Mmmmm... Tea!

I do not like coffee at all! It took me until I was in university before I could tolerate even the smell of coffee. That came about because all my dorm sisters loved going to Starbucks to study. Naturally I wanted to go too so I got use to the smell. I was NOT a tea person. I've tried a number of times but I cannot stand the bitter after taste that tea leaves in my mouth. I did really love the smell though and I could not understand why it didn't taste like it smelled. I may have mentioned this before but my husband and I work with the youth group at our church and often have the students over to our house. A few of them expressed how much they loved tea. It got me thinking about trying to drink tea again (I try every couple of years because it just seems so relaxing). I have been able to down a few cups of peppermint tea if I add enough sugar. I kept hearing all these great things about David's Tea and two stores just opened in town. I had my first experience with David's Tea about a month ago and that was simply walking into the store in search of a gift for one of my youth girls (still haven't figured out what I want to get her). Every time I walk in to the store I am extremely overwhelmed! Yikes! I never knew there were different types of tea and then flavours within those types of teas. I mean they have an entire wall full of cans of loose leaf tea that they willingly take off the shelf and let you smell! Wow! I spent at least 15 minutes just sniffing tea. I also found out that the bitter aftertaste is caused from over-steeping or burning the leaves. What? You can burn tea? How does that even happen? A few weeks after that first experience I actually consumed my first cup of David's Tea! Yummy! I tried White Chocolate Frost! It is composed of peppermint (my favourite), white chocolate, pink peppercorn, stevia leaf, natural sugar flavouring, natural and artificial white chocolate mousse flavouring. I was hooked! It just so happened that this whole experience happened right around my birthday and I received a number of options for my birthday along with a sweet mug and tea pot both with infusers. I've tried peppermint amour, spearmint, and white chocolate frost. I also have Mom's Apple Pie and Nepal Black, although I think that one is more for my husband but I haven't tried either of them yet. I have a new addiction and it tastes so good!!!

What's your favourite type of tea or hot drink? Have you had a David's Tea experience?

Be joy filled!

Operation Christmas Child

I LOVE putting together shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. It is an amazing way to spread the love of Jesus with kids who are less fortunate around the world. It is run by Samaritan's Purse and all the info can be viewed at their website (http://www.samaritanspurse.ca/operation-christmas-child.aspx)

Basically, you fill a shoe box (or small plastic tub the size of a shoe box) with small items (school supplies, toys, clothes, personal items, hygiene items and hard candy)! This could be the only gift these kids get in their whole lives. Matt and I started putting these together the first year we got married. Each year we put together a box for the oldest age group, which receives the least amount of donations (10-14 years). Once we started having kids, we decided that we would let each child pack a box for their age group. The youngest age group is 2-4 so Caleb will be putting a box together for that age for awhile. The first couple of years it was much more of a stretch to fill the boxes with enough stuff, partially because we didn't have very much money and partially because I just didn't know what to put in the boxes. This year I am so excited about these boxes! As soon as they announced the collection dates at church last Sunday I started planning and shopping. My parents put together a couple of boxes too so my mom and I hit the stores. We went to a couple of dollar stores, Wal-Mart and Michaels. Here is a list of what I bought for each box and an approximation of what I spent. Keep in mind that Samaritan's Purse asks you to include a donation of $7 to help cover the shipping costs.

Girl 10-14:
-Water bottle
-Pencil sharpener
-4 pens
-4 pencils
-Coloured pencils
-2 bracelets
-Hair elastics
-Sewing kit
-Bag of hard individually wrapped candies
-Light weight scarf
-Socks
-Sports bra
-2 little pony toys
-Crayons
-Pencil case
-Scissors
-Bandaids and alcohol swabs (in a bag)
-Bar of soap (in a bag)
-Facial tissues
-Comb
-Toothbrush
-Beads and elastic
-Embroidery thread
-Necklace
-Turtle foam craft
-Tote bag with fabric markers
-Pad of paper
-Bouncy ball

Value: $28-32

Boy 2-4:
-Tiny frisbee
-Bar of soap (in a bag)
-Small dinosaurs
-Baseball
-Bag of candy
-Facial tissues
-Crayons
-3 pairs of socks
-T-shirt (size 4)
-Toothbrush
-Teddy bear
-Scissors
-Colouring book
-Cars stickers
-2 exercise books (thin pads of paper)
-Water bottle
-2 bouncy balls
-2 cars
-Pencil sharpener
-Bandaids and alcohol swabs
-2 pencils
-Coloured pencils

Value: $28-32

Boy 10-14:
-Bar of soap (in a bag)
-Bag of candy
-Football flyer
-Wood workshop build a race car set
-Bandaids and alcohol swabs
-Scissors
-Facial tissues
-Pad of paper (Team Canada Hockey)
-Soccer ball (deflated) - not pictured
-Air pump and needles
-Water bottle
-Pencil sharpener
-2 bouncy balls
-Pens
-Pencils
-Coloured pencils
-Toothbrush

Value: $30-35

As you can tell we have a few staples in our boxes. All the boxes have toothbrushes, soap, bandaids, alcohol swabs, scissors, bouncy balls, pencils, pens, coloured pencils, and a bag of candy. Water bottles were new additions this year and I love them! I packed mine full of pens, pencils, coloured pencils, facial tissues, bandaids, alcohol swabs, pencil sharpeners, bouncy balls and hair supplies (where applicable). My advice though is to find some that are tall and skinny. The ones my mom bought were a little wider and shorter and made for more challenging packing. Matt's favourite thing to put in the boxes is a soccer ball. I couldn't agree more. I mean what kid, no matter what age, wouldn't love a soccer ball? All in all, it'll cost us right around $110 to put these together plus the $7 a box to send them; however, if you 'donate' more than $15 to help send the boxes then they will give you a tax receipt. I see so much value in putting these boxes together and helping my kids realize that there are children all around the world that don't get lots of stuff for Christmas. Last year Caleb didn't really help since he was only 6 months old but this year I made sure he helped pack the boxes. He put the pencils and pens in the water bottles and the candies in the bags. It was great to see him get excited about helping. I'm hoping next year he will help pick out the toys or something. I am also going to start looking for things throughout the year since we had a bit of trouble trying to find little crafts or a variety of items to go in the boxes. I thought the start or end of summer would be great to find bright coloured crafts. I also thought that back-to-school sales would be a great time to get cheap school supplies. If you spread out the cost throughout the year, then it doesn't seem like a such a big cost all at once.

Be joy-filled!

Newborn Essentials

Oh the first year of life! The time goes by so quickly! I cannot believe that my little Caleb is almost 16 months old and we are thinking of having another one. My brother and sister-in-law have just announced that they are expecting their first little bundle of joy at the end of April! I'm going to be an aunty to a little baby who will actually be close to me. My other niece and nephews live in the Dominican Republic and I don't get to see them very often. Lord willing, I will get to see this little one quite often!

The other day my sister-in-law and I went maternity clothes shopping. Naturally we made a stop at Target (one of my favourite stores and I'm so excited they are now in Canada) and headed to the baby gear aisle. Robyn shared with me how overwhelming it is to start to think about all the baby supplies a person 'needs'. It made me think about how crazy it was trying to plan for a first child. When Matt and I found out we were pregnant we were living in Colombia. The idea was that we were going to fly home, have the baby here in BC then head back to Colombia all in a matter of months. God had another plan and we came home earlier and do not have any plans to go back any time soon. Anyway, while I was suffering through my constant morning sickness, I figured I would plan out everything we would need for our baby. Wow, the baby world is exactly how Robyn said... OVERWHELMING! I told her the same thing I am telling you, find one of those baby essentials checklist then ask your friends what they think is actually essential. Yes, you will probably buy something that you never take out of the package or just sits in the corner but hey maybe the next kid will like it.

I thought I would share with you MY baby essentials list. I got through the first stages of infancy with these things just fine. Yes, there are some other items, like swings or bouncy seats, that some moms swear by. Let's face it, I'm cheap and we were on a tight budget having just purchased our first home and all. This is my minimalistic list. that I'm sure could easily be trimmed down.

Sleepers: Caleb was born at the end of June and lived in sleepers for the first few weeks of his life. I never did the swaddle thing. The nurses actually told me not to do it or to only swaddle loosely. He liked to sleep with his arms above his head and his legs spread out. There are babies who stay all curled up for a few days or weeks after they are born. Not Caleb, there is a picture of me holding him in the hospital and he's stretched out as tall as he can be. Anyway back to the sleepers... we had 6-10 of them and still did laundry every other day. We had a couple then went out and bought more. Size: I was a 8 lbs 15 oz baby, my brother was 9 lbs, my husband was 8 lbs. My doctor told me that I was not having a 7 lbs baby, so I was prepared to never use the newborn size and I was right. He popped out at 8 lbs 15 oz. By the time we left the hospital he had only lost a few ounces and gained it all back VERY quickly. 0-3 month clothes actually only lasted us for about 2 months then he was in the next size.

Car Seat: The hospitals here in BC will not let you take the child home unless you have a car seat. The nurse actually put Caleb in the seat and adjusted the straps herself to make sure everything fit. She asked Matt about the instillation of the base in the car too. We bought a Graco Classic because it was on sale! It was a great seat that lasted about a year before Caleb outgrew it.

Blankets: Even if your child does not like a swaddle, having blankets on hand is essential. Caleb was not a baby that spat up constantly but some kids are. It is really nice to have the option to toss a receiving blanket over your shoulder just in case or to add an extra little cozy comfort to your cuddle time. As far as what to have in the crib goes, well there are a few different opinions on that topic. Some say just have a heavier sleeper. Some go with a sleep sack. Some have blankets. The concern is that having a blanket could suffocate the child. We started with a receiving blanket tucked under his arms then added a crocheted blanket once it was colder. He did just fine. Do what YOU feel comfortable with. I've heard of lots of people who have had success with all of the above options.

Diapers/wipes: This one is pretty obvious; however, who knew there were so many diapering options. Keep in mind that newborn diapers need to be worn until the umbilical cord heals (there is a specially designed little cut out to allow space for the cord). With that being said, we started off with Huggies and then threw in some clothe diapers once Caleb was 2 months old (he fit into them better once he was a bit bigger). I knew I wanted to do clothe diapers to save money (our water bill is included in our strata fees and I only actually do 2 extra loads of laundry a week). We still have some Huggies diapers around the house in case we don't want to deal with carting around used clothe diapers when we are out and about. If you do decide to go the clothe diaper route... yikes! Now that is a whole new world with a language all of it's own. Do your research and ask clothe mommas. They are very open to talking about the type of diapers they use and what they like about them. Whichever way you decide works best for your family, make sure you have lots on hand. Caleb went through a lot of diapers every day.

Pacifier: I actually debated putting this one on the list. I did not want my kids to be dependant on a pacifier. I did not want to get up in the middle of the night just to put the pacifier back in. I was only using it as an emergency option. Then my in-laws came to visit. My dear mother-in-law actually sent us a care-package before they came and it included a package of pacifiers. She saw us on Skype and noticed we weren't using one, so she sent us some because 'babies just like to suck sometimes'. Caleb liked his pacifier a lot more after they left but thankfully he isn't addicted. We used it when we needed to hold off on a feeding or later when his teeth hurt (he got his first teeth at 4.5 months). Even now at 16 months he only uses it if his teeth hurt or to go to sleep (not very often).

Baby shampoo/soap: I have extremely sensitive skin so I was concerned about that being passed on to Caleb. Praise the Lord so far so good. We did start out using Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo and body wash. Then all the news came out about them using cancer causing ingredients and I started getting scared. Now what? I am still searching for a good brand that uses natural ingredients and is gentle on the skin. Some of my friends have recommended the follow brands: Aveno, Live Clean, California Baby, Earth Mama Angel Baby. I will test some out and let you know how it goes.

Diaper Bag: I was so excited about buying a diaper bag. I wanted something that looked like a diaper bag. I bought a Ju Ju Be Be All and loved it... for the first few months. Then I started to notice that my super sensitive skin kept breaking out in a rash where the wonderful memory foam strap pad laid on my neck. Awesome! It's not the first time I have been allergic to fabric and I should have known better. Oh well, now I am trying to sell it. I did notice though that I prefer to just toss some diapers and an extra set of clothes in a wet bag in my purse. So I splurged on a nice new purse that was big enough to carry all my baby needs.

Wet Bag: I just mentioned this so I figure I would explain what it is. A wet bag is an invention for clothe diapering and it is a baby essential for sure. Basically it is a water proof fabric bag that locks in nasty smells. The idea is that you put your nasty, wet, messy diapers in it to store until laundry day. I have two big ones and two small ones. The big ones rotate through the bathroom to store my 2-4 days worth of diapers while the little ones hold all my "going out of the house" diaper needs. I have a couple diapers, wipes, change of clothes and a couple toys in the small bag which I then toss in my purse or the car. If a mess is really gross, I can change Caleb out of the nasty clothes and just toss everything in the wet bag. The bag gets turned inside out and run through the washing machine along with everything else. My mom and I actually made a bunch of wet bags ourselves. We used PUL, a zipper and sewed a few seams then we were good to go. Super easy!

Stroller: We are a very active family and I knew we needed a durable stroller. We splurged and bought a BOB Revolution SE. I love it! Yes, it is a bit on the bigger side but it is perfect for us. I have taken it to the mall and people on the street have made fun of how big it is (I think they are crazy). I know it says to not put your newborn directly in the stroller (use the car seat adaptor) until they are 3-6 months depending on neck control. We put Caleb in at 5 weeks. He had incredible neck control and we used the head pillow thing from our car seat. I did not run with him till he was a few months old so there wasn't much movement. I honestly think that this stroller was hugely influential in helping me shed my baby weight in 4.5 months!

Crib: The kid needs somewhere to sleep. The public health nurse told me that they recommend babies sleep in their parents' room for the first 6+ months of their life. Yup, Caleb lasted 2.5 in our room. Honestly, we just put him on his crib mattress on the floor till he started to move about then we transitioned him to his crib. Next time, we are getting a play-yard so that it's not to hard for me to pick him up and put him down - that whole recovering from giving birth thing makes it more challenging to bend over. I had a friend gave me a Moses Basket and Caleb just screamed whenever we put him in it. I've heard parents have their kids sleep all sorts of places - drawers, wagons, bassinets, baskets, boxes. There are lots of options - again, find what works for your family and is safe.

Entertainment: Kids do need some form of stimulation. One of Caleb's favourite toys was this activity gym like this one. It was great to be able to just put him down and let him explore so we could make dinner or just sit. Some kids 'need' to be moving and 'need' a swing or a bouncy chair. My advice is to wait till you have your child then make that decision based upon your child's actual needs not his potential needs. What works for one child may not work for another.

Nursing Pillow: Okay be prepared for too much information. I tore really badly and took a number of weeks to heal. My nursing pillow was essential. I took that thing with me everywhere I went and sat on it. I don't know if I ever used it for nursing but it was the only way I could sit for over a month.

Really, I'm pretty sure that's all we really needed for the first few months. Every stage has it's joys and challenges. Every stage has it's 'needs' and 'wants'. Take each stage in stride, it won't last forever.

Be joy-filled!

Vacation in the Bahamas

Matt's parents are wonderful people who happen to have a rental home in Green Turtle Cay. We met up with them for some fun in the sun.

Our time was filled with beaches and water... and beaches and water... it was delightful!

The local wildlife! A nurse shark was stalking my father-in-law as he walked along the shoreline. 

We went on a fishing adventure that led us to a beautiful beach. The local sting rays, sharks and turtles recognize the boat we were riding on and came a swimmin' as soon as they noticed us pull up. It was incredible to get in the water with these animals and have them swim right up to you.

Caleb wasn't even a little scared. It took me longer to let these guys come close. 

The turtles were pretty amazing!

The sharks were breathtaking! I have always had this strange love affair with sharks. I am terrified of them yet I love them! It's weird I know.

We also spent some time snorkelling and enjoying island life. Naturally we had to climb a tree for our family picture. 

Looks like it was orange shirt day... did you get the memo? I love orange on little boys and it's such a fun summer colour! 

As an early birthday gift, my mother-in-law paid for us to go paddle boarding for a couple hours while she watched C. Talk about a relaxing experience! Wow! Now all I need to do is save up a random $1,000 to buy my own! Any generous reader want to buy me one?

On Green Turtle Cay, everyone gets around on golf carts. Well there are a few cars on the island but mostly everyone drives golf carts! It's so much fun! I just have to remember to drive on the left side of the road!

This is the view from the beach right behind my in-laws' house! What a way to spend some free time eh! God is so good to us! Thank you to my in-laws for meeting us down South and being so hospitable! 

Summiting Mt Baker

I did it! I summited Mt. Baker!!!! I'm so excited! What a great trip! My parents were kind enough to keep C overnight so we could have this amazing experience!

After checking in at the Ranger's station, we were all set and ready for our hike in. Yikes, I forgot how heavy a full pack is.

We took our time and enjoyed our way up - minus the horrible bugs at the start. I was almost ready to turn around they were biting me so badly. I was not a happy camper. I remember praying that God would provide a way out... either make all the bugs go away or allow us to run in to another hiker who had bug spray (I had spotted a gal at the start of the hike who was putting bug spray on and was about to ask her to borrow some but didn't). Before I know it, she comes hiking around the corner and Matt asks if she has bug spray. I was so thankful when I overheard him talking to her, I actually started 'running' back to where they were. 

After we set up camp and spent some time practicing walking in crampons and self-arresting (if you start sliding down the mountain, you flip your body on to your tummy and dig your ice axe into the snow to stop yourself from sliding to your death... or potential death), we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset and attempted to sleep. The whole sleeping part wasn't really happening. I think I only got a few hours of sleep. Then up at 2:00 am to get ready to go. By 3:20 am we are fed and packed up ready to start on ascent. 

Hiking in the dark is a very strange experience. I could really only see whatever was illuminated by my headlamp and simply followed the rope that was attached to Matt. We went around a number crevasses but only a few times was I scared for my life. 

Once the sun came up, it was a whole new world of white! The actual hike up was easier than I had anticipated. Looks like my training paid off. As you can see, it was not some simple walk in the park; the terrain was tough. The last section before the summit is called the Roman Wall, it is extremely steep and feels like it goes on forever.

We were anticipating that we would take 4-5 hours to summit but it took us over 6. There were so many more open crevasses that we needed to go around, which made the trip much longer. 

The Lord kept us safe and we made it to the top!!!! I think it's funny that the very top of the mountain is this little hill that has no snow on it at all. It was gorgeous!

Before Matt and I even met, I remember wanting to marry someone who was outdoorsy so that he could teach me how to be more outdoorsy and keep me safe while we are out on crazy adventures. Wish granted, thanks God!

This is probably the scariest part of the whole trip. This crevasse was up to 20-30 feet across and 60 feet deep in sections. There is this little footpath you follow that's only a few feet from the edge. As you can see off to Matt's left, there is a fairly steep slope. Only 20-30 feet down that slope is another crevasse. Don't slip! 

We made it safely back to camp but had less than an hour to rest and eat before we needed to pack up and hike out. Next time we are doing a big trip like this, we will do it over three days. That way we just need to make it back to camp and rest, then we will hike out the next day. After it was all said and done, yes I would do it again!

Be joy-filled!

Art of Language

Language fascinates me. All through grade school and on into high school, most of my English classes were based on grammar and spelling. I had one year of Literature and had to write five book reports every year; other than that, it was all grammar. True, my impeccable grammar is not what it once was but I’ll be honest, it stems from laziness. As far as foreign language goes, I took one year of Spanish in grade 11. I do not know if I have mentioned this yet or not but I was homeschooled from ‘kindergarten’ through to high school graduation. I say ‘kindergarten’ because it was mostly composed of the grade 2 work my brother was doing so it was not the typical kindergarten experience. This is how I justify telling people that I never learned how to share since I did not go to kindergarten.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved the Spanish language. If I could pick one language to actually learn, it would be Spanish. Now maybe it is because so many of my Canadian friends were learning French and hating every second of it. Possibly it is because I just wanted to be different. Potentially it is because I think it sounds really sexy and the Spanish culture seems so much more warm and open compared to the French culture. Plus I tried to learn Russian by myself and that went horribly wrong. All that to say, Spanish is the language that I know the most about other than my native Canadian English.

The English language is ridiculous. It is full of idioms and slang to the point where if you actually listen to the words people say instead of assuming you think you know what they are trying to say, the English language is ridiculous. Yes, I know I said it twice but that’s how strongly I believe it. Let’s just look at some of the North American idioms. According to Wikipedia (simply because it is the first option to come up on my Google search), “An idiom is a combination of words that has a figurative meaning, due to its common usage…there are estimated to be at least 25,000 idiomatic expressions in the English language” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiom). Are you kidding me? How is someone suppose to learn English as a second language? No wonder people say it is easiest to learn a language when you are immersed in it, but how are you suppose to understand what people are saying?

Matt and I lived in Bogota, Colombia for 6 months. We were teaching PE at an international Christian school. A long story short (idiom), I got pregnant and really sick so we came home after six months instead of staying for the whole two years like we had planned. (Oh how the Lord works in mysterious ways). One of the other teachers at the school had an idiom of the day. I’m sure I had heard the term idiom somewhere before but I guess it did not sink in. Our experience in Bogota taught me a lot of things, which I’m sure I will bring up some other time. Now I have more compassion and grace for those who are English Language Learners (ELLs). I know how challenging it is to live in a country where you only know a limited amount of the language. I look at the English language differently too. I choose my words carefully when speaking with ELLs. I try and use fewer idioms. There, we have come full circle and I can move on with my rant on idioms.

I came across this series of videos from a German man living on the East Coast of the USA and he talks about idioms. I have watched a few of his videos and some of them have inappropriate language so view with caution. This one is called “Jennifer is a Party Pooper” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjwofYhUJEM&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL48258D69C3DD1228) My favourite line is “Jennifer poops at parties…I poop at parties but peoples don’t knows because I close the door.”

Here’s a list of some of my favourite English idioms:

Party pooper (do you poop at parties?)

Whatever floats your boat (we don’t all have boats…doesn’t water float all boats…who has a boat floating in something other than water?)

Shut the front door (what does the position of the front door have to do with your personal reaction to the situation?)

Are you pulling my leg? (wouldn't you know if someone was grabbing on to your leg and tugging on it?)

Oh that’s a piece of cake (I’m sorry, I just asked you if you could teach me long division but if you’d rather go to the bakery… I’m okay with that)

That new car must have cost an arm and a leg (they made you pay with body parts? What’s just a toe worth?)

I’d bend over backwards for you (um… no thanks. I like my friends right side up)

My kids drive me up the wall (I’m not getting in a car with a kid who doesn’t know that cars are to be driven outside on the road, not in the house on the walls. How would a car even fit on the wall? What most houses have 8 or 9 foot ceilings. That car isn’t going very far so maybe it wouldn’t be a bad ride, kind of short and not really worth the gas money.)

Finding your feet (How do you misplace your feet?)

Hold your horses (What happens if I let go of my horses? Are they going to run away? Why are you trying to scare my horses? Wait, what are horses doing in the middle of the city?)

Icing on the cake (Where else would the icing go? Cake without icing is like a really poorly made brownie)

In the bag (What’s in the bag? Why would it be put into a bag? How does that help? Is it like a Mary Poppin’s bag that can hold a million things? I doubt it)

Know the ropes (Which ropes? Rock climbing ropes? Roping cattle? Jump rope?)

Let the cat our of the bag (Who put the cat in the bag? Is this what you were trying to tell me about earlier when you said you had it in the bag? A cat? Really? I’m allergic)

Like a chicken with its head cut off (What does a chicken actually do once its has been decapitated? Only a few people have actually seen a chicken without a head. How is this common?)

On pins and needles (Again, painful. Why can’t it be on fluffy clouds with rainbows and sunshine?)

Over my dead body (really? Are you really going to die right now and make us stick around to do something on top of your decaying flesh… a tad dramatic don’t you think?)

Put a sock in it (where exactly does the sock go?)

Its raining cars and dogs (Wait, are you telling me that animals are falling from the sky? What does one do? Does the size of the animals depend on how heavily it rains? Oh its not too bad outside today, just raining toy poodles and baby kittens or if it's a big downpour of rain would it be better to say “wow, it’s coming down like great danes out there”)

You are the spitting image of your father (sounds messy)

To steal someone’s thunder (Wait, so what you’re saying is one can actually own thunder. Where does one acquire thunder in the first place? Does that mean you can buy lightening too?)

Hold the phone (Are you actually holding a phone and wanting someone else to take it off your hands? How will that help the situation?)

You are what you eat (So what I am hearing you say is that I am really a collection of animal 

bi-products processed into a casing housed in a gluten filled fluffy dough ball topped with a variety of colourful squashed up vegetables? Well hot dog! Oh… there’s another one!)

Ants in your pants (What? You’re wearing pants that are filled with ants? Why?)

All of my blood, sweat and tears went in to that proposal (ew, gross! I wouldn’t accept that proposal either!)

Do you know how challenging it is to describe these without using another idiom? I’m sure I did without even thinking about it. I was aware of a few slipups and changed them but man alive that was hard (see I did it again). If I was trying to learn English, I would be so lost and frustrated. It seems like the language one learns in the classroom is completely different than the one English speakers actually use on a daily basis. What is wrong with us? On a more serious note, just listen to the words people say not the culturally accepted turn of phrase but the actual words. It is quite fascinating.

Be joy-filled!

Lake Life

I love the water! I love being in the water! I love boats! I love beaches! I love sunshine!

Can you tell I just got back from camping at the lake where I spent all day every day out either on the water or at the beach? Yes, sleeping beside a one year old in a tent is not ideal but it progressively got better throughout the week. That was really the only downside. Caleb did great on the boat with his lifejacket, which was more like a straightjacket. At the start of the week I was a little concerned because he did not seem to like the water at all. The only thing he liked less than the water was the sand on the beach. What are you suppose to do with a one year old who doesn't like the water or the beach when you are camping at the lake? Seriously! The good news is that by the last day he was walking around on the sand and right in to the water! Hurray! Progress! The other bonus about the week at the lake... this girl got to try her hand at wake boarding! I have never had a water sport come so naturally! I was up on my first try; moving over the wake by my third try; and landing jumps by my fourth try! Looks like '15 years' of snowboarding comes  with transferable skills! Who knew? I can't wait for next summer to work on my tricks!

One thing you should note though is that this love of the water has been quite a journey. I took swimming lessons when I was little and went to the pool to play around but I didn't grow up on the water like a lot of people did. Yes, I live within an hour of the ocean and many lakes but we didn't really go. My dad grew up waterskiing every weekend but for whatever reason they stopped once us kiddos came along (sad day I know). I learned to waterski when I was 22. I was in Hawaii on a Habitat for Humanity trip through university when I got an email with a picture of the boat my dad bought. I knew that my dad use to waterski but I never really gave it much thought until he bought the boat and I came to realize how much he really loved it. Then I married my husband who is one of those people I just mentioned. He literally grew up on the water. His childhood home was on lake front property. He had a beach in his backyard. He was a lifeguard too. Matt is comfortable everywhere but a dance floor; however, I think he is the most at home in the water. Seriously, he does not stop smiling when he's being pulled behind a boat. Then again, he smiles most of the time he's out playing but still his smile is noticeably bigger when it involves water! My love of the water has really developed over the last five years. Wait, let me clarify. I have always loved boats and being ON the water. My love for being IN the water has developed over the last five years. After taking an aquatics class in university, I honed my swimming skills and actually began to enjoy swimming. I took a lot of activities classes for my degree and aquatics was the only class that when I left, I was worn out. Three hours in the water including a 20-40 minute fitness swim every class would do that to a person. It was great because I learned everything one needs to know to become a lifeguard without taking the certification tests (the instructor I had wasn't certified to certify us). Needless to say, my confidence in the water skyrocketed. Even though I could swim okay, I was still afraid of what else was in the water. It doesn't help that I love sharks and watch every documentary show about them. I respect them and understand their power. I have a healthy fear of them and would love to see one in the wild. There are just so many other things that could harm me in the ocean. Needless to say I am still working through my fear of open water but with more experience snorkelling, I think I'll have it mastered soon enough or at least manageable. I enjoy snorkelling close to shore and in water where I can see what's around me. An ex-boyfriend took me snorkelling in cold, murky water on a rough day, right after I watched shark week and I freaked out! I may have had more water inside my snorkel mask than outside. As a bridal shower gift, my in-laws bought us snorkel gear to take with us when we went on our honeymoon to Turks and Caicos. I was a little better then and got much better by the time we joined them for Christmas in the Bahamas. All I need is a few more trips to tropical locations so I can practice and I think I'll be set. (subtle hint I know)

Well I'm off to work on a project for Caleb's room. I'm really unhappy with it right now so hopefully it will all turn around and I will actually post pictures of the gorgeous finished product.

With Joy!

My parents are taking over the outdoors

Looks like plans changed. Matt and I were planning on climbing Mt. Baker this week but with Caleb being sick, we were unable to train how we had anticipated so Baker was out of the question. Instead, we took my parents (who are not hikers) out on a little hike. We were planning on doing my favourite hike (Chain Lakes in Mt. Baker National Forest), however, there was still too much snow on the trail and we didn't come with the proper equipment... I wouldn't have taken them on that hike in those conditions even with the proper equipment. So we improvised and climbed Tabletop Mountain. It was about 3 km and we traversed over snowfields and rock. My parents did great! Some of the terrain was a little unnerving for them but I think that's simply inexperience on a hiking trail and a mild fear of heights. One of the bonuses of having people join us on our outdoor adventures is that there are lots of people taking pictures! I would say a conservative estimate of the number of pictures taken between all of us would easily be over 700 considering my Dad took over 500 just by himself. We had a great time! The downside is that we found out Caleb gets carsick on mountain roads. We had to make a timely pit-stop on the way up to clean out the car. Poor kid. Then he rocked the hike without any complaining. That's my boy! Here are some of my favourite pictures! Enjoy!

Have you ever taken your parents on an outdoor adventure? How did it go? What's your favourite family adventure?

Be joy-filled!

Caleb's first birthday

Let's have a ball at Caleb's first birthday party!!!

Where do you even start to come up with a birthday party theme for a kid who cannot express what kind of party they want? I'm the kind of mom who wants her kids' parties to actually be about them and not about all I can do to make myself look like a super creative and wonderfully perfect mother. I had narrowed the party theme ideas down to two based on what Caleb likes to play with the most... rubber duckies or balls. Both could be super cute, but how to decide? I was torn for months when I realized that if I did a ball theme, then I could just have polka-dots everywhere! Sold! 

Please someone figure out the "joke" (hint: it has to do with the colours)

Party decor: red, blue, green, yellow and orange polka-dots everywhere.  

Jujubes, cheese and crackers with kielbasa, quinoa pizza bites, BBQ chicken bites, honey garlic meatballs, rice krispie balls, goldfish crackers, cheerios, fruit, veggies, and punch.

I found this tutorial on how to make a paper bunting birthday banner. It turned out great! http://crafete.com/2010/11/how-to-make-a-paper-bunting-birthday-banner/

Polka-dot balloons! 

We live in a townhouse complex so I figured it might be nice to decorate the door just to help people find our place.

Polka-dot trail up the staircase

I was very happy with how that turned out and it has yet to be taken down

Polka-dots all over the backyard! There were even some hanging on ribbons in the chain link fence. Can you tell I really rolled with the theme?

Caleb's cake was a rice krispie ball covered with powdered sugar icing.

Guests were inviting to indulge in a rice krispie ball of their own. Tip: simply dye the marshmallows to get great colour out of your treats. I used Wilton gel dye. When rolling the balls, don't compress them too much or they will be rock hard. I had to make an extra batch since they first blue ones were brutal. 

The cutlery was displayed in a container made from duplo. I realized that the colours matched so it worked perfectly. 

My favourite part (although I don't have a good picture of it) is the polka-dots hanging from ribbons on the light fixture. You can just see it at the top of this picture. I cannot believe I don't have a picture of it. 

We had a great time! All the kids went home with a ball and balloon of their very own! We had corn hole for the adults to play with and lots of bubbles for the kids. It turned out better than I had expected. Yes, we will have other parties but they will probably be a let's go play at the park and bring some food along kind of parties. 

What's your favourite party theme? Best food to serve at a party?

Be joy-filled!