the mish-mash blog vol. 1

*sigh*. there is so much going on around our little nest and so little time that i've decided to implement a series i'd like to call "the mish-mash blog". i am a person that thrives in organization but as of late, things are here, there and EVERYWHERE. so, today's blog will consist of everything that is going on in my head and hopefully it will all make sense to somebody out there in bloggy land. hehe.

1. i'm on a big child care giver hunt. we have been blessed with family members who are willing to give up their time to watch our girls while the hubs and i go to work  but there are a few days where we need someone to take on the days when they cannot. our  biggest issue currently is that we only have one vehicle so with me starting work at 6am, it doesn't seem fair to be waking the kids up very early and dragging them out when i could have someone come in. i've signed up to canadiannanny.ca and have contacted a few people that meet our requirements, but nothing is better than a referral from a friend! so for all you local mamas that follow my blog, ANY leads would be greatly appreciated!

2. i swear ever since i've gotten this job (which i haven't even started yet) its like a switch has turned on in olivia and she's become clingier than cling wrap (which btw really only sticks to itself). i put her down, she cries. she loses sight of me, cries. she stumbles, cries. housework and other obligations have come to standstill because i can't seem to do anything unless she's attached to my hip. which kinda has me worried. she is comfortable with family members but as soon as i'm around its as if the world is ending and she stops at nothing to be next to me. somebody please tell me this is just a phase.

3. i have found my favorite mascara of all time and i have the pictures to prove how awesome it is. its l'oreal's telescopic explosion water-proof mascara. i always purchase water-proof because it holds the curl from your eyelash curler than regular mascara. i have also learned in the importance of replacing the padding in your eyelash curler regularily..its amazing what a little change can do!

before

the tools

after

pretty crazy eh! it worked so nicely i thought it was worth sharing!

4. this week we prepare to go away to the okanagan for a dear friend's wedding. i have the pleasure of making their wedding cake, which i will do my best to track progress of..and really, have our last family trip together before we're back to the usual grind. that region of bc is well known for its wineries, warm weather, fresh fruit and scenery..i will definitely have lots of pictures to share when i get back.

well that's it folks. mish-mash blog vol. 1 over and out. it's pretty safe to say i've got a lot on my mind right now eh? thanks for reading!

happiness is...{the big 3-0.}

on tuesday, we celebrated my hubs turning 30.
wow, 30.
yeah i said it!


for however many years, that number just sounded old.
 as if life ends when you turn 30.
but when you get closer and closer to that age you realize
that its just another year gone by and if anything,
you begin to reflect on the life you've had, 
where you are
and where you're going.


i had the pleasure of 'scheming' a surprise party for 
my hubby (which i'm not sure why i did considering
the last time i threw one for him ~on his 25th~ he caught on)
and thought for sure i would have him fooled!


i gave him his present first thing in the morning
(so as not to expect any plans after work)
got a friend to take him out for drinks
(as the distraction/ride back home)
and the piece de resistance:


i planned it on a tuesday night!


alas despite my foiled plans, i think he
still managed to have a good time :)


here is a snapshot of my love through the years:

in 30 years, you've grown from a son, to a brother,
a friend, a husband and probably most importantly:
a father.


happy birthday love, may this just be the beginning of 
a fabulous life. xo

mama's got a brand new job.

it's the moment i've been waiting for over a year.

it's also a moment i've been dreading for over a year.

(in a good way, trust me!)

as a pharmacy technician by day, i've put in a good part of my

life working with the community and learning everything there is to know

about that aspect of my job. 7 or so years later, i felt as though it was

time to challenge myself as a tech OR do something completely different.

see, those who know me know how much i

love to organize and do things in my pretty little ways,

that i thought maybe i could work part-time somewhere as someone's

admin person..but no bites whatsoever.

what is a pharmacy technician doing applying for admin jobs?

i dunno..i thought i'd be good at it, in fact, i KNOW i'd be good at it.

then i thought okay, lets stick to what we know shall we?

last year i applied for a tech position somewhere i REALLY

REALLY wanted to work. a great opportunity with lots

of room for growth. not to mention a significant increase

in my salary (which is always nice!) but circumstances as they were

(enter: miss owweeya ~as she calls herself~)

and things didn't quite pan out.

1 year later, i thought why not try to contact said
favourable employer and ask what i can do to get myself noticed

in a big pool of applicants.

i contacted.

and i contacted.

and i got another interview.

(the squeaky wheel always gets the grease ;) )

the interview went fantastically and after a few more squeaks,

i learned i got the JOB OF MY DREAMS.

i have been praying for this job ever since i applied for it
over a year ago and i can finally say its mine.

but wait.

what will my life be like now that i'm going back to work
and have 2 children to care for?
emma will be entering kindergarten and olivia has
only ever known life to consist of
100% mommy/emma/daddy time.
how will both of them cope with all of this change?
this is where the dread part comes.

don't get me wrong, i'm soooo stoked to be back to work,
doing what i enjoy and appreciating adult contact
and communication on a more regular basis.
i know it's great for the kids to be comfortable with other
family members too but it just feels like a big pill
to swallow when it comes down to it.

all i know is that i can only take it one day at a time
and i shouldn't fret over things that may never happen.
have you had a similar experience that you can share with me?

happiness is.....{summer family fun}

it's kind of difficult to imagine that exactly one 

week ago from today we were out enjoying the beautiful

sunshine at white rock beach...

especially considering today is supremely gloomy and wet.

(seriously? looking outside i feel like i should be wearing a wool sweater,

jogging pants and my rain boots..and its the middle of july.)

anyway, with the impending work/life change that will

soon turn this household upside down, (that deserves a blog of its own!) i cherish every

single moment i have spending time with our family of 4.

we had such a great time during our little walk to

white rock beach that we thought we'd make a day trip out of it.

the hubs had a day off from work in the middle of the week

so it was nice to avoid the weekend crowd too.

our free spirited olivia got very comfortable with 

the sand..which made me a bit anxious (cuz i'm a clean freak)

but i couldn't help but enjoy watching her enjoy it..so

the anxiety quickly faded.

the hubs was outlining the dimensions of their

supposed human-sized sand castle while emma looked on..

me, of course, in charge of making sure the kids were well

fed and hydrated and out of the sun...

(do note that i am under an umbrella, although it doesn't end well!)

the human sized sand castle didn't quite pan out..

but a lovely throne did..note how 'excited' and 'comfortable'

emma looks sitting in it...

with the girls becoming one with the sand,

i thought it was a perfect opportunity to take some

fancy shmancy shots with our camera.

the throne in all its glory.

hop, hop, hop!

skip, skip, skip!

livi got quite tired after all the wandering around she did.

it was great coming to the beach with the tide being so low.

we situated ourselves on an 'island' so-to-speak surrounded by

shallow pools and olivia just loved walking around, stopping for a moment

to squish some sand in her hands and continue on.

if it weren't for olivia's hand in the way..this would've been frame worthy!

splish splash!

sisters.

so yeah. remember how i said my 'shady-ness' doesn't end well?

well i decided to show my husband what a practical sand castle looks like,

and in the midst of doing that..my back got wickedly burned.

-i've shed a layer of skin already.

dad being silly.

mom being silly. clearly, i'm no basketball player. note the 

lack of air in my jump..hehe.

since my maternity leave has ended and i'm waiting to hear about

work, we seize the moment and take every sunny day

to do something outside..even if it's as simple as 

chalk drawing in the parking lot of our building.

happiness is cherishing every second of my little girls growing up.

emma's going to kindergarten and olivia just turned 1. two major milestones

in both of their lives.

i'm feeling..truly blessed.

writers workshop: top 10 family tv shows i'd like to make a comeback

i recently started following mama's losin' it's blog

and couldn't resist this weeks prompts!

as a kid, watching tv -good tv..is one of many fond memories growing up.

flipping through channels today, i realize the majority of today's programming

consists of reality tv..which in my opinion is NOT good tv.

sure, we discover new talents through reality tv..but nothing

beats a great family comedy show that engages the entire family.

do you remember the TGIF time slot on fridays growing up?

it was the night my sister and i would be allowed to stay up a little later than

usual to watch all of our fave shows..here's my top 10 list of shows

i'd like to make a comeback:

1. full house

the show we all grew up on. from the hot late 80's clothing,

to the sentimental music during a moral lesson..every episode was

worth watching. who remembers the dance routine to "motownphilly"

that stephanie's dance group performed and she kept flubbing

the moves so she wouldn't have to go to summer dance camp?

or how mid season they changed jesse's last name from cochran to katsopolous?

man, i love this show.

2. out of this world.

i don't know what girl didn't want her special powers

of freezing time. and how strange it was that she talked

to her dad from a crystal pyramid looking thing next to her bed.

3. perfect strangers.

the "balki". need i say more?

4. step by step

a modern day brady bunch..who didn't love their cousin cody?!

5. family matters

"did i do thaaaat?" this show was part of the awesome TGIF line up

and who can forget the catchy theme song!

6. family ties.

Alex P. Keaton. I'll never forget Michael J. Fox

in this role.

7. The Rockets

this canadian show totally rocked my socks when i was a kid.

my sister and i wanted to BE in the rockets. we'd get up every

 saturday morning to watch!

7. The Mickey Mouse Club

creating stars like justin timberlake, jc chasez, ryan gosling, britney spears,

keri russell and christina aguilera..this variety show was full of

fun skits and remakes of awesome late 80's to 90's

pop music..miss this show so much!

8. california dreams

"surf dudes with attitude..kinda groovy, laid back moods,

sky above sand below..good vibrations..feelin' mellow....

won't give it up....don't wanna stop..

don't wake me up..

don't wake me up if i'm dreamin'

california dreams

just let me lay here in the sun...

until my dream is done"

(guitar solo)

love it.

9. kids street

a fun reality show where the kids had to answer questions

about the other correctly and clap over their heads.

who didn't love the wall of prizes to be won!

10. saved by the bell.

"i'm so excited, i'm so excited..i'm so...scared!"

i literally grew up on this show and probably

learned everything i needed to know to survive late elementary and

highschool.

well there it is.

i only hope that the tv shows my children grow up on

are as wholesome and inspirational as the ones i used to watch!

that red lipstick.

you all own at least one red lipstick.

you know, the one that's hidden away at the back of your make up

caddy..the stick that's basically new because you've never had the guts to wear it?

yeah. that one.

i know..i'm just like you..i fawn over ladies that look absolutely gorge 

in that saucy color but just stick to the nudes if any at all because

"ooh i'm going to eat..having to reapply is just a hassle"

or

"i've got little kids i wanna smooch over and over again, it'll just

get messed up"

well, to that i say...stuff it! PUT ON THAT RED LIPSTICK...

and see how amazing you feel. i recently purchased a red long lasting lip gloss that

i absolutely love. i throw it on with almost a nude face (just a little nude shadow,

and LOTS of volumizing mascara) and instantly i feel like a million bucks.

so, if you're having an "i hate myself" moment, pick up a tube of

red lipstick and smooth it on..even if its just to pick your kids up

from day camp or to grab a few groceries.

or heck...that special occasion you've got coming up that you've asked

the grandparents to watch the kidlets for? get all glammed up for that

cuz Lord knows that those mini getaways are so seldom! be the person

you aren't for a change and you'll soon realize you have this 

amazing side to you. all from red lipstick!

i better start seeing some red lips now!

below is the gloss i purchased from a dear friend who sells avon.

i've experienced the hits and misses of avon..and i have to say this one is

definitely a hit!

the color i purchases is called "always apple", cute huh?

enjoy =)

happy canada day eh!

phew!

it was an absolutely fantastic canada day long weekend for us 

filled with nothing but the outdoors.

we've been kinda waiting for summer around here so the second the sun came out

we were right out there enjoying it! our first stop was langley's krause berry farms for

some strawberry picking. both emma and olivia just adore strawberries

so we thought it would be nice to show them where they come

from and what hard work it is to pick them!

their mouthwatering shop has a bunch of cutesy

novelty items along with local honey, pastries and fruits & veggies from their farm

my parents decided they'd join us and enjoyed a DELICIOUS 

strawberry milkshake..

daddy and emma waiting in line for buckets and a wagon!

time to start pickin!

olivia the little daredevil would not sit down in the wagon, so my

dad had to keep watch behind her! she pretty much rode around everywhere

like this hehe!

me and emma gettin right in there! there were rows upon rows of

ruby red strawberries. i haven't been strawberry picking in ages and i don't

know if this is commonplace at u-pick farms but

i really appreciated the order they commanded when you come to pick.

each family is assigned a row to pick from both sides

so that they're efficiently picked and not gone to waste.

olivia enjoying some snacks while we picked..

grandpa and emma! she did excellent picking strawberries, 

though needed a little guidance to not pick out the ones 

that weren't quite ripe..so grandpa would show her where the really

red ones were!

grandma strawberry picking!

grandpa needed a little break as his back was getting sore,

and as a matter of fact, within minutes of picking, ALL of our backs were getting sore.

even emma complained a bit of discomfort but we all 

happily scoured the patch for more juicy strawberries.

being there totally put things into perspective and i have a new found 

respect for those in the picking industry..its a lot of squatting and bending and i

could not imagine a whole day of doing that!

here's olivia going to town on a strawberry..she 

could not resist the buckets in the wagon.

all that picking sure built up an appetite! we had their home made corn 

pizza..i swear i ate the equivalent of 3 corn cobs..it was very tasty!

after lunch, the girls and daddy spent a little time at the playground.

then we went on a horse-drawn carriage ride around the farm, emma 

was lucky enough to be co-driver!

here's the stash! i've already made strawberry smoothies and

had strawberries and cream...i think i'm going to attempt making ice cream!

after the farm, we headed back home to freshen up and recharge our batteries.

we wanted to do something to commemorate canada's birthday, so we headed

to the cloverdale millennium amphitheatre to join in the festivities!

there was lots to see, but man was it ever packed. these are the only pictures

i took because it was just too crammed to have the camera out!

we ate dinner there: emma had a mr. tube steak and the rest of us

had ukrainian food. couldn't resist the freshly squeezed

lemonade and the mini donuts either!

the next day, we hopped on the sea to sky and set up

shop at alice lake. alice lake is our family favorite place as it brings 

back memories of the countless times we camped there. our whole family joined us up there

and we made it just in time for a little bit of sun!

emma getting the beach toys ready..she had her mind set on 

building a big sand castle.

the view from our spot of the lake, there's a really nice 

trail that goes around the lake that we took sometime after lunch..it definitely

built up the appetite for our dinner!

olivia enjoying emma's princess camping chair..i think she's the perfect 

size for it!

it might be time to get emma a bigger chair of her own...

grandpa and emma playing catch with the velcro ball and mitt..

total memories from back in the day..note the fluorescent pink and green ball!

our olivia is fearless..she just trudged into the water and plopped down..

even put some sand and dirt into her mouth which sent me and her

daddy in a frenzy! the wind was blowing, i had the camera, my hat and olivia's

hat went flying..it was chaos.

mama and olivia..all bundled up!

then emma wanted a turn in the lake..didn't last long as the sun

got clouded over..

but the sand castle did happen!

emma and jacob at the playground..

we had a great time just being amongst nature..listening to the birds chirp,

feeling the sun and wind on your skin and enjoying the company of family!

finally, yesterday we took a little trip to white rock beach.

we very seldom come out simply because the age demographic that

frequents that beach isn't always the type you want your kids around..

but i thought we'd just go for a little stroll and see where the day takes us.

we packed the girls up in our bike stroller which we thought would

be more fun for them as they could sit side by side rather than behind one another.

this turned out to be a fantastic idea as you'll soon see..

me and the girls!

i guess all that fresh air got to olivia..she fell asleep on her big sister's shoulder!

emma was sooo sweet, we could hear her singing 'rock a bye baby' to 

olivia and she even covered her little ears when a train came by!

love, love, love..

and a little more love...

we walked all the way to the end of the promenade and noticed how quiet it was..

like waaaay quieter, and that most of the families had set up shop over here.

the tide was out so after having some ice cream, we brought our bike trailer down to the

beach to have some beach-y fun!

the water babies just couldn`t get enough of the ocean..and i don`t blame them..

the water was soooo warm!

then it was time for silly camera fun..

just has to squeeze in a little more love...

it was bound to happen. olivia got her dress wet so we figured it

was warm enough to have her right down to the diaper..she was having

a blast satisfying her curiosity!

we finished up our day at the beach having fish `n` chips at -in my opinion-

one of the tastiest little joints on this part of the strip: 

we got the 4 pieces and fries..which was just perfect for the 4 of us

as to our surprise, the girls loved the fish! it came with a big container

of tartar sauce and extra cups for ketchup and vinegar if you wanted it.

you know its a good day when your daughter can`t stop telling you how

much fun she`s having..it warmed our hearts very much hearing her say that!

we will be back to this side of white rock very, very soon..this time

more prepared with beach toys that the kiddies can play with.

there was ample parking, a wash room nearby and just the perfect

environment for the little ones.

phew, right! it was a fantastic weekend..and i definitely look forward

to the next sunny day we can spend outside!