Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for:

1. An upcoming vacation.  Gary and I will be getting away for three nights.  I have never left Nya for more than one night so hopefully all goes well!  I really hope her respiratory health is 100% while we are gone.  We are getting away now to celebrate our 10 year anniversary which will be in May.  Plans include; eating at some great restaurants, two shows, and a couple of hikes at the Red Rock Canyon.  

2.  Boys who will still sit with me to cuddle and read.  Koen especially enjoys the cuddle time, he's so sweet.  Kai sometimes acts `too cool' (he won't hold my hand anymore!!) but usually will sit with us.

3. My little princess. Head to toe. 

4.  Nya's health.  Usually when she gets a cold, it's about 5 days/ nights of croupy cough and then 2 weeks until it's gone.  This time, it was only one night of a croupy cough, although she's still more tired and grumpy than usual.   I don't know if it's because it's a `gentler' virus or if her body is getting stronger (with the changes we've made to her diet) but whatever it is, I'm thankful.

5. Bubbles.  

6.  Recognition for photography.  I entered a few photos into a contest with over 110,000 photos and one of mine (maybe more?) made it to the top 10%.  It feels good :)

7.  My kids and their ability to go, go, go.  This helps when you like to hike as a family.  Nya was on my back for this one as she wasn't feeling 100%.

8.  Winning Big Hero 6.  I won it off of Breakfast Television so it was perfect for Friday Night Movie night.  I can't give a review of it because I only watched the first half but the boys loved it!

9.  This room.  You guys, I'm so sentimental.  This was Kai's baby room.  It is where he first slept in a toddler bed.  It's where the boys have shared a room for the past 3 years.  This Spring Break we will be taking the bunk beds down and converting it into a room for the child that will be joining our home.

10.  This hutch. I know it's kind of silly but you know when you envision something for a long time and then it actually happens?  I'm glad I was patient and that I found what I was looking for (with a little work!).  

I hope you have a wonderful week!  Please let me know what you are thankful for today...big or small!

Love,

Louise

Our New & Improved Hutch

We've had the same set up in our kitchen for years and I always thought it looked fine but it wasn't practical.  Our kitchen isn't huge so we need to use space wisely.  This was the previous set up:

I loved the mirror but the hutch was just too small.  I had been looking for a new one for about a year and finally found one!  It had to be 70" or less to fit under our windows and I wanted upper shelves and glass to display my mom's `fancy' Dutch dishes as they are special to me.  I found this solid maple set second hand for $70 (and sold the old one with the mirror for a total of $70!).   I wanted it to be white so that it would help to lighten up our home. Also, it would match all of the trim and baseboards.

Before; the top and bottom.

I didn't want to spend hours sanding and priming so I decided to use chalk paint to finish it.  I've done smaller projects before but this was definitely the largest.  Most people use Annie Sloan chalk paint and you can get it locally in Langley at The Passionate Home.  I decided to do it a bit differently and used Chalky Finish Matte Paint from Michaels.

I had Gary come with me so that we could each use a 40% off coupon and I ended up having to get 5 jars of paint (each costing $10 with the coupon) over the week. All you do is wipe down the surface and then use a brush and apply the paint thinly.  Let it dry for several hours and apply another coat.  It did take me three coats to finish it.  Then, I rubbed the wax over it using an old T-shirt.  This helps to seal and protect it and give it a little shine.  The wax normally costs $19.99 but again, I used a 40% off coupon.

We can now fit a lot more in the base of the hutch, I love it!  And every time I glance over, all I see are my mom's dishes and the memories behind them; Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, the traditional post church dessert and more.  Most of the small plates and bowls are gone and I'm assuming they broke after being well used by us all.  Yes, I'm very sentimental!

It took me about 10 hours total to do it all.  I'm done projects for a while now and thank goodness I've been working out my arms!

Have you chalk painted before?  Did you use `real' chalk paint or the kind from Michaels? I'm curious what the differences would be!  Also, look what I just found yesterday; a recipe on how to make your own chalk paint that looks way more affordable! 

Have a great day.

Love,

Louise.  

This Weekend's Hiking Snack: CocoRoons {Review}

As a family, we have recently adapted what we eat.  Gary and I have tried to eliminate refined sugar, which in turn means the kids are taking in way less too.  Nya is on a gluten free and dairy free diet to help with her asthma and eczema.  When we were approached by Lloyd James (Natural Foods Sales & Marketing) to review some healthy vegan products, I was in!  

The first product we are reviewing is called  `Coco-Roons'.  The 5 flavours that we had to try out were; Brownie, Lemon Pie, Cacao Nib, Almond Strawberry and Vanilla Maple.  The ingredients? For Koen's favourite, the Almond Strawberry, they are: dried unsweetened coconut, almond flour, almond butter, strawberries, unfiltered maple syrup, cold-pressed coconut oil, vanilla extract and Himalayan crystal salt.

We decided to take three of the packages hiking with us.  It gave the boys some incentive to make it to the top of McKee Peak (Upper Sumas Mountain)!   My kids are generally good once we start hiking but new snacks are always helpful. 

We stopped halfway and enjoyed a couple each as they are the perfect size for a snack.  I appreciate that they are not crumbly or too sweet.  You have to really like the taste of coconut to like these as that is the primary ingredient.

My favourite?  The Brownie one. Runner up? Lemon Pie.

If you are looking for organic, paleo, gluten free and vegan snacks and aren't too concerned with cost (it's $7.99/bag), this is a good one!   

Gary really enjoyed the Vanilla Maple and Nya agreed with me that the Brownie was best!

As the package says, `Bet you can't eat just one'!

Wonderfully Raw, the producer of Coco-Roons, have several other products that we are going to be testing out this next week.  Included will be Snip Chips...chips made of Parsnips.  Cool huh?

I hope you had a great weekend!

Love,
Louise

*Disclaimer: We were provided with these samples to review them.  Opinions are 100% our own!*

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for:

1. A great deal on clothes for Kai.  These are for next year (size 10) and I got all of them for $7 from Bidding Wars on facebook.  I've bought from this seller before so I know she has good stuff!  

2. Taco Tuesday.  We make it a variety of ways (pork, chicken or beef and then in wraps or on lettuce) and it just makes Tuesdays so easy!

3.  A good book to read.  This is our book club book!  I like the series (not love) so its fun to read the book it originated from.

4.  A great Arc'teryx jacket for Gary!  He really wanted a good one for all the hiking and camping he does through his outdoor leadership program.  When I saw the price of these jackets brand new, I wasn't too excited about it.  I asked him to give me some time and look what I found after a couple of months!  It was on Craigslist, his size, 10 minutes from our house, just 3 months old, in excellent condition.  They are regular $570 plus tax and the owner was asking $250.00 OBO so I offered $200.  Yay!  

5.  Playgrounds.  We do not have much of a yard so that means that we head to a park maybe 5 days a week.  There is a new school in our area with TWO new playgrounds.  I love that we have so many to chose from within walking distance.

6.  A family hike. I'm thankful that we got one in this past week.  I love that Nya's strength is back (she was pretty weak through the winter with all her sicknesses).  I love that the kids don't fight when we're running around outside.  Now to be honest, the kids whine and complain about the idea of going hiking, but about 30 seconds into it, they love it and all the complaints are gone. 

7.  Finding a new buffet and hutch!  I have been looking for about a year.  I didn't want it too tall because it would block or windows.  I wanted it to be practical and hold a lot.  The one below is our current one.  It looks fine but it's not functional.  

This is the one I found (well, this is half of it). I bought it off of Bidding Wars.  It's maple and has a beautiful hutch with glass doors that goes on top.  So far I have completed the bottom as you can see :) Can't wait to show you the final product although I still have a few days work on it.

8.  A great social worker.  We have our last home study visit this coming week and then it just has to be approved!  Our social worker was very flexible in timing and made sure to do all of our visits in an efficient manner.   I get along with her well and I'm thankful that she's part of this process!  I am quite nervous about the months to come.  I think that's normal.  She won't be with us forever but she'll be there for the start.  For the next month or so I'm going to slowly prepare the boys new room and then get their current room ready for a child (or siblings possibly).

{These are some safety items that we had to purchase. I've already learned that I need a 5lb fire extinguisher instead of the 1lb one that I bought.}

9.  My air popper.  My mom gave this to me in 1997.  I used it all through university and we still use it now about once a week.  Who doesn't love popcorn?

10.  Our basement.  I've been thankful for it so many times but when we moved in, the basement was unfinished.  We finished it about 5 years ago and it is used all the time!!  Here is the mess after a good daycare day.

  I hope you've had a wonderful week. As always, please leave a comment letting me know what you are thankful for today!

Love,
Louise

`The Joy of Missing Out: Finding Balance in a Wired World' {Review}

"Lasting change happens when people see for themselves that a different way of living is more fulfilling than their present one" - Eknath Easweran

I use the Internet a lot.  Whether it's googling my kid's latest symptoms, mapquesting a new location, banking, emailing, or updating my Instagram account, it is a huge part of my life.  I think it makes day to day life more efficient and convenient.  However, now that I've had my iPhone for about a year, I can see that I love it a bit too much.  Have you ever taken a step back and looked at yourself when your phone is misplaced?!   Also, with my eldest turning 9 soon, I'm feeling the pressure of teaching him wisdom, safety, and self control in regards to the wonderful world wide web so I better figure it out first.

In order to start reflecting on my usage and the potential changes that I could make,  I read the book `The Joy of Missing Out: Finding Balance in a Wired World' by Christina Crook.  Christina is a journalist, TEDx speaker, wife and mother of three.  She said `goodbye' to the Internet for 31 days.  No Facebook, email, Netflix, blogging, online banking etc for a month.  Could you do it? I don't think I could.

Christina addresses three main areas in attaining a balance in the digital world; where we are now technologically and how we got here, what the impact is on ourselves and our families, and finally, different ideas on how to detox and create new habits.  She tackles this by sharing informative resources and quotes, descriptive storytelling, and first hand experiences.

I want to share a few of the many questions that Christina either poses or considers:

Did you know that teenagers are losing the ability to read faces and empathize due to so many of their interactions happening online?  When they type `LOL' are they actually even smiling at all?

Are you really forming connections and relationships online or are they just `likes' and `shares' and nothing deeper?

What moves and sustains you?  What do you seek?

Did you know Japan has `fasting' camps for Internet addicted youth?

In answering the question `What do you seek?', I know that I want to be more present with my family.  I don't want my kids to see me on my phone all the time.  It's easier when I'm at work because it would be frowned upon to be checking out social media sites, but at home...oh boy...it helps me feel like I'm escaping the monotony.  What moves and sustains me?  I love the outdoors.  I love travel.  I love exploring.  I need to make sure that we do more of this as a family.

Christina provides many ideas on how to adjust your social media usage. She has a long term plan so that it's much more attainable and realistic.   One of the changes that I am going to be implementing is being offline on Sundays from 7 am to 7 pm.  I'll let you know how it goes...on Monday!

I would encourage you to have a discussion with yourself and/or a loved one on what balance might look like in your life.  The decisions we make in regards to the Internet will impact our children and therefore future generations.  I appreciate that Christina remains positive and hopeful throughout. She recognizes the benefits of the Internet but really encourages reflection, change and balance.

As written on page 142:

Yes to freedom.

Yes to simpler.

Yes to together.

Sounds good, right?

She quotes Henry David Thoreau in her book saying, `Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.' (pg. 154).   I want this.  Connect......to others, not just the Internet.  I would love to hear your thoughts on your personal online and offline balance!

Love,

Louise 

{This is a picture of the lovely Christina Crook}

If you are interested in reading a sample chapter, learning more, or purchasing her book, you can find it here.  If purchasing, just indicate in `Additional Information' that you are a friend of Jelly Marketing and it will get mailed out right away.

**Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book to facilitate the review.  The opinions here are my own.**

Lynn Canyon

On Saturday we had a fun family day.  We went to Lynn Canyon (look for the Ecological Centre when trying to find it!) and crossed the suspension bridge to do the 30 Foot Pool loop AND the Twin Falls walk.  It took about an hour total and Nya was a rock star.  There are quite a few stairs and I just carried her for the last 5 minutes.  I love being outside as it reminds me of my childhood and the fresh air rejuvenates me.  It's also so heart warming to see our kids running around and exploring nature.  And of course, they loved the rock throwing portion.

Hope you had a great weekend!  Did you have some fun outside?

Love, 

Louise