gimme 5

since I have been tagged by 3 people to do this one...here it goes

The Five TAG:


10 years ago I:
1. was in my mid 20's
2. only had 2 kids
3. weighed 50 pounds less than I do now
4. started scrapbooking
5. hardly used the internet


5 Things on "today's to-do list":
1. volunteer at the school
2. finish wedding invitations for a friend
3. update blog
4. get the boys where they need to go
5. go to bed early


5 Snacks I enjoy:
1. popcorn
2. chips and dip
3. nibs
4. nachos
5. cheese and crackers


5 Things I would do if I was a Millionnaire:
1. travel
2. help some of my family
3. start my own business
4. be able to send the boys to post secondary school without a worry
5. donate money to charity


5 Place I have lived:
1. Gull Lake, SK
2. Lethbridge, AB
3. Brooks, AB
4. Coronation, AB
5. Red Deer, AB


5 Jobs I have had:
1. waitress
2. Educational Assistant
3. preschool teacher
4. daycare worker
5. preschool director at a YMCA


Tag 5 Friends:
1. Julie
2. Carole
3. Joce
4. Jocie
5. Lisa

Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person that tagged you know when you've answered the questions on your blog.

I'm the happiest girl today

alrighty...so the online crop wasn't as productive as I had hoped bowever, the deadline for uploading layouts isn't until this Saturday coming so I am hoping to do more this week. Here are the 2 pages I did manage to accomplish...


(click image if you want to see a larger version)


The weekend was just too busy with hockey and 3 of the 4 boys ended up with plans Saturday evening so I was driving them here and there. This week is actually pretty busy too but Brian is on days off so he's here to help.

I was offered a job today at my youngest sons' elementary school...and I am ecstatic!! I was there volunteering in Gavin's grade 1 class when the VP asked if she could speak to me. She has requested more hours for support staff and so far they have given her 2 hours a day and she offered it to me. It could turn into more or not but either way, I am thrilled to have my foot a little further in the door. It's a great balance for me at this time in our life...work a little and still be here with the kids and keep up with the house and extra curricular things with the boys.

Here's to a fabulous week!!

Happy Friday!

I don't know what it is about Fridays that I love so much!
I mean, it's not like my work week is coming to an end or that Brian is guaranteed to be here to give me some help or a break...I just love Fridays!
This Friday in particular, I'll be participating in an online crop...sooo excited about that! Got some new pictures printed, picked up a few supplies and of course cropping snacks yesterday so I think I am good to go.
Reilly does have hockey tomorrow afternoon for an hour but I can work with that...other wise the boys are on their own till Brian gets home...I will feed them of course but only cause I have too...lol!!

Hope you enjoy your weekend!

what to blog about?

First of all...Reilly was given a clean bill of health by the Opthamologist last Thursday and has returned to the life he knew before taking a crabapple to the eye...and it's such a good feeling. He is beyond happy to have been given the ok to start hockey tomorrow and to run around the neighborhood with his brothers!
No more weekly visits to the city for doctor appointments...woohoo!!
Thanks to all of you who had well wishes for him!

Things certainly haven't slowed down with the return of school and the routine I was hoping for. And now with hockey starting this week, it's going to get worse.
Zack has been asked by the Senior High Volleyball coach to play on the team and he's already had a tournament last weekend and another this coming weekend. He has had practices every weeknight for 2 hours and the team is hoping to participate in an exchange with another team from Eastern Canada in April so the boys have been busy with fund raising to help make it a reality.

I've been called a few times to sub at the school so that's been a nice balance with the days I'm home alone. I've been getting some scrapbooking done....I love that!! And I am just about done the "message in a bottle" wedding invitations I have been working on for my friend and will share them soon.

I went shopping with a friend to one of the LSS's last Tuesday...it was her daughters first day of Kindergarten and she didn't want to be at home pouting...wanna know how sad I am...this is all I bought...

one teeny tiny brown paper lunch bag with three thing in it!! Either I have too much stuff already or I've been to that store one too many times...I'm going with the second option as I possibly can't have too much scrappy stuff!!

Anyway, it's time to get on with the bedtime routine so these boys can get too sleep!

game day and gadgets

tomorrow, all 6 of us will be heading off to the football stadium to watch the Edmonton Eskimos take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders and we are soooo excited!!
We love our football at this house and to have the chance to watch these 2 teams play live and in person is going to be a blast! Especially since Brian is the only Eskimo fan! Well, we all are actually EXCEPT when they play the Roughriders! So, again this year, the 5 of us will be wearing our Rider Pride and Brian will be in his Esks shirt. My Aunt and Cousin as well as another Uncle and Cousin will be joining us...we all went together last year and had a blast hootin and hollerin! Oh and our neighbors are coming too! Check back for the pics...the boys have picked out some crazy things to wear to the game!!

You know you are domesticated when you get excited over things that make your life as a Mom and housewife easier...girls... I have to tell you...I am in love with my new Swiffer sweeper vac. It's a rechargable vacuum with swiffer duster cloth. It has a reusable filter and it's safe for laminate, hardwood, ceramic tile, linoleum...basically any floor surface other than carpet. Seriously, no Mom should be without this! I couldn't believe how much it picked up from my floor...chunks of food from under the table, scraps of paper from my scrapbooking mess...it's awesome! Go out and get yourself one!!

here are some of the Disney layouts I have done.






and this one just because...it's a song that is very special to us and I wanted to make sure I documented it for the boys...not that I think any of them will forget.
It's the story of how the song, "I'm Already There" by Lonestar came to be known as "The Daddy Song" Most of you know that Brian is on the road a lot with his work...even more so since we started our own company last year. The lyrics to this song, pretty much describe our life to a T and after the first time the boys heard it (7 years ago) they gave it a new name...to this day, whenever they hear this song, they say, "hey, it's the Daddy song"...if you are not familiar with it, here is a link to the video on youtube I'm Already There



and with that, I'm outta here.

hit the road Zack...

Zack passed his learners test today...on the first try and I tossed him the keys and let him drive me home!!
The pic is of him parked in the driveway cause he refused me bringing the camera with us to the registry place!



Let's just say, I was a bit nervous. He did ok till it was time to pull in the driveway...I thought for sure he was taking out the front of my van with the basketball hoop...lol!!! It's not as easy at it looks and I think he knows that now but that's why we will practice lots...around town and in empty parking lots...lol!!!

goodness to share...

well...we've had some good times and happenings since my last post, which is why it's been awhile since I've been here.

First of all, Carsyn has started Spring camp for football...he is SO excited!! I am so happy for him...finally he has something that is just his..his "thing" if you will. Last weekend, he got his equipment on Saturday and had his first day of camp on Sunday. He looks so cute in his gear...have a peek (ignore the messy kitchen in the background, I hadn't been home much...lol)
(this is just his practice gear...his actual uniform is really nice)





Sunday, it was drizzling and windy so I didn't get any pictures of him actually doing football drills. Our house is big on football and so this is perfect for him. One of the reasons I was looking forward to it, was because it would be warmer than a hockey rink....well not today that's for sure! Oh well...all part of being a Mom to a bunch of jocks...lol!!!

Next, I got a surprise phone call from my Grandpa the other day. He was 45 minutes away and wanted to stop by for a visit the next day. Now, this is a big deal because over the course of my life, we haven't been that close due to family circumstances. However, over the last few years, we've been making a connection and getting to know each other so I was over the moon that he was stopping in for a visit. I kept the boys home from school that morning, just in case he didn't stay the whole day (good thing cause he left shortly after lunch).
I took some pics of him with the boys, and Grandpas lady friend took some of the 4 boys and me with Grandpa however, I should have used the tripod cause her hands were a bit shaky and the pics are blurry. Shouldn't be too hard to fix with some editing.
My Grandpa is such a goof...he started making funny faces and the boys joined right in...



His visit won't soon be forgotten!

Next, I decided I needed (ok...wanted...lol) a shopping day...for something other than groceries! It's been awhile since I walked around, in and out of stores just cause.
So, while the boys were all in school, I headed off to the big city and had a FABULOUS me day!! Well, I didn't get too much for myself but I shopped in the stores I wanted to without anyone telling me they were bored or it was taking too long...that's a treat if you ask me!
I found some fun stuff for my yard at Rafters...man I love that store. There is more that I would like to get but I'll save that for another day. Here's a pic of the stuff I bought so far...love these stars and fake rocks! The sign is for Grandpa Bud (mom's husband)...he's a self proclaimed grouch so I thought this was perfect for the boys to give him...lol!! The little rock says, "all things grow with love"



and what would a me day be without a trip to the scrapbook store!
I am working really hard to get all the Disney character pages finished by the end of the school year cause the boys want to take the album for show 'n' share and I've been looking for a few specific things and thought I would have some luck at a bigger store in a bigger center than I've been shopping...I was right! Not only did I get most of the things I was looking for...look what else I found...



I am absolutely in love with the male/female symbols right now so I actually think I squealed out loud when I saw these tickets by Jenni Bowlin and then the acrylic stamps by Scenic Route. Now, to find a way to use them!!

I've got more to share but you'll have to wait till next time.
My coffee needs a refill and my scrap supplies are calling...and you absolutely cannot ignore the mojo when it's calling...right girls...lol!!

Have a great weekend all!!

this post contains adult content!

Even as I type this I'm giggling and maybe I shouldn't be but whatever...
So, a little background info: Gavin has this book for school and each week he is to draw a picture in it and at school they write about it. So, last night, he's doing his drawing and I'm asking him what he's drawing...he tells me him and his brothers playing soccer. Cool!
Until I see it and he has included a penis on each and every one of them....OMG!!! I was laughing (again maybe I shouldn't have been). Check it out....



So, I tore it out of the book and he drew another, more appropriate picture for school.
However, I am keeping this one...just not sure I'll frame and hang it like some of his others...lol!!

home from Miami...

Manitoba that is!!

(Now that the trip updates are complete, I can get back to regularly scheduled blogging.)

So, back to my update.
I wanted to post before I left but as you can see, that didn't happen. In fact , most of you probably didn't even know I was gone...lol!
This past long weekend, I hopped on a plane with an online friend and headed off to Winnipeg to meet more online friends. Call me crazy, but it was something I wanted to do soooo badly and it turned out to be amazing!! Some of us came from all over Canada, by plane, by bus and by car to meet live and in person at a crop.
I had such a fabulous weekend...it's almost indescribable actually!
I was nervous excited leading up to the flight but it ended up being for nothing.
A bunch of us met for dinner and drinks at "The Forks" on Friday, attended the crop on Saturday and a few of us had brunch together on Sunday before flying home.
Of course this is the coles notes version but most of you that read my blog were there so you have all the details...lol!!

In other family news, Zack is officially registered for high school!!! Yikes...how did that happen?! He decided he wanted to go for an academic diploma versus a general one so that means a lot of buckling down and hard work for the next 3 years.
Gavin is almost finished Kindergarden...he'll graduate on the 20th of June. Like that won't be a tear jerker of a day!
Carsyn and Reilly are doing well with school...both looking forward to summer though..lol!
Football is getting underway for Carsyn and he's sooo excited about that. Will be fun to watch no doubt.
Brian has been hard at work...long hours and many days in a row before getting a couple at home. He's starting a 7 on 3 off schedule...will be nice to have some sort of schedule and being able to plan ahead a bit.
I've been subbing quite a bit at our elementary school...lovin every minute of that. Hoping (I think) to get on there full time in the fall.

For some reason I thought this post might be longer since I haven't blogged about anything but our trip in quite some time....humph...guess we don't have that much going on even though we seem sooo busy...lol!
Anywoo, hope you're all well and that you enjoyed your May long weekend! Take care.

whoops...sorry people!

Not sure where the time has gone since my last post...sheesh!!
Just wanted to let you know that the last few days of our trip will be posted by the end of the weekend.
Tomorrow is National Scrapbook Day...how cool is that that my hobby has a day just for itself? Anyway, I'll be busy with an online crop all day and may even have company for part of it so it'll probably be Sunday before I get to the post...unless I can find time tonight...see how unpredictable time is in my life...lol!
I hope you're all well.
Be back soon!

we're baaaaack!

Hey everyone, we're home...safe, sound and exhausted!!!
We had the time of our lives and I'll be doing daily trip reports in the next couple of days! I have a mountain of laundry to tackle, sleep to catch up on, sick kids and household stuff to take care of...how does ones house get so dirty when noone's even there...lol?

We hope you all are doing well and I'll make blog rounds soon to catch up on what everyone's been up to!

Check back soon to hear all about our trip!

Happy First day of Spring

and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO REILLY!!!! Hard to believe that you are 11! Enjoy your ipod and PS3 game...we love you!

Since my last post, we've pretty much just been at the rink! Yes people...hockey is still not over!! But it will be by tomorrow. Reilly's hockey team is in the finals for league champs...best 2 out of 3 and it's tied at 2 games each so not only will tomorrow be the last game but it should be a good one!! I'll keep ya posted!

And who might this cutie be...my nephew! they came to watch Reilly play in the Provincial tournament and I had to get a recent pic....love him!


and this is my niece....she's a cutie too but she gets that from her Auntie...lol!

It was great to see them...hopefully it won't be so long until the next time!!

This made me smile...there is a cd onto the tv in my room and the sun was causing it to reflect on the ceiling
and the moon caught my eye the other night as well...
The boys are officially on Easter break...:woohoo...no lunches to pack...lol!!
This should allow us some much needed down time from school and hockey and to put the finishing touches on our trip plans....in case you were wondering....13 more sleeps!!!
I guess that's it for now...I'm off to enjoy some new yummy scrap supplies.

well....this post was supposed to have some pictures in it but for some reason the server keeps encountering an error when I try to upload so forget it...I don't have all day...lol!!!
We have had a crazy busy week at our house which is why it's been a bit since my last post.
It started with the kids only having 3 days of school so having all 4 of them home for extended weekends means more sibling scraps than usual...at least the weather was nice and I could kick them outside to beat on each other!
This past weekend also saw Reilly's hockey team playing in the Provincial Tournament. They went undefeated in the round robin and lost the semi finals which means they ended up 3rd in the Province...still a huge accomplishment for our boys. He played so well...made me very proud when he was chosen to receive the Heart and Hustle award in the first game (the coach from the opposing team picked him out of all the players on his team!) Sadly though, Brian was out of town and missed it! Of all the weekends to have to go back to work! I did use our new video camera to tape it but we all know it's not the same as being there. I love him even more for the sacrifices he makes for our family and so I can stay home with the boys!!!
My friend Lee drove up to watch Reilly play and she brought my SIL with my niece and nephew! I was sooo excited to see them as the last time I saw them was August...they are both getting so big! (I was going to post pics but blogger isn't cooperating!)
So, today is my day to play catch up around the house, my online world and maybe even scrap! It's the first day I've been home alone in almost 3 months so I could do whatever I want really!
Oh and in case you were wondering....we have 23 sleeps left till our trip to Disneyland!!!

the official countdown has begun!!

yippee...hooray...we'll be on our way...soon!!
I altered this perpetual calendar so the boys (ok..me too) could actually see the number of sleeps getting smaller with each passing day!! (sorry the pic is a bit blurry but you get the idea)

my friend had suggested packing bandaids for blisters so we picked up some theme appropriate ones...(oops...I forgot to save this pic after I cropped out the kleenex...oh well)
and another friend had suggested to take a big pen with us for the characters to use for autographs...I'm thinking these should work!! I might just take the markers in case the pens have ink issues!

All the little things are really coming together and we are all very excited!!!

Zack's team didn't do so well at the regional tournament last weekend and Reilly's team lost the zone championship by 1 goal but both boys took the loss with dignity and like sportsmen! We were proud of them regardless cause they played hard and there is no shame in losing if you try your best right? Right! Reilly's team is playing in the Provincial tournament next weekend and then hockey should be basically finished for the season. Zack will wait for badminton to start, Carsyn is going to play football and Gavin thinks he's like to give baseball a shot! So it looks as though the Spring and Summer will once again be busy at our house!
Speaking of Spring...we've been enjoying some fabulous weather and it's got me itching to be out in the yard! I am anxiously awaiting flowers to start poking out of the ground and have also begun a spring clean. Not sure where all this energy is coming from...must be excitement! I'm going with it cause I'm sure it won't last long...lol!!

So, I guess that's it for now...off to do some more cleaning!
Have a great week everyone!

pb&j...Gavin style!

I have to share this story with you guys...for the past 2.5 years, Gavin has basically eaten nothing but pb&j sandwiches for lunch...I kid you not!! There is an exception made when we are in the city or away from home on the weekends but this is has been his thing and still is. He has decided to take it up himself to make them on his own...and being the scrapbooking picture taking Mom that I am...I grabbed the camera and snapped away. I thought it would be important to capture as it's a big part of who he is. Check it out...






There you have it...he's willing to make them for anyone....anytime!

time sure flies...

when your having fun, hanging with your family and being creative! Oh and working...I had 4 days of subbing at an elementary school in a nearby town. Let me tell ya how exhausting that is! (but I loved every minute of it)
We've been hanging out a lot of that lately...well, as much as we can with all the hockey Reilly is playing and the newest developments in the seemingly never ending saga that has become my life as the director but that's a whole other issue and not one I want to share with any of you...you probably wouldn't even believe me if I told you!I had no intention of not blogging for 2 weeks but as I said, we've had a lot going on.
We ended up exchanging our 2 new large suitcases (29") and getting 4 slightly smaller (24") ones instead...people who have done big trips like this before suggested to us that the big ones might be too heavy upon our return with the shopping and souvenirs and how costly it is if your bags are overweight. We've actually been given some really good travel advice from those that have gone before us...lol such as packing bandaids for blisters...I would have never thought of that and would have had to run around trying to find some to buy I'm sure. If you have any neat little trip tips, please share them.
So, I thought since it has been awhile since I shared anything creative that I would do that today so here ya go...have a peek at some scrapbook layouts that I have recently created. Some of you may have seen some or all of them already but I do have some I haven't shared anywhere and will take some pics and post them soon. Oh and I've added almost all of January pics to the project 365 album to the left if you would like to have a peek at the things I have been snapping pictures of.






Oh and guess what....the travel agent we ordered our Park Hopper passes from just last Friday, called today and said they were here already...WOOHOO!! She had said it would take at least 2 weeks so we ordered with plenty of time to spare and they only took 2 days. I'll be picking them up on later this week...getting more excited as the days go by.
I guess that's it for now...the boys will be coming through the door any minute and then the real fun begins...lol!

falling into place

I can't believe how well things are coming together for our trip!
Brian actually said to me the other day how scary it is that it's all working out. The reason he said that is because with something as big as this...we usually hit a few bumps in the road. Not that we still won't but so far...so good!
The hotel is booked and confirmed, passports have been applied for and should be mailed out on Feb 7th, park hopper passes will be on their way by the end of the week and we have mapped out other things we want to do while in California. Such as Universal Studies, Medieval Times, Legoland and of course the beach and hanging out by the pool at our hotel (hopefully it is warm enough for these latter 2 ideas). I've already been able to check a few things off the massive and ever growing list I started last Monday after booking...that feels good!!
Know what doesn't feel so good though? Temperatures of -45!!! That is currently how cold it is in our neck of the woods. Needless to say, the kids have no school and it's not looking any better for the rest of the week. Hopefully, if they are home that long, they can at least get along and amuse themselves so I can scrapbook...lol!! Which is how I plan to spend the rest of the afternoon! My neighbor might brave the cold long enough to cross the street and join me, if not, I'll pop in the old ipod and ignore the noises coming from the basement!!!
Other than trip planning, we haven't been up to too much this last week but I do want to share this....I think it is amazing!


I don't remember my other kids being able to draw like this at the age of 6 and I certainly can't at 35 so excuse my proud Mommy moment!

I'm off to scrap...I've been on a bit of a roll lately...really finding my groove and having a blast!

Take care and take some time to play!

overwhelmed...

that one word can sum up how I've been feeling lately.
Preschool isn't going so well...it's not that I don't like what I'm doing but it's hard for me to teach someone else's program, in the way in which she not only has the class set up but in the time slots she has allotted for each thing. I find it doesn't flow for me. I'm also struggling with the fact that it is a mix if kids. Last year, the other teacher and I had it so she had the 3-4yr olds and I had the 4-5yr olds. It worked really well. This year, the class is a mix of kids who just turned 3 and some that will be starting kindergarden. It's pretty difficult to keep the attention span of a 3yr old at circle time! I've had a child stand up and pee his pants and a parent helper that brought her 1.5 yr old with her. Not only did she spend the majority of the day taking him off the things he was climbing on but so did I. It was really hard to instruct when I had to stop what I was doing to deal with him. It's also a bit hard because I know it's not permanent...only 4 classes left and then I'll be finished with preschool and can start saying yes to the schools that are calling me to sub.
Figures hey...phone doesn't ring for the first month or so after I submit my application to be a sub EA and now that I can't do it, I have 3 schools that all want me the last week of January...sheesh!
On top of that, hockey is almost to the point of ridiculous. I have had to send out letters to the parents of the A team reminding them of the code of ethics as set out by our association cause they are behaving that poorly. It is starting to affect the team morale too. I'll be soooo happy when this season is over and my position as Director is over. I won't even blink at the idea of doing it again next year...lol!!!
And then there's life...it too can be a bit overwhelming at times...as I'm sure you all know.
It's nothing big but all the little stuff...the clutter (which I am making good progress on cause I'm so frustrated with it I'm just throwing it all out...lol) and time...for family, me and scrapping. I was doing so well for the first part of this month juggling it all but it just seems to be too much at once right now. I couldn't imagine trying to do all of this stuff and have a full time job. Those of you that do...please share your tips and tricks.
Despite all that, I think I'm still pretty happy and stress free...I am trying to not let it consume me and having Brian home has been good for that. There are days where he seems to "bug" me but he is also a huge asset...he's helping out around the house way more than he does regularly and spending a lot of time with the boys which they love and it gives me a break too. So without him here everyday right now, I'd probably be either curled up in the fetal position or drinking on a daily basis...lol!!! So to you hon, Thanks for being my rock...I love you!!
Alright, enough of that...I am really enjoying the APAD (I need to upload some more but haven't had time)...you can check them out for yourself if ya like....look to the sidebar on the right for the project 365 (which should actually be 366 as it is leap year). It's fun to try different angles and perspectives with the camera as well as taking pics of everyday stuff.
I haven't had a chance to finish that mini album I mentioned in the last post about myself but hope to this Saturday. I'll post it when I'm done as well as a few other pages I managed to complete before I had all this other stuff to deal with.
The boys are doing well. We are all healthy...hoping to stay that way so we can take our trip.
I guess that's it for now...needed a vent. I have a hair appointment in 15 minutes, so...take care everyone. I'll be making blog rounds tonight to see what you've all been up to.

1st Official post of 2008

and so far the year is off to a busy start.
After being sick with colds and flus at the beginning of the Christmas beak, we managed to survive a hockey tournament (which Reilly's team won) and enjoyed a few days as a family. Including New Years Eve...we decided we wanted to spend the day/night together. We had fun with the kids playing games on the Wii, some board games, lot of snacks and a movie. We spent some time on the backyard rink...the kids sure love having it (even though it causes us as parents...mainly Brian... grief making it). We were back to hockey over the weekend. I sent Brian to the 1.5 hours away with Reilly yesterday and I went to watch my best friends son play instead...lol! They were playing in the area so I went and had a visit with her...it was fabulous!! I miss her so much so it was great to see her...love you Vicki!!
I've already celebrated a birthday this year...35 I am!! It has prompted me to do a bit of thinking and therefore I decided to do a mini album about myself...yep...I am scrapbooking about ME!! I'll share it when it's done.
I am also participating in APAD (stands for 'a photo a day' and will share those as well) but next post. Desperate Housewives is finally back on tonight and it starts in less than 10 minutes so I must end my post soon.
Oh...I'm going to work tomorrow...as the preschool teacher. The lady that took over for me has recently had surgery so they asked me to sub for the month of January and classes start tomorrow. Should be interesting that's for sure...lol!!
And lastly, the boys have begun counting down until we leave for Disneyland...only 73 days till we leave. OMG...I am so excited. Sure hope our passports aren't delayed for some reason!!!
If anyone has any Disney trip advice, please share it...as well as camcorder reviews. We are looking for a new one to take with us.
On that happy note, I'm off to see what's happening with my favorite housewives...lol!!