Planning for Home Security

When we moved to our neighborhood a couple of years ago it seemed so safe and quite but over the last couple of years it seems like the crime rates keep rising and there is a lot of vandalism and break-ins know with people looking for money for drugs. With me working now it is more important than ever for us to look into home alarms. With me working it means that some nights both my husband and I are away from home in the evening. Luckily our oldest is old enough to watch the kids for the few hours each week that we are both out but at the same time we would feel so much better having a home security system to keep them safe and also just to have when we are away for a weekend or on vacation. With the popularity of these systems growing it is really bring the price down so it is affordable peace of mind to have, for us it will even lower our home insurance premiums so it almost pays for itself with the savings.

Time for a Getaway

It is that time of year again when we all are out getting ready to travel. For us this year we are trying harder to find more economical options for our Family Vacation. With the current econmic crisis it has hit us just like everyone else and with prices seemingly going up on everything we decided it would make more scence to try and budget our vacation a little smarter and stay closer to home. We want to still have a lot of activities and fun planned for us and the kids but just do it a little smarter. With our youngest finally getting started in school this fall we feel the kids are also old enough to allow us to start planning for Romantic Getaways with just the two of us. We would love to take a weekend trip through Vermont and see all the scenery and spend time enjoying the different sites and scenes that are available for us. We have never been down to these areas so we started to look at rates and availability of different Vermont Hotels. We have heard it is really beautiful to drive through different areas in the fall and to see all the trees turning. It will be great to get away for a few days without the kids, that hasn't happened in forever.

Blue Monday: Pool Days

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I thought we had a great pool until I went to my friends house and saw theirs, they have a beautiful deck all around the pool so they can sit and relax while the kids play in the pool. We have decided we will be building a deck around our pool next year so we can have an area to set up the bbq and a patio table. The kids had a great time floating around the pool and I had a great time being able to watch them while working on my tan.

Time to go fetch!

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With the new puppy coming next week, we can't wait, we really wanted to spend more time with our Breigh. We shared lots of pictures from our visit to see Riley on last weeks camera critters which you can see below. This morning we took her out in the back yard and worked on fetch. This is great because it allowed us to re-enforce her "SIT", "STAY" and "COME" commands and allowed us to add in "Fetch". She had a blast playing with her new rope toy and I got a kick out of her big floppy ears flying like "DUMBO'S" while she ran. I love her so much and sure hope she gets along with her brother. We really deliberated on this pup but it was a full brother to Breigh and it is the last batch of pups their mother will be having so when the opportunity came for us to get one we figured we should take it. We are counting down the days for him to be all ready to go. I am hoping Hubby can get the day off on Friday so we can get down a day earlier.


Look at those ears flapping



Standing Tall


Tired out

Sit and Stay

Don't Lose Hope

My husband is approaching his mid 30's and he is also starting to feel the aggravation of reality setting in. He has always looked at his father and worried about his Hair Loss over the years. We wondered at what point would he start to follow along in his foot steps. Determined not to have to go through the embarrassing process of losing his hair we decided it would be best to begin searching for a Hair loss treatment he could use to prevent the thinning and loss of hair. With some research we were able to find a website dedicated to providing information to people about hair restoration and preventative treatments. The site gives a lot of information on hair loss and discussions of both surgical and non-surgical options that can be used to control the unfortunate pattern of Male hair loss. The site provides many options to help you starting with finding the right doctor in your area to consult with on your concerns. It also provides information from patients to give you their feelings of success from their treatment program. Hair loss is simply a matter of fact in life for many people but with the many advancements over the last number of years you don't necessarily have to suffer through it anymore. There are many options available to stop hair loss and even improve your situation in many cases.

Sky Watch Friday

My husband recently went of a field trip with my daughter's class to the heritage settlement in Iona. This was the view of water and surroundings, they had a great day hanging out on the bus and learning about the history of the early settlers of Cape Breton Island.

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Accidental accident

I recently borrowed my husbands truck to pick up the kids at school and while I was sitting there in my moment of peace and tranquility the jeep in front of me backed up and bumped the truck. The driver just drove away and I didn't even get a plate # it all happened so fast. I got out and checked over the front of the truck and didn't notice any damage so I figured no harm, I wouldn't worry about it too much. The next day my husband decided to wash the truck and asked me what happened to the hood of the truck. I had to tell the truth and admit to the collision. A dent and some paint chips where in the hood which I didn't notice in all the dirt. It was then off to the bodyshop to find out about repairs. Finding a good repair shop is easy with the Collision Repair Expert website you can find a reliable and fair body repair shop in your area to take care of whatever repair you find yourself in need of. We got the truck fixed quickly and it looks as good as new.

Scenic Sunday: Down on Grandpa's Farm

This is my first visit to the Scenic Sunday Scene, we were visiting the kids Grandparents last weekend and took these shots in their back yard. They live in the country and there are many fields and trees around to make a peaceful and quite setting, that is until we arrive.

Camera Critters : Here's Riley

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We took a trip to check out the new batch of baby puppies and give the kids their surprise Grading Gift....a new puppy to join the family!

I think Blake was pretty impressed with the new batch he wasn't long picking them all up for some attention.

I don't think Breigh was all that impressed, here we tried to introduce her to Riley, her little brother whom will be joining us here in a few weeks once he is given the ok to leave Mom.

Kohl loved spending time with Riley, he's pretty happy here



Riley spending some quality time with Mom(Belle)

It's hard work to have 8 babies all at once

Here I am getting some cuddle time with Riley, it's important to get that bonding time in early!

Having a good sleep with his siblings!

Here Riley made his way outside to roam around the yard, posing in the food dish!


Breigh decided she better make nice, I think the puppies made her nervous about being replaced


Breigh posing pretty for the camera before getting ready to head back home


The 2 were ganging up on me



Here's our boy, all white underneath, all black on top.




We had to say goodbye for now but we will be going back in a few weeks to bring Riley home for good.

Entertaining Card Games

Friday nights are about to get a little more exciting around here. We enjoy having card nights on Friday Nights and normally we gather around the kitchen table with the snacks ready and enjoy playing card games. It depends on whose around as to what game we end up playing. Sometimes it's just us and the kids which makes for a bit more kiddie night although our oldest is starting to get into playing poker too. We have made a bunch of changes to our house in the last little while and it allowed us to make a "family room" to entertain and hang out in. It is so much more enjoyable to gather into the nice cozy family room with warm carpet on the feet and comfortable chairs. It also has the whole entertainment centre set up to complete the fun. We can sit an play at the Poker Table while the kids have fun with the Wii or a DVD. Now what we have to play on is not really what we wanted to have for our room but we got it at a yard sale. There isn't many places to by nice card tables around here so we turned to online shopping to find a website that sold quality a Card Table The buy poker tables online website offers free shipping on most orders and prides itself on taking all precautions to ensure new tables are shipped to arrive in perfect condition. It does take a little longer to ship a table, 4-6 weeks but it would be worth the extra time to ensure a perfect table. A really cool feature I found on the website was links to tips on how to play your favorite games so you can improve your game on your new Poker Tables. Poker is one of the most popular games right now and a great table will do a lot to make a great impression on your guests.

Can you spot Waldo?

The boys had a great time playing in the back yard at Grandpa's house, they have a hay field. The boys went sneaking into the field and dissapered, I eventulally found them hiding in the bush. They really did a great job I could bearely see them, I thought these cool pictures would be great for us to look back on and show the boys getting along and having fun.

Protected Renovation

When doing any construction or renovation project it's important to do your homework before you get started. Making improvements to our home can be very satisfying but it can go wrong and you need to be prepared for that possibility. When hiring a contractor you need to make sure that they are a licensed, bonded and insured. A contractor has to be licensed to work, it is illegal to hire a non-licensed contractor. Having a bonded contractor protects you if something goes wrong and the contractor disappears, you can collect against their bond. An insured contractor is important because if anything were to get damaged in the course of their work you can claim it against their home insurance. Finding a Scottsdale Flooring expert like the team at Edge hardwood flooring is as easy as going online. The team respects your home and treats every project as if it were in their own home.

Transformer Day

With the kids on summer vacation and Matt on a weeks holiday from work we are filling the day up with some fun activities. It was rainy and miserable Tuesday so we took the kids to the theatre for the afternoon. The kids have been very excited about getting to Transformers 2 so the boys went to see that one but us girls went to My Sisters Keeper and it was so sad. Transformers ended up being an hour longer than our movie so we snuck over to see the end of that one to. I think we got the better deal in the end. The kids really love going to the movies, and we really like to take them, it's fun for us too.

New Loan Options

I recently heard about a different type of loan called Auto Title Loans which allow you to borrow against the value of your vehicle as long as you own it. By contacting a Auto Title loan provider you can find out a lot of information to see if you are eligible for their services. Once you apply for your Auto title loan you can find out in as little as one hour and have your money. You can take a term of up to 36 months to repay your loan and the best part is you keep your car to use as you need. There are some points to know before you apply with Auto Title Loans Hayward, you need to have documentation to prove you own the vehicle (Pink Slip), registration, drivers license, social security card and most recent pay stub. Now as far as your vehicle you want to make sure you have an extra set of keys with remote entry if applicable. By visiting the website you can find out quickly if you would qualify for a Auto Title Loans Fresno. After your initial consultation you final loan amount will be determined by a inspection of your vehicle. This is a great option to people trying to get ahead and you can repay your loan at anytime with no penalty.

Happy Canada Day!

We have been working on the new cabinets in the kitchen and I joked to Carry today that perhaps we are supposed to be out in the yard building an Arc instead of in the kitchen building cabinets. 4 Days of rain only 3 more to go
Wet...Wet...Wet


I heard a saying in the Transformer movie yesterday,"Bring the Rain" I don't think they meant it this way.

Breigh not impressed one bit with all the rain

Kohl suffering from computer eyes, not much else to do, he at least had the shirt and tattoo's

Trin trying to amuse herself with some coloring

Jay showing the spirt

Blake always has the grin on when it's time to pose

It was raining but the kids have had enough and were getting in a swim

Kohl was having a great time even if he couldn't feel his legs

Jay was a chicken but finally made it back in

Blake got in his suit but as usually couldn't get the courage up to get in

A Girls Dream

Having 4 children I believe it is important to find special time for each and everyone of them. For me I only have one daughter to spend quality MOM/Daughter time and I love to make the most of it. She is at a stage where she loves to play with her dolls and is collecting many miniture figures to add to her doll house. As with any little girl she has been playing with dolls since she was able to crawl and loves every minute of it. We are now at a stage that she wants to upgrade her doll house to something bigger with more style to it so perhaps for Christmas we will make it happen for her. I have been shopping the great assortment of pieces available to add to her collection on special occasions. As it is currently summer I found a super assortment of beach and summer items to add to her collection. I found a beach ball, garden hose and outdoor beach toys just to name a few items. Now my daughter is a bit of a snack junkie so she is conviced she needs some of the cool dollhouse food items that are available. You can select from boxes of strawberries and oranges to something a bit more fun the cheeseburger and fries plate. The site offers a secure along the paper bag and we will have to go from their. 236They offer a secure shopping environement and have a generouse return policy that will allow you to return any item for a period of 30 days from the date of purchase providing you have the recieght and have the item shipped back. The collection of dollhouse accessories can be saved and played with it all the time or use it to play with in your home.

Once you have placed your order you can expect to see your shipment shipped within 3 days.

Water Fight Fun

With one nice day while we were away on the weekend we couldn't fight the urge to break out the water hose and water guns. The kids had a blast soaking each other down and occasionally hitting a parent/adult that wandered into the line of fire.

Jay, Kohl, Blake and cousins Connor and Lannie getting soaked,

notice Trin is no where to be seen, she was hiding inside.

Kohl taking aim on his next target

Blake taking matters into his own hands with the hose and sprayer, watch out guys

Baby Wishes

I love babies, if I could have 20 of them I'm sure I would but I have had my 4 children and now turn my love of babies unto other peoples babies. I always loved getting personalized baby gifts for my babies, it was a great memory maker that I could save and pack away for the kids baby boxes. I always think of creating these type of memories anytime I am looking for a baby shower or birthday gift. It is so much fun spreading love to these beautiful little people with so much potential. There is a website dedicated to everything you can imagine for babies, take the time to visit at babynest.com.

Traveling home for a visit

We decided to travel home for a weekend visit, it's about a 5 hour drive and can be difficult at times. The kids must have been a bit tired this trip and the drive for the most part was quiet. They watched a couple of movies on the Van's DVD Player, August Rush which was a fantastic story that I would recommend to everyone. It's a story about a young boy that was seperated from his mother at birth and his journey to bring the family back together through his music. The story a bit far fetched maybe but it was an awesome story.

Grading Day Treats

On grading day as part of the kids gifts was a little bag of treats. Matt takes the kids over to the store around the corner some evenings while I am at work and buys them some penny candies. He found these pre-bagged gummy candies at work one day and brought them home for their Grading day treat. The kids were excited to see these as normally they only get about 10 pieces of candy from the store and these bags must have had 100 or more in it. They were on a sugar high for a couple of days.

Jay came home late as he was away at a friends, I'm not sure what this pose is but I got a laugh out of it.

Here's our sugar baby, she is always on the hunt for sugar

Looks like Kohl had too much candy already, two missing teeth

Blake didn't go to school this year but how could you leave this face out?

You can do it

Education doesn't have to be a hold up to your life anymore. It used to be that you would have a hard time to work a career around your education but now with a fully accredited online university you can get the education you have always wanted while maintaining your current career and family commitments. You don't have to try to juggle your classes around anything else, you complete the work at your convienence. An online degree from Cappella University is a way to move to the next level in your education. Take time to visit their website at Capella.edu to get more information about their programs and how they can help you on your quest for higher education.

This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com.

Improving Self Image

Appearance is such an important part of acceptance in today's society. The push to have your body fit into a certain body image that is portrayed can be overpowering. There are many different reasons why people will chose to have Cosmetic Surgery performed. For some it is reconstructive to recover from an accident or health crisis, for others it is simply to improve their appearance to boost self esteam. Most people consider having some sort of surgury at some point in their life. Typically the most common proceedures would be liposuction and breast augmentation. When searching for a cosmetic surgeon it is important to be sure you have someone with experience and has a good reputation in performing similar proceedures to what you are wanting. If that means travelling to find the best available you should consider the options to achieve the best results possible. The team at MYA Cosmetic Surgery has offered a hand picked team of experts from all around the world. Make Yourself Amazing prides itself providing affordable proceedures with flexible financing options available to their clients. Cosmetic improvement proceedures have become a very acceptable form of self improvement in recent times and have allowed many people feel more comfortable about themselves on a daily basis.

Blue Monday : Glow bowling

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On the weekend we went Glo Bowling, it would be the first time we went bowling in a couple of years and Grandma wanted to take the kids while we were visiting. It was cool to have the disco ball and music going while everything had the Blue Glow to it. We played the adults vs. the kids and the kids were lucky enough to get the bumpers up and they beat us, I think the way we played we needed the bumpers, but everyone had a great time.

Here I am giving it a go, the floors were a bit sticky but the kids found some powder along the side to loosen things up a bit.


Grandma giving Kohl some tips on his form

Blake tossing it for all he was worth.

Family Vacation Plans

Where would you travel to for a vacation with your family if you had the choice. If your family loves the beach and would love to enjoy time in an all inclusive beach resort you should check out the family vacation options available from the Karisma Hotels Chain. They offer a variety of vacation destinations along the Riveria Maya in Mexico. These beaches feature beautiful white sand beaches with all kinds of activities to entertain your family. Fine dining is available to keep your bellies full and happy. They also offer Adult only accomadation in some of their resorts so you can spend a romantic vacation away with that special someone and leave the kiddies at home

Making space to entertain

With our transformation of our bedroom into a Family room almost complete we have begun to look for furniture to finish off the look and functionability of the room. The main purpose of this room is to give the kids a place to hang out with their friends now that we are starting to hit the "teenage" years we would much rather have the kids here than wondering the streets or at whomever's house. We would also like to create a spot to entertain when Family or friends come over to visit. We truly want to make this room a multi-purpose room with all kinds of space. I went shopping online last night at work thinking it would be cool to have a Poker Table that could also be used for dining and with just a little searching I was able to find just the table, its a combination of a dining table and a Card Table with storage space for us to keep our chips, cards and everything else that we need for our games nights. The table we are looking at is made of solid black finish with Cherry accents that match perfectly with the other furniture we are using in the games room. The buy poker tables online website offers free shipping and significant discounts on all their tables, the one we are looking at is discounted 28% off the normal sale price and overall all tables are listed at 30 - 65% off the suggested list price from the manufactures. They have a great assortment of poker tables that will match any decor you already have. Having a great place to entertain will be a lot of fun and it is just as important to have the space you need to make it all happen. Take a few minutes to take a look through all the different choices there are out their and the great savings to take advantage off, shopping online can save you money.