Welcome 2019

Yes, I am aware it is almost February and I missed writing this post earlier.  You see, today is catch up day at my  house.  During the month of January and every other post quarter month I work my Mondays and all the things I am usually so good at keeping on top of fall behind.  Like my blog.  So today when I realized that this epic 2 days was missed, I decided that it didn't matter that I was 3 weeks late.  Better late than never.

We had so much fun last year celebrating the arrival of 2018 in Kananaskis we decided to do it again this year and to add an extra night, because why7 not?  We pack the same amount whether we go for 1 night or 5.   Let's just say the trunk was loaded right to the top!

We started our first day with skiing.  Without going on to much of vent sesh.... can I just say how much I hate skiing?  I want to like it, trust me, I do, but I just find it so much work for so little enjoyment.  It's boring, and maybe I am doing it wrong, but I don't feel like it is even a workout.  I'd rather go for a run and look at the views from my condo window sipping hot chocolate and Baileys.  There, I said it.  I spent $90 for my lift ticket and, for various reasons, over the course of the day I went on 2 runs.  That was totally okay with me.  Cooper and I played hangman in the lodge.

Best picture of the day.  Sad, isn't it?

The Pomeroy in Kananaskis is the perfect setting in winter.  From the decor, to the views, the pool, and the activities, it is all done with family in mind.  They have so many things to do that we couldn't squeeze it all in last year, hence the trip extension this year.

Unfortunately, it was really cold again this year.  So while we did go sledding, it didn't last long.  We were bundled up to stay warm.

As usual, the kids used their downtime to play on their devices.  All five of them on one bed, each a device in hand.....

The decor is still up until new year day I assume so it is a great opportunity to take some group shots, though with 6 boys it is not an easy task.  5 smiles and 1 thumb.  I'll take it!

After our very expensive buffet supper we were able to secure the same place in the hotel as we did last year.  Just a little lobby like area where no one cares if we set up our own bar, play our own music, and engage in a little game of mini sticks.

This year we played Heads Up!  and it was so much fun, worth the money we paid to actually buy the app.  The kids were quietly playing fortnite in the corner when the adults were having so much fun playing that they slowly started to trickle over to play our game and eventually took it over.  There is a family section with mostly animals and such that the kids can easily guess.  It was a riot.  I recommend it for any family gathering. 

I am fortunate to have spent new years eve with these ladies for at least the second time, some 3 years.  These hats are brought out every year from the box that was purchased our first year from the dollar store.  It has become tradition.  The clappers, hats and noise makers are slowly getting lost but we continue to used its contents each year.  I'm skeptical that it will make it back this year but my turn is over so it doesn't matter!



Can I just say how lovely the pictures from the Samsung are.  Thankfully we have 2 Samsung users in our group and they are on camera duty.  I'd like to say my iPhone X is just as good, but it isn't.  This is a picture of our whole group shortly before the year turned.



We are a good looking group if I do say so myself.  And also very male dominant.....  Ha!

I am hoping that the amount of fun we had ringing in the new year is an indication of how good our year is going to be!

Bring it on 2019!

Road Trippin'

Off we go!

This weekend, thanks to Santa, we were Edmonton bound for the weekend.  We loaded up the car on Friday afternoon and headed to West Edmonton Mall where we would eat, sleep and play for the next 2 days.

Before our winters were overloaded with hockey, we made an annual trip to the mall where we would go to the water park and experience all the mall has to offer, which is a lot!  The kids, Grady in particular, started asking often when we were going to go back.  That sneaky Santa booked us a room, picked a weekend, so what choice did we have but to oblige.

We rolled up to the hotel  shortly after 4 to a princess singing in the lobby. We grabbed the key and headed up to our sports themed room.  It was so well done, from the paintings on the wall to the basketball net, the 4 person Jacuzzi tub to the football themed beds.  It was perfect for our sports loving family (well, 3 of us anyhoo).

One of my kids (the big one) enjoys shopping. He comes by it honestly.  He wanted to hit up every skate shop looking for Zoo York underwear and sweatshirts.  This is a new obsession.  Maybe it is just my kid?  He even packed his own wallet to spend his own money.  In the end, he came home with not 1, but 3 Fortnite shirts.  When it is buy 2 get 1 free you go for the deal.  It's like saving money, non?

The other kid (the small one) was obsessed with the Microsoft store where they had computers set up to play Fortnite.  Didn't they play Fortnite on the ipad just before hitting the mall?  I didn't get it, still don't.

After dinner, the kids took a bath in the Jacuzzi that seriously took close to 30 minutes to fill....  Then we called it an earlyish night so we could rest up for our day at the World Water Park, the whole reason for the visit.

 Let me set the frame work.. Grady has been obsessed with water slides for as long as I can remember.  The first water park we took him to was in San Diego and he literally wouldn't go down one.  Though he enjoyed watching others go down, he was scared.  Truthfully, I think he still kind of is.l
 
Fast forward 7 years and we were optimistic that this would be the trip where they started going on the bigger slides.  They are both great swimmers, they go on slides in the city, and they've been to the water slide park in Edmonton before, no surprises.

We started on the smallest slide they have and all was good.  It was our warm up slide, next up was the green tunnel slide, the next easiest.  NEITHER OF THEM WOULD GO ON IT.  WTF.  James went up to test it and make sure it wasn't 'pinch black' as Cooper says.  While I stood at the bottom I was so frustrated.  A trip to Edmonton and they will only go on 1 slide???  I told them if they didn't go down the green slide we were never coming back to the water park.  I was only 50% serious but 100% frustrated.  James came down and assured them it wasn't pitch black. 

We compromised and went on the tube slide next.  The kids loved it and were ready to go on the green slide.  Full of nerves, we all waited in line for what felt like 30 minutes and went down the slide.  I guess now we'll have to come back.

Cooper didn't love the slide but he wanted to try the flow rider.  I was shocked.  We watched the lifeguards on it for a while before finally talking to them and he ultimately decided he wanted to try.  This image shows what it is.  Obviously not Cooper.  We left our phones in the hotel room so had no means of taking video of him.

Unfortunately on his third turn he had a wipeout and the board hit him in the chest.  That was the end of his flow riding career for the day. I was so so proud of him for trying.  Because of him, Grady tried it and another little girl.  As soon as people saw little kids on it they started flocking over.  It was pretty cool to watch.  If only we could have captured it, next time we go we'll know to bring at least one phone.  I know there will be a next time....

In the end we were there for 4 hours and we went on 5 water slides and the flow rider.  Next time I would go in the evening rather than the morning.  It seems like we should have been able to average more than 1 slide an hour.....

Grady told me that is was the best day of the year.  With that being said, when James refused to buy him a second lunch after he didn't like his first it quickly became the worst day of his life, or so he said.  #ithinkhewasangry.

The next part is where it started looking up for me.... James scored tickets to the oilers game and took the kids with him.  We had dinner together at the mall and as they left for the rink, I hit the mall solo.  I did it mostly for exercise, but I did find a few things that came home with me....  #shoppingismycardio

This blazer reminds me of the one from Aritzia but fits me way better.  Is anyone else obsessed with pink?

And also this dress from LOFT. Its my go to for work dresses since they have petites.  They just fit right.  I'm going to pair it with an animal print belt.  It shows on the website as $125 and I paid $40 for it.  I hate when the prices online aren't consistent with the store.  HATE.

While we are talking about shopping and my love of pink... I love this jacket.  I found it in Le Chateau but they only had an Xlarge.  So now i have to order it online and wait....

This Mama was happy at the mall and the boys were happy at the game.  They got home just before midnight and I had already fallen asleep on the bed fully clothed watching Netflix.  Perfect night for all of us!

It was a great family weekend and one that I know the boys will be talking about for months (and even years!) to come.

five on friday

{one}  The lack of blogging is directly attributed to the business factor of my life right now.  I've been working full time and my kids are staying up too late.  I often think about blogging, then by the time I sit down I have no energy to do anything other than watch TV like The Bachelor and Temptation Island!

{two} Speaking of TV, have you watch the Handmaid's Tale?  Everyone kept saying how good it was and I had read the book and thought that it was just okay.  Finally over the holidays James and I watched both seasons and can I just say I absolutely loved it.  It was so much different to watch the scenes play out then to read about it.  This is the only time I've ever preferred the screen version to the book. Weeks later and I am still thinking about what will happen next season. I highly recommend watching it even if you didn't love the book.

{three} Speaking of books... I just read Everything, Everything in under 48 hours and loved it.  It's about a young girl that is too sick to leave her house and falls in love with the boy next door.  I love a book that is easy to read and keeps me guessing.  This was 5 stars for me.

{four} This week was Esso Minor Hockey Week in my neck of the woods.  It is a city wide tournament and the one with the most hype during the season other than playoffs.  Every minor hockey player in the city takes part.  Per the Hockey Calgary website I found the following stats pretty unbelievable.

Number of players – more than 13,000
Number of teams - 653
Number of Divisions - 60
Number of associations - 21
Number of games played - 902
Number of rinks - 54 ice surfaces at 35 venues

Grady's team has always done well, making it to the semi finals every year, including this year. One year, they even won! This year both our boys teams got knocked out by the other team in our association. So as of Wednesday, we no longer had teams in the tournament. Which was okay because we had plans for the weekend that would have been cancelled had Grady's team made the finals....

{five} This weekend instead of playing hockey, we will be visiting and staying at the West Edmonton Mall courtesy of Santa. The kids are excited to hit up the watersides and I am excited to maybe get to do a little shopping. But mostly, I am excited to go on a family trip with all of my boys. Just my boys. Even if I have to go to the water slides!

Have a great weekend!

Why I don't make Resolutions

I originally wrote this post for TBB last January.  It seems everyone is talking about their resolutions, or lack there off, for the new year.  I proudly stand by what I wrote last year, I don't do resolutions, I do lifestyle changes and make goals, not just on January 1, but all year.

What is the point of making a resolution to do something that 99% of the population is not successful and truthfully never had any intention of being successful.

I've made a conscious effort to only make new year's resolutions that I actually plan to do.  I have been successful at exactly 3 resolutions.

The year I was in grade 12 I decided to start exercising every day.  I literally woke up on January 1, 1997 and started doing step aerobics every single day for 20 minutes.  Eventually, I lost 75 pounds.  Success!

Another year, I decide that I was no longer going to put sweetener in my coffee.  I read somewhere that putting sweeteners in hot beverages was bad and I just decided that Jan 1 I would drink my coffee black.  Now I use real sugar, but I still don't use sweetener.  Success!

Finally, I decided to stop drinking diet pop. I was having up to 2 a day and I didn't like the way it made me feel, not to mention that apparently I was turning against sweetener.  I started drinking club soda and juice to satisfy that fizzy craving.  Today, I drink sparkling water instead.  Success!

When I googled resolutions I was interested to see that the first thing to pop up in the search was about the top resolutions made (and broken!).  Per Neilson's, this is a list of the top 10 resolutions made in 2015 and something tells me that the list hasn't changed much in the last few years:

1.Stay fit and healthy                                           
2. Lose weight   
3. Enjoy life to the fullest                  
4. Spend less, save more                                      
5. Spend more time with family and friends
6. Get organized
7. Will not make any resolutions
8. Learn something new/new hobby
9. Travel more
10. Read more

I am not surprised to see that staying fit and losing weight are the top 2 on the list. Every second person you talk to has some sort of new health thing going down in the new year. In my opinion, this is a direct result of eating all the food over the holidays.  Doesn't everyone gain 5 pounds over the holiday season?  I don't need to make a resolution to just start eating normal after things go back to normal.

I think many of the others are directly related to Christmas.  People want to spend less since they over spent on gift in December.  Or maybe on themselves.  I find it hard to pass up on all the Black Friday and Boxing Days sales!  Not to mention that we need to organize our houses, or in my case closets, to get all the new stuff in.  If you have kids, a toy overhaul is always required after the grandparents spoil the kids with new toys!

I was happy to see that I am not the only one that chooses not to make resolutions as it topped number 7 on the

Instead of making resolutions I choose to make goals.  these goals do not have to be set on Jan 1, they can start any time of year.  No time like the present!!  I don't need a new year to set goals for myself when in reality I do this all year long.

I have many goals that I aim to achieve on a regular basis, to name a few:

1.  I aim to exercise 3 times a week.  When I had young kids I had to work really hard at this one, now I blow it out of the water most weeks.

2.  I aim to update my annual photo book monthly.  I love printing a book of my favorite photos of the year but instead of making it a big annual project, I do it monthly to make it less stressful.

3.  I aim to blog 3 times a week.  2017 (and 2018!) was tough on this goal.  2011 throgh 2016 and I blogged consistently 3 times a week, this year I had way fewer posts.  It isn't because I have less to say, it is probably a reflection of finding the time to dedicate to blogging.  I want to work on that this year.

4.  Eat healthy.  I aim to choose healthier foods and to eat others in moderation.  I am not ready to give up pizza or wine but I am willing to make healthier choices during the week to allow myself to indulge a little on the weekends.

It isn't an accident that I started each of my goals with 'aim'.  While it is my goal to do these things, I don't beat myself up if I don't meet the goal.  I set the goals within reach so I won't fail.  Rather than beating myself up because I didn't meet my goal, I want to congratulate myself because I did.  Life is too short to set your self up to fail.

All this to say I don't do resolutions and it's our little secret if you don't either!  Let's resolve to not make resolutions together!

Holiday Recap: Christmas Day

I saved the best for last!  This was one of my favorite Christmas'.  I can't pinpoint why.  Was it because we celebrated in our new home?  Was it because my Mom was here?  Was it because we hosted turkey dinner?  Was it because James surprised me with an Apple watch?It was probably a combination of all of the above, but when I went to bed Christmas night, I felt happy and satisfied and slept like a baby.  Let me show you a slice of our day.

We told the kids that that after a late night that there would be no waking before 7am.  Let me clarify, no waking US before 7am, they could do whatever they wanted until then but do not under any uncertain terms come in to our room any earlier. At 6:59 they appeared on my side of the bed.  Of course.

This year we opted to open our presents at home so we didn't have to drag our gifts over to Nana's and back.  I loved this. Sitting around our tree in our PJs with sleep still stuck in the corner of my eyes.  We had so many presents that they overflowed to the fancy tree in the living room.  Grady was super pumped to open Monopoly Fortnite.  I am super happy that it takes 20 minutes rather than 2 hours to play.  

I was really worried that the kids weren't going to love their gifts this year.  It was a year that not even the kids knew what they wanted.  Well, other than an iphone X and a hover board.  Which I assured them over and over that they weren't getting either.  It's not that they didn't get presents, they most certainly did, just not a big one that they were asking for.

I asked them a few nights before Christmas if they even wrote Santa a  letter.  How was Santa to know what to buy you if you didn't even tell him?  Those little shits decided that they were going to tell the elf to tell Santa what they wanted.  They both shuffled into the tell Dorito the elf (who used to be named chippy) what they wanted for Christmas.  They are smarter then I thought.

The kids ripped through all the gifts in no time and still seemed to be surprised that they didn't find the gifts they were hoping for.  With that being said, they knew that Santa was dropping his gifts at Nana's.

Before we knew it, we were off to Nana's or breakfast and more presents.  Stockings weren't such a big deal when I was growing up but since I started celebrating with James' family it has became one of my favorite parts of Christmas morning and our kids have benefited from this!   The kids were very happy to see all the wrapped presents overflowing out the top of their stockings.  I was too busy watching them unwrap to even worry about what was in my own.

The grand finale was that Santa wrote the kids and letter and said since their parents kept delaying a trip to the West Edmonton Mall to go to the waterpark that Santa had to step in and book it for them.  While the kids seemed to be excited about he gift, it still isn't something that can be held and played with.

After all the gifts were opened and the tummies were full it was time for yet another game of Monopoly....

By this time it was getting late and I had to get the turkey in the oven, but we couldn't leave without a group shot.

A part of the day I loved was when we came home and James and the kids went to the outdoor rink to meet some friends.  I stayed home 'to put the turkey in' and also to take a shower and get ready.  I think this is the first time ever that I've showered on xmas day.  I love that the kids are getting older and more independent which means some time for myself.   So while I prettied myself, they did this:

Here I am with my first ever 100% solo turkey.  James will tell you that he saved Christmas when we came home and noticed I forgot to cover the turkey and it had been baking for almost 3 hours without tin foil.  I got it mixed up, it it supposed to be uncovered for 30 min and then covered.  Oops.  I still think the bird turned out mighty fine!

As we slid into bed after all the company had left after Christmas dinner I told James that this may be my favorite Christmas.  The Holiday season of 2018 will be a hard one to top!

TBB Asks: Keep me Entertained

It's like this month questionnaire was made for me!  I love love love all things entertainment so let the fun begin! PLEASE join in and tell me what your fave's are!

Most read book.  There is only on book I've ever read more than once and that is Memoir or a Geisha by Arthur Golden.  The first time I read it was in University, the second on my honey moon, and the last time was about 2 years ago.  It is also the only book I don't ever give away. I want my very own copy so when I forget what happened in the book I can read it again!

Favorite Book.  See above.

Fave TV show binged.  Parenthood.  I love and still miss seeing the Braverman family on my TV.  Right from the first episode i was hooked and fell in love with each of them.  I think Crosby was my favorite.  One day I will binge it again, I know I will!

Favorite new-ish TV show.  I know tons are going to say This is Us.  While I like that show, I have fallen in love with A Million Little Things.  I PVR'ed the first 6 episodes to binge later in the season.  When I had the flu in November it was the perfect time to catch up and I couldn't stop watching.  Can't wait for it to return this month!

Favorite Movie.  Dirty Dancing.  I know the thing practically by heart.  A close second is Pretty Woman. Since I saw it on Broadway I've been craving the movie something fierce.  I remember seeing this one in the theater.  It was released in 1990 when I was 11 years old.  Somehow that seems wrong..... Ha!  Thanks for taking me Mom!

Movie I want to watch.  See above.

First Concert.  My very first concert was Reba McIntyre wit 3 of my friends and her aunt that had access to FONT ROW TICKETS through work.  It was so memorable and Reba still holds a piece of my heart.  Epic first concert.

Ultimate Concert.  Micheal Jacskson.  I would have loved to have seen him live in concert.  The Michael Jackson One show in Vegas was the closest I will ever come to seeing him live.  It was amazing, if you love MJ you need to see it.  That is all.

Favorite artist. I'm not sure I have a favorite artist, but rather a genre.  I love late 90s music, the music of my prime.  The songs I danced to in high school at dances and later in University at the bars.  The songs my friends and I played while we ate pizza or cried over boys.  These songs bring back so many memories and are on repeat on my running list.

Music Method.  I am a Spotify girl. I have a running list, Christmas lists, 80s lists, 90s lists.... and the list goes on.  I remember when I used to tape songs of the radio..... Our kids have it so easy.

That was so so fun.  Do you agree with me or not? 

Holiday Recap: Celebrating Christmas Eve

This year was a special Christmas.  It was the first time we woke up Christmas morning in our new home since last year we traveled back to SK.  It was our first year hosting Christmas dinner, AND it was the first time my Mom and John came to celebrate with us at our house EVER.  It was a year of many firsts and as far as I am concerned, we nailed it!

What we didn't anticipate is that my Mom would wake up with the flu on Christmas eve.  After watching a movie on the couch all morning she made her way downstairs to sleep the afternoon away.

While she rested, the boys played Monopoly and I rolled up my sleeves and prepped dinner for the next day without my helper.  I did poke fun at my Mom that she was only sick to get out of helping me cook.  Ha!

Does anyone else cook the meal the day before?  I chopped all the veggies for the stuffing and the broccoli salad, and made the sweet potato casserole all in advance.  The only thing I actually cooked on Christmas day (other than the turkey) was the mashed potatoes and gravy, and my MIL assured me I could have done that the day before as well.  We just stored it all in the garage, lord knows it was cold enough out there!

Before our company arrived I wanted to get photos in front of the fancy tree, something I don't often take the time to do in all the chaos that is Christmas. That, and my Mom is actually a pretty good photographer.  I know the kids hate taking a gaming break to make their Mom happy, but they did it anyway.

I was amazed when my Mom was able to drag herself out of bed, socialize for the evening, and even eat some of the lasagna.  Now that is a speedy recovery!  I thought she was down for the night.  

My Mom packed her own Christmas hats.  I guess she expected that I wouldn't have any.  But, I am my Mother's daughter and I had more than enough for all of us.  Though I don't have antlers.  Maybe I should add those to my Dollarama shopping list for next year.  I am positive that Grady will more than happily come with me again!

Growing up, I was used to having big Christmas Eve's, it was a bigger day than Christmas day.  We  opened all our gifts after church and stayed up until the wee hours of the nights playing cards, eating, and socializing.  It was more like a party.  Over the years, the night has quieted down and I've missed those rowdy Christmas Eve's of years past. 

We were talking to our friends who remember the larger celebrations growing up similar to mine and the next thing you know they were joining our festivities for the evening. Having 4 extra people including 2 boys certainly increased the volume level in the house and I absolutely loved it!

We've known these boys since they were born.  In fact, I remember holding Nicholas while I was pregnant with Grady and he was kicking Nicholas in the butt.  We've been so fortunate to make such great friends with kids that get along so great.

What do you know... they like to play Monopoly to!  There is no chance they finished that game!

Here all of us are ready to dig into our Italian feast!  Note to self, I need a collapsible table....  This is the second time we used one this year and we've had to borrow both times.  There was no way I was heading to Canadian Tire on Christmas Eve.  No, Nada, Not happening.  Yes, the kids could have eaten in the kitchen but I just love having every one eat in the same room on special occasions.

We managed to snap one photo of our framily before they left  Notice the handsome smiles on their kids faces... then look at our kid's faces.... oh wait, you can't even even see Cooper's and I'm not sure I recognize that kid on the far left.   We are still working on camera etiquette.  Obviously.

After all our company left we let the kids (and us!) open one gift.  It just happened to be onesie PJs.  The kids and I have worn ours over the holidays a few times, but James only wore his for 10 min on Christmas morning and then declared it was too hot and took it off. That is why he James the only one who got a Christmas print since I knew he would never wear them outside of the holidays!

It was a great night full of laughter, food, wine and conversation.  I loved having the noise level high and the stress level low.  It was a great way to spend the evening before Santa arrived to deliver all the gifts!  

Holiday Recap: The Best of Brunch

Today I am back at work.  I dreaded coming back to work all day yesterday, but... as much a I loved our winter holiday (as the kids call it, insert eye roll) I can't say I am going to miss all the cooking and cleaning and I am especially NOT going to miss unloading the dishwasher at least twice a day.  So while I am back to the grind my mind is still remembering our great Christmas. Let me tell you about it, starting with our pre-Christmas brunch,

December is always a busy busy month.  So much holiday prep to do while still managing our day to day activities that included 3 hockey tournaments including one out of town.  Its a good thing I'm organized or I don't know how I would have gotten it all done.  That, and Amazon Prime, Amazon helped a lot with my Christmas shopping this year!

We've added Christmas brunch into our list of thing we must do every year.  We switch it up from going to Heritage Park to Stage West, to Jubilation, and back to Heritage Park.  This year we ventured outside the box and had brunch at Sky 360, the rotating restaurant at the top of the Calgary Tower.  As a part o your reservation you also get to visit the observation deck.

Our usually hesitant and reluctant kid ran right onto the glass didn't hesitate even for a second when we asked him to lay on the glass for a picture.  

After a quick tour of the observation deck we hurried up to meet the rest of the crew for our reservation and enjoyed the views as we rotated THREE times around in the hour that we ate.

It was way faster than I expected and my SIL even had to switch sides so she didn't rotate backwards.  'I didn't fell ill, but I was very aware we were moving. I actually think the kid were fascinated with it and enjoyed picking out landmarks and each time we made a lap.

Despite having a kids menu, Grady ordered the tower breakfast, and the most expensive meal, off the adult menu and devoured more of it then I could have managed.  I indulged in the banana bread french toast and only ate 1 of the 2 slices.  Don't worry, it didn't go to waste.... the rest of the family enjoyed it as their dessert.  Am I the only one that prefers sweet over savory for breakfast?

Eventually on the way down, this guy finally drummed up the courage to step on the glass and eventually lay down.  While I am not afraid of the glass and stood on it no problem, I'm not sure I can say the same for James!

Notice in the family photo we are all standing in front of the glass....

What a great kick off to Christmas holidays!