Nesting Sale...

My nesting is in full swing and last night I was able to sort thru and organize all of the good clothes we have that need some new homes. Holy crap did our Tupperware under the house and kids closets empty out!

Not only do we have boys and girls clothes... we have an assortment from newborn up to 3T. Some things were never even worn before outgrown! This is madness and we need to get rid of it all before it drives my crazy.

Along with the kids clothes, there is an assortment of woman's clothes from Maternity thru sizes S-L. A HUGE array...and there is even some good men's stuff.

So on top of the clothing, we have some random items to lighten from our load as well...

A "Cars" training wheel bike...

Similar to this one

Some kids toys...

A carpet, a shelving unit etc...

SO....... GARAGE SALE! Since this is the long weekend, I think we will set it for next Saturday morning. Details to be confirmed.

Being pregnant can have some serious advantages on the household front...organization!

A Great Moms Club...

Last night was our first ever Moms Club!
It was a great evening filled with many amazing moms and moms to be... not to mention many laughs and interesting topics! I can only see each meeting getting more interesting as the Moms get to know one another better, and conversation topics begin to fly.
From infant/toddler feeding, to bellies and breast, to husbands(partners)... the topics were all informative, fun and interesting ;) I cant wait till next month!

There was such a great group last night, with many more women that expressed an interest but unfortunately couldn't make it...this group could get big...and maybe a little loud. I have to thank OMG for the awesome wine glasses. I used them as a giveaway in honour of our first Moms Club ever! And with this group, I think they were more than fitting!








Check them out at www.omgisoneedaglassofwine.com





Kelly Spec of Spectrum nutrition came in to kick off our first meeting. She pumped us full of knowledge and answered and array of questions on infant/toddler eating habits and nutrition. All the information was fantastic! I am devising our daily "routine" and will begin this transition to proper eating for our kids soon... Keep you posted on that. I suspect there will be a few moms from last night that may have a grumpy household for a few days... but I cant wait for the end result and therefore benefit!

Kelly not only advises on infant/toddler/children nutrition, she actually specializes in weight loss. So if there is any need for an amazing Nutritionist, please check out her site or give her a call as her knowledge was fantastic and her personality, professional yet fun :)




Next months meeting, I have no doubt, will be as much fun if not more! Looking forward to growing friendships and mommy knowledge with a great group of woman.

~Moms, I am posting a page on my site that will be up and running by Friday. On this page you will find  what our Moms Club is/has been up to... along with any info you may find useful/informative! Last night, our guest speaker gave us an awesome handout on "Feeding Your Toddler." This will be on the page for your resource.~

"Mom's menu consists of 2 choices: Eat it or don't." ~ Unknown.


Thought this was fitting for our topics of conversation last night.


 

Another Giveaway...

Happy Wednesday! This is an amazing day in our City! Can't wait for 5:00...puck drop!


So while the excitement is high, I wanted to remind you of our current giveaway, as well as add ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!!


Currently, we have the KeKe Kraze giveaway going.


A hat made just for you (or your little one) from KeKe Kraze!!
Go to KeKe Kraze's link and scroll through Cheryl's large database of items. If you are the winner of my giveaway, name announced Friday, then you will be able to select a hat of your choice and determine the color combination along with size you would like to order! Amazing deal and even better cause.

Here is how to enter for Friday's Draw:

1) Comment by entering your name (either here or on While They Are Sleeping's fb page)

And for the following you will score and extra vote per item you do...

2) Like While They Are Sleeping on Facebook
3) Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs my clicking the icon in my signature.
4) Like KeKe Kraze on Facebook


And to introduce another one to you!
This one is in honor of Fathers Day, however it will be a little late in arrival as our draw will happen this Friday.


WonderDads approached me last week, apparently being avid followers of While They Are Sleeping. Cool! Thanks for the support guys!
WonderDads is a group  that helps "bring dads the tools and ideas they need to turn them from parents to heroes."
"Through our books, website, mobile applications, and events we inspire fathers to engage with their children and families."


They have an amazing concept going here, and are growing in size and cities...we hope you come to Vancouver soon!!


So here is what they are offering us! A FREE " goodnight, Dad" book. I have included the description below. Cute and wonderful concept! You must check out their website as well as their facebook page for more info... they have so much to offer! Along with city guides. Really, great ideas!!

"Author: Chris Gattorna / ISBN: 978-1-935153-36-8 / 20 Page Full-Color Board Book

This book is destined to be a classic for special Dad/child time at bedtime. With beautiful illustrations that will make you and your child feel warm and fuzzy, this book is a wonderful way to end a day. Make this your special book to read every night."

and to totally complete their appeal, WonderDads is running an amazing promotion in honour of Fathers Day!!

Get WonderDads to donate $1 to the Make-a-Wish Foundation on your behalf! Simply register for our free weekly email featuring the best dad/child activities in your city at www.WonderDads.com <http://www.WonderDads.com/> . Whatever city has the most sign-ups, WonderDads will donate $1 for each person that signed up from that city to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. So share this on your pages, get your friends to sign up and let's make some dreams come true!

Isn't that easy!? Just click and they will donate. DO IT!!!

So to win the WonderDads Giveaway, the guidelines are simple!

Here is how to enter for Friday's Draw:

1) Comment by entering your name (either here or on While They Are Sleeping's fb page)

And for the following you will score and extra vote per item you do...
2) Like While They Are Sleeping on Facebook
3) Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs my clicking the icon in my signature 

Good luck everyone! 

 

Fabulous Friday announcement!...

So, I am hoping to introduce my upcoming Friday blog "Fabulous Fact Fridays" tomorrow! I will keep you posted. I promise it will be worth your while, and this bi-monthly blog will keep you coming back for more; and make you wish they were more frequent!

As a mom, a wife, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a professional etc etc sometimes life feels like it just gets away from me. I know I load my own plate full sometimes, and that is all on me; but I also feel as if sometimes I am not doing enough. How do people do it all? And in the public eye at that!? Do celebrities and public figures have off days like me? Do they think they should be doing more (when to us it seems like they have more than anyone could handle)!?
All questions I thought would be fun to explore!

So every second Friday I will have a new Guest Interview talking Mommyhood, Womanhood and whatever else they feel like disclosing!

Come join me for Fabulous Friday's and let the discoveries begin. How real are these real people!? I tell you, I think you may be pleasantly surprised. I know I was!

I am starting with an amazing woman. An inspiring woman. A local woman!

Happy Thursday. See you tomorrow!

To show your excitement, cause I know you can hardly contain it, click below to VOTE FOR ME!!!
All it takes is one click...and you can click daily if you're so inclined!

Here comes the bloat...

written March 10, 2011

Isn't this just the best part of pregnancy... the part where you know your pregnant, maybe a few family member and friends...but to the rest of the world, your clothes just look a little tight.  It is amazing how fast the female body changes during pregnancy. Instantly your system is exhausted, your breath gets taken away when you walk up a flight of stairs... and the pants...they just feel so damn uncomfortable!

So far, the mornings through mid day are my best hours. Sometimes I forget I am pregnant... it all just seems so surreal. But come 4:00 on, I start to feel like I am dragging my butt and the heartburn kicks in as well. Of all the symptoms possible, I am not complaining...I just hope they stay this "easy."

I had a hard pregnancy with Kai. I was ALWAYS tired; I even napped, which I never do! I was SO sick for the first 5 months with the occasional bought through till the end. I remember one trip to Seattle with my mom; she was treating me to a shopping spree of new maternity clothes. We had a great day together, until the car ride home; I was so nauseous and puked in a Ziploc bag...you will never look at Ziploc the same!

I was fortunate with Si, in the beginning. I did not have the luxury of naps while pregnant with her as Kai was around and still so young. When he slept, I got things organized. We were also in the midst of selling our condo and moving. Not the most optimal timing!  But unlike my first pregnancy, Si was harder towards the end. I had quite a lot of pre-labour cramping...she just wanted out! And by about 8 months...i was ready for her to be out too! She made her entry into the world 3 days early.

And so, number three. How are you going to treat me?
I am excited for the next 8 months (or 7.5 if you want to be nice ;-) ).

Have a little faith...

My domain whiletheyaresleeping.com is now officially up and running. I am so happy! It actually happened early this week, but this week has completely gotten away from me.

I had a bit of a rough time last week; between dealing with Sienna, dealing with the kids in general (!), and feeling down on myself, it was a hard one...
I was getting really frustrated on myself with regards to work. Trying to figure out how I was going to do it, and what I was going to do at all! And then it kind of just happened...as if the stars just aligned!? I had three opportunities come at me in one day...and another on Monday!
Isn't it weird how things like that happen? I find that I couldn't be stressing harder, worrying myself, and thinking so negatively...and then my hard work and patience (ya right) start to pay off, and in the course of a few days, I have a new listing, and a few other avenues that I will have more to say about soon! This week has been a crazy one...run of my feet with things to get done...and still a list 10 pages long to complete; but I am taking it as it comes, one step at a time. I guess the lesson being, have a little faith and keep on walking!

"Faith is one foot on the ground, one foot in the air, and a queasy feeling in the stomach." — Mother Angelica
"What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step." — C.S. Lewis

I have been trying to get here to write, but with best intentions at hand, there hasn't been enough time in the day (and in a little over a week, there will be even one less hour in our day)!!

I will be back to post again soon...but I will leave you with this to look forward to.  In honour of my domain going live, I will be having a giveaway soon. Let you know all the details and what it is...in the next post.

I am taking some time for me this morning...gotta log some miles on my feet. Time for some sanity :-)
Happy Thursday!

"To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone."
Reba McEntire

The Great Debate...

Enter the world of parenthood and everyday is filled with its own set of challenges.
Our current/upcoming topic that is a HUGE decision...preschool. Now the parenting begins and the playing is left till after school. Kai will be 3 in April and ready for his first year of preschool this September. These days, it is not only where to send your child, but at what age as well. There are some new "junior kindergartens" that take children as young as one. In essence it is a childcare facility at this age, yet they still have some structure to their days (as much as you can give a one-two year old!). The topic is on the table because over the next few weeks, registration begins!

We began our thoughts on this pretty quickly after Kai was born. The reason being, most of the good schools (yes, even preschools) have waitlists for years! If you can believe it, some actually register your name the minute you find out you are pregnant. A little excessive, I think yes! But to each their own.
We were originally thinking of sending him to a Junior kindergarten a few days a week starting this past fall. It didn't pan out for a few reasons and in the end I have been happy it didn't. What's the rush to send your baby to school so fast!? They have their entire lives to be there. Come the fall, I think he will be ready, and so will we by then.

Now for us, the decision is where...and why! Sienna follows Kai around everywhere. She loves to sit and read, and yet she loves to stick her hand in dirty diapers...yes discgusting! But she is a big factor in our equation of Kai and preschool. With Kai going a certain number of days/mornings a week, Sienna will still need to have a place to be. Currently, when I am working, the kids are with our part-time Nanny. She is fantastic and the kids love her, but realistically, we cannot afford to employ a nanny and pay for school; and so, our thoughts are leading us in the direction of a junior kindergarten where Sienna can be on the same "campus" as her older brother. The two of them can have the same schedule, and this in-turn makes a happy mom :-)

Here are some of my thoughts and "foreseen debates" that we are, and will be, dealing with:

- How many days a week
- Time of day (morning or afternoon)
Cost
- Preschool and part-time nanny
- junior kindergarten for both kids
- Preschool and daycare!?
Cost
curriculum
-Location
-Cost

For those of you who don't have children yet, or you do but you have not gotten to the stage of looking into preschools, they seem to charge an equivalent rate to University. Since the children are 1/4 to 1/2 the height of a grown adult, the tuition is reflected by 1/4-1/2 the price! Not really, but I figure, pretty damn close! So if we are shelling out this amount of money for our child's education and learning, I want to make sure that we are getting the most value for our dollar. Preschools are private and therefore you must pay...I can see another debate a few years in the future, private or public!?

We have looked into CEFA (Core Education and Fine Arts), and they offer some amazing things at their schools: from uniforms all the way down to meal planning. This is a Junior kindergarten. And here, the days are full from 9 to 5 if you want. Great for a working 9-5 parent, but not necessary for me...but maybe this is where the kids can go on the same 2 days a week and no more would be needed!??
Or do we go to preschool...there are some amazing ones in our neighbourhood: from Montessori programs to French immersion.
Wish us luck and please send thoughts, suggestions and advice...it is all welcomed and appreciated!

"It will be gone before you know it. The fingerprints on the wall appear higher and higher. Then suddenly they disappear." ~Dorothy Evslin

If it's not one thing...it's another!

Why does it feel like life is always, "if it's not one thing, it's another!"

Lately, LIFE begins to settle in one area and then LIFE begins building in the OTHER. If it's not you it's another that you are affected by.

My question, when does life become your own...for a year, for a minute, for a second...

I am quickly learning...it never does. If you have family, in ANY FORM, it never completely resides in your own hand; because, the minute you care for someone, family or friend, you never know where life will take you.

If it is not your life experience and learing, it is someone elses...

To the tears, the laughter, the love...

To learing...

To life... 

Thank you for tomorrow.

xo

Photography!

A passion, a love, a hobby...an expensive hobby my parents would tell me =) Photography was a love that I ventured through school for to follow as a career. Becoming a Professional Photographer, I have photographed people, places, babies, families and events (weddings, parties). Somewhere along the way I ended up on another path...Real Estate. And now, I have two passionate career fields, and why not use them both if I love them both!

I would be honored to capture some of your moments! And my dates are booking fast for Christmas, yay! So book soon =)

Christmas Promotion:

Time with Two

It is hard to believe it is November already! Where does the time go!?

This was a conversation that came up between Ryan and I last night once costumes were put away, kids were in bed and a glass of wine was poured! We look at our life and so often "wish away" time, when it goes way to fast in the first place. For us its the milestones in our children's lives that we can't wait for to happen; when is she going to start talking, when will he be okay to leave moms side...but why do we look forward to these stages instead of embracing the current ones? It feels like just yesterday Sienna was a newborn and Kai was just beginning to talk. Actually, in all honesty, it feels like just yesterday that we found out we were pregnant for the first time! How the years have flown!

We had a mommy playgroup over on Saturday. We would love to meet more often but busy schedules have made it next to impossible...but we finally arranged it, moms, kids and for the first time...the men too! It was a loud house for a couple of hours, but it sure was fun! All the kids were in costumes, lots of food was being consumed, and there was a common themed question in the room..."when are you having another!?" This is a question that really is hard to answer and only the people involved know what answer is right for them~

It has been my experience with having two so close together that there are many pros and cons to this situation, and a good point on the above note of time flying by! You only get busier with two and those first few months with the newborn are EXHAUSTING! I remember wishing for her to at least be able to sit on her own, to hold her bottle, to crawl, to stand all in hopes of a slightly easier day with the both of them...how much easier would it be if I could sit her with Kai and they could play while I tried to get a few things done! I want those stages back! They are all so amazingly precious and now my little baby is nearly RUNNING as she tackles her brother on the ground. Maybe with more of an age separation you would have more time with the newborn while the other is in preschool? I am not sure, but I wouldn't have it any other way...

Although our household is chaotic, and although I wish at times that I could turn the time back and enjoy the moments again, our two kids have the most amazing bond and friendship. Kai watches out for Si, he calls her his "pretty girl" and is always making sure she has what she needs. It is magical. And Sienna, she would follow her big brother around day and night if she could. She holds this wonderment in her eyes, a sparkle that only shines for him.

Where does the time go!?

Kailen and Sienna are my constant reminder to "breathe." To take in the minutes and live each and every day to its fullest.

One of my favorite quotes:

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."- Unknown

As long as we have many moments that have taken our breath away, lasting memories and lots of love, I am okay that tomorrow is gone and today we are losing our breath again.

So mommies... when are you having another one?

xoxo

The kids and the cupcakes Kai "helped" me make!