brushed, and coax a 2 y/o onto his bed (which really isn't that hard unless he's full of energy from supper).  Now we are talking 8:20 to 8:30ish, and then its story time. By the time we read a couple of books... its closer to 9pm before we call it lights out for the night. And that's only if I'm in drill sargent mode, with my bull-horn on repeat.

I don't really know what I would do if there was some law that stated kids must be in by 7pm... I don't think we could do it, unless we went without supper or a bath which are not options. We also try to fit some quality time in there too, which happens more so on the non-bath nights, but regardless, a 7 pm bedtime would be more than a real challenge, it is down right impossible here.

In a couple of months when we get H on the same type schedule we'll have two boys to run through the paces - so then the question will become: How (the hell) do you get two kids in bed by 7 pm?  And I know the answer will remain a mystery here.

There are two key factors when it comes to solving this mystery... there's PC and I, and then the boys.

I have to admit, and it probably comes as no surprise to those who know us well, but PC and I are slow movers. Even when we are rushing, we are slow moving... and I kinda fear we are going to pass this trait on to the boys whether we consciously know it or not. Even now, E (like any 2 y/o) takes his sweet time when getting ready to go anywhere... and we let him, because even when we say 'ready to go?' we really mean 'ready to go in another 5 minutes'.

The good news is that the boys (who knows what H will be like, but E for right now) is fairly even tempered and easy to get along with, even at the end of the day. Even when he's exhausted, he can still be quite an enjoyable little boy, and this is truly a plus, but its also part of the reason I think its closer to 9pm every night before E is fast asleep - because he's not kicking up a royal fuss. Most nights, when we actually turn the lights out, he goes to bed with a goodnight kiss and hug and that's the last we hear from him until the next morning at 7:30 or 8 am - and that is perfectly fine with me.

I know there is no parenting rule that says kids must be in bed by 7, but I do know there are people that pass the 'wow, those kids are up late' type judgment on others, but I really think, you do what works best for you, and right now, the 8:30-9 pm bedtime is working for us, and until we have school-aged children and early school mornings to contend with, this is how its gonna be!

Do you find it hard to get your kids in bed at a decent hour or is an early bedtime just come naturally to your household?

When is the right time to move?

We've been in our house for six years as of next week... and while I really do love it here, I am always wondering if we will move, and when?

When I first found out I was pregnant with H, I was all in a panic as to what we were going to do in a measly 3 bedroom home.  Of course, PC didn't see the problem, as we had a room for us, one for E, and one for the future baby, but for me it was borderline meltdown when I thought about having to clean out the spare room to move E into it so we would have a room for the baby.

It was right around then I had a real itch to buy and move, but when I actually found a house I was fairly interested in, we went and saw it, and I got cold feet. While it was nice, and had 4 good size bedrooms, its kitchen was less appealing than ours, the basement wasn't finished, and the top floor was all carpet, and the study/office I really want wasn't what I had pictured. Upon discovering these things, it didn't take me long to get quickly reacquainted with why I like our house so much.

When we first bought our house in 2005, I will admit, I didn't know anything about houses and what I wanted in a house. This house looked great on paper, came with a lot of upgrades, and was really well taken care of by its previous owners. But now having lived in a house for six years I can now say exactly what I want and don't want in my next house.

The thing about our house right now is that in six year's time we've done some things that have made me like it more than when we first bought it. You may recall PC's handywork in finishing the basement, and more recently the kitchen backsplash and countertop project. We've painted all of the bedrooms and decorated the entire house to our liking, and while there are still things I would totally change if I had an endless supply of money and a willing contractor, I am actually quite happy with the place... for now.

BUT, how long is 'for now' going to last? That's the real question.

It's just one of those things that is constantly on my mind... and when I think about packing up six years worth of our ever-expanding life, I cringe. Cringe at the thought of packing it up only to move it a few streets down or over, and then unpacking it again. The thing about moving is that, you know you're signing up for more painting and decorating before you consider the house a home - and I don't think I want to be in that hectic (not to mention money draining) business right now with two kids under two and half ... but then again, maybe I do?

Another problem with moving is that the grass isn't always going to be greener on the other side. What if the house we choose is a dud, or the neighbours are crazy... these are the things you can't control, they are just based on luck, and so far (knock on wood) we had fairly good luck here, so I don't want to jinx it.

I have always been one to surf MLS and Grapevine listings in and around the neighbourhood because A. I'm nosey like that and B. I like to see what's out there.  Its kinda of the theory that when I least expect it, something is going to catch my eye. Lately... I haven't found anything worth a real look. The homes in our neighbourhood are going for a good chunk of change and we stand to make some decent cashola on a transaction of this magnitude, but at the same time, purchasing a home on this market is pretty pricey too and when I boil it down, we aren't getting much more than we already have, but we'll be spending a lot more to get those few little extra details I'd like to have.  Slowly I have been compiling a list of must-haves for my next home... and frankly, its going to be hard to find it in this neighbourhood... but the great part about this ever-expanding community, is that new homes are always being built, and somewhere along the line, my affordable dream home is going to become available, I hope!

It's a constant back n' forth in my head... sell and move, or stay and laze?

Do any of you ever get the moving itch? How many times have you bought and sold? Was it worth it? Are you happy with your decision?

You're in the right place!

Don't worry... you're definitely in the right spot, just gave the place a little face lift.

I decided it was time to update the photos at the top of my header... and I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to do this... but I opened Photoshop and started playing around and an hour later I taught myself just enough to be able to replace the old pics with new pics! I have to say, when I actually uploaded the new header, I had my fingers crossed it would work, and when it did, I gave myself that 'uh-huh, oh-ya, pretty impressive' type nod! Back in University, I actually had to learn Photoshop as part of my degree, but do you think for the life of me I can remember anything everything it does? With this small feat, it could be the start of a new learning obsession.

Once I got the header done, then I started surfing around for a new background and came across one from Dotty Dot Dot that caught my eye.  It's still polka dots but has more of a boy feel to it, which I'm into these days because, as you know, I'm surrounded by boys all. day. long.

Then, just to be fancy, I added this fab little signature! It's been a full day at the bloggy office... hope you like it! Let me know if you have any problems viewing the new look, as it looks great for me in Firefox, but I know there can always be a few challenges if your using Internet Explorer or Safari.

Happy Friday!



(Editor's note: I got a little crazy last night and figured out how to change not only the look of the text in the header, but the background too... I LOVE Photoshop! Beside is what it use to look like - it was previously designed by Becky Squire of Creative Blog Designs.) 

Family photo... that I love!

Last month, we had a friend of PC's come and take some photos of H to document him in his infant state.  I love the black and white photos when babies are so young, like H, so PC contacted his friend and got the shoot scheduled.

The photographer, Greg Snyder of Greg Snyder Photography, did this at a reduced rate for us (he did not charge us enough for his time, travel, and editing) as he is enhancing his portfolio with more babies. He is already an accomplished landscape and scenery photographer.  You only have to visit his website or blog once to see that the work he has done in the past is breathtaking.

I have to admit, I am a newborn and baby photography website junkie - I visit all kinds of blogs and sites on shooting newborns and kids. Prior to the shoot, I got the impression that Greg had not shot a lot of babies, so my expectations for this shoot were low, but I was pleasantly surprised with how things turned out. 

First of all, Greg is very personable, as is he is lovely wife, Jennie. Although the shoot was a little unconventional, given it was in our home, it all went very well considering we were not in a studio setting. Greg had a good concepts for newborn shots. There are a few shots that although they are not the perfect shot the ideas are very solid. My only regret is that because I was so preoccupied with getting some extra props for the shoot, looking after the kids, and socializing, I did not realize until after Greg was gone that we barely took any pictures of just me and H, or even one of just PC and I (sans kids). However, despite that, I was really happy with the results and I think Greg did a really great job with the shoot given the limitations of our house, and the schedule and temperament of the kids (E was not loving the camera that day at. all.) And, the unexpected bonus... was getting to watch Greg in action - as I learned a few things about photography lighting and background tricks that I can now put to use in my own amateur photo shoots!

Thanks so much Greg (and Jennie) for your work- please know your favour to us has not gone unnoticed. Thanks so much for leaving us with my newest love... an awesome family photo, and some great keepsakes of my boys!