***CHRISTMAS SHOPPING...

Here we are only a week into the new year and I have already bought 2 Christmas gifts for my little nieces ("ring around the Rosie dolls") I will still probably get them a pair of pyjamas to go with it but it's start. After all the last minute shopping for 2007 I said I would never put myself our our bank account in that situation again. 2 gifts down with many many more to go!

***GOING BACK TO WORK ~ OR NOT...

...that is something I have been trying to figure our lately. Would it be worth it or just add to much confusion to the family. I have done it before but I only had 2 children at the time and none of the kids were involved in sports. How would I go about working around my husbands demanding job without putting my kids in childcare. Is it really worth all the fuss at this point or should I wait a couple of years until my baby is in school? GRRR I hate making decisions!

Tonneau Cover

My husband has always wanted to have a truck but with having a large family it was out of the question when we bought our van 2 years ago but with our busy lives we are in need of a second vehicle, so maybe it's tie he gets his truck. There are so many truck accessories out there to choose from and through BuyAutoTruckAccessories.com you are sure to find the accessories you want whether it's bed liners, taillight guards or chrome accessories, you will find many to choose from. You will also find a variety of tonneau coversto choose from at the lowest prices. They offer a huge selection of tonneau covers from a soft tonneau cover, hard covers, Tri-Fold covers and many more with the most popular names like Lund and Torza.
These are all things my husband will have to consider when looking to buy the truck that is right for him.

***WINTER ACTIVITIES...

How does your family spend the winter months? Do you get outside and take part in the winter activities such as skating, sliding, skiing, ect...or do you stay inside to escape the winter weather?

I remember as a child spending most of my time outside. We were fortunate enough to live close by to a hill for sliding which was right beside a pond for skating. I find my kids seem to hang out inside but I think that's more my fault then theirs. They love to go skating and sliding and just building snow forts for that matter but how in the heck can I manage 4 kids on a busy hill sliding let alone 4 kids on skates when 2 are just learning to skate. I have to get them out to do more activities and stop looking for excuses not to take them places. Yes it inconvenient but to see them having fun would be well worth it. I have to learn to face the fact that kids do and will get hurt from time to time ~even mine~

***MIRACLES !

What do you think of when you here the word "miracle"? For me after hearing about my husband's cousin's battle with cancer and her chances of survival being very small, it was so great to receive a Christmas letter from her parents saying that she had beaten the cancer and after being told she would never be able to have children, I am happy to say that after being married in October they are expecting a baby in May. So yes to me that isn't just one miracle but 2. She beat the 10% chance of surviving the cancer and will be blessed with a baby in the spring! That is something I will never forget...Miracles do happen!

Small Business Credit Card

When you are looking for a credit card where do you turn to? I tend to stay away from credit cards as much as possible but there are some things you just need to use it whether it's for emergencies or running a small business. CreditCardSearchEngine.com is a website that will help you compare, decide and apply for a credit card that is right for you. There are so many to choose from and with running a business you will find many Small Business Credit Card where you can earn rewards with cash back and many of these cards offer competitive interest rates.

***NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION....

So 2007 has come and gone and now here we are in 2008! This is going to be a great year and I'm sure most of us have made our New Year Resolutions....Can we stick to it this year or will it be forgotten before the end of the month arrives. I don't know about you but I am more than determined to stick to it this year. A lot depends on it when it comes to our debt. We are starting to get in over our heads with bills but if all goes well we will have quite a few bills taken care of this year. One of the reasons I know we will stick to this is that we have been wanting to take the kids to Orlando Florida for some great family time vacation and something the kids will remember as they get older. We are all excited about the talk of finally going but it's up to us to make it happen. So that is our family resolution. My personal resolution for 2008 is to once again lose a few pounds. I don't have a lot to lose but to get back to my comfort zone I need to lose 5-10 pounds but it's not going to be easy . I will let you know of my progress and hopefully this will keep me motivated to get the weight off.

What is you New Year Resolution and will you see it through to the end!

SHOWER CURTAIN LINERS

I am one to spend my time shopping online rather than heading out to the mall so I do spend quite a bit of time browsing through many different sites and this one particular site I had the chance to browse through did catch my attention at cozyhomewares.com. This website right now only offers aprons, shower curtains and shower curtain liners but I have been looking for a good shower curtain liner and have yet to find one. Cozyhomewares has a shower curtain liner that i am interested in and the price is great and this site offers free shipping!

***MILD WEATHER...

After a cold spell the weather has turned mild and should stay that way for the rest of the week. It's a little disappointing for the kids because they were looking forward to going to the big sliding hill but just today alone we have lost a lot of snow, so I don't know what Thursday will bring for sliding. The kids are now home from school and I am STILL working on getting this house organized (if it's at all possible). It's times like this that I miss my cute little mini home back in Quispamsis. I could have my house cleaned from one end of the house to the other in one hour or less. Here I am lucky to get one level of the house done by lunch time GRRRR! Wish me luck I am about to tackle my husbands workshop and coat room. This could be interesting!

I haven't forgotten about my fellow blogging buddies and I am hopping to get some more blog hoppin' done soon. Bare with me some more please!

USED CARS

We have been trying to make do with having only one vehicle but now that I am starting to consider going back to work part time and with the kids getting older and getting involved with more sports it is hard to juggle all the runing around with out a second vehicle. I feel that it is time to start considering the option to purshase a used second car for the family. My question is where do you go to look for used and good priced vehicles? Do you buy from a private owner or go through a dealer?

There are so many things to consider when trying to find the right car and Buy Your Car> will help you find what you are looking for online. Buy Your Car offers a huge selection of Used Cars offered at the best prices by both used car dealerships and private sellers. Finding the right car has never been so easy. Just enter the make and model of the car you prefer along with other options to consider like price range, color and the location you would like to purchase from then just click on the search button and they will take care of the search.

One of the questions I'm sure most people ask when looking to buy used cars is how do I avoid getting scammed? Don't worry with Buy Your Car it offers great advice on how to avoid being scammed? What are you waiting for? Join me in the search for that great priced used car!

***A NEW LOOK TO THE FAMILY ROOM....

THE BIG TRANSFORMATION....

O.K. so my attempt to make the almost finished family look better than seeing insulation and plastic on the walls didn't turn out all that bad. We decided to just paint the plastic until we are ready to finish the walls properly. I know the color is awful but it didn't cost us anything. We had it in the basement so we thought we would use it up. We will consider a different color on the finished walls lol. The room does look more like a room and it will have to do for now. It does look a lot cleaner oh but that color...eeks, I will have to get over it :0)

Wholesale Calla Lillies

Whether you are looking to get flowers for an upcoming wedding, anniversary party or any other event, when it comes to getting flowers, FiftyFlowers.com makes it easy and affordable. I can remember back trying to make the arrangements for my own wedding and I couldn't get over the cost of the flowers and finding the right flowers wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I really could have used some help.

When it comes time for your big event, wedding etc...your flowers are delivered at a below wholesale cost and a minimum fuss with FiftyFlowers.com. If you are looking for wholesale calla lilies, peonies, premium roses, rose petals and many from the flower farms where they are cut fresh.

***NEW YEARS EVE....

How did you spend you New Years Eve this year? We spent the evening with family! The older two kids went to my sisters house with her 3 kids (our younger sister babysat) and the two younger boys stayed at the house with us and had a little party of their own in their bedroom eating lots of food and watching a movie before heading off to bed. They did sneak out a time or two to get in on some fun but then were off to bed.

So yeah, where was I? Right...the adults actually spent the night playing Wii. Us girls took over the Dance Dance Revolution then the guys had their fun bowling. If people weren't interested in those games we also had the playstation upstairs with guitar hero. Surprisingly everyone had a great time and the game systems were a hit. Who would have thought! Anyway here we are in the New Year I hope it is a good year for everyone.

I am on the white and blue mat above and my son getting a turn below. It was fun!

***THE WATERHORSE...

O.K. so we are back from watching "The Waterhorse" in theatre. What do I say about it?....well compared to Alvin and the Chipmunks it didn't seem to keep the kids entertained but it was a pretty good movie. Like my oldest son said it's hard to compare the two movies because they are so different but they all enjoyed Alvin and the Chipmunks much better than Waterhorse. My kids can watch most movies over and over again that's why we buy them when they are available on DVD but I don't think this one they would watch too many times. I guess that's all I can say about that The Waterhorse, but as for Alvin and the Chipmunks I would recommend that movie to everyone! It was entertaining from the beginning to the end :0)

MBA Online

The following blog post is based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com.

There are so many online programs to choose from and the mba online degree program at Capella University is one of them. Capella is an accredited, fully online University based in Minneapolis where a PhD student named superintendent, Teresa Chaulk is pursuing a doctorate in adult learning. On October 16, 2007, Teresa chaulk was named superintendent of Lincoln County School District Number One in Wyoming where she began her new role on July 1.

Teresa says she is honored by this opportunity and is looking forward to continuing to serve the teachers and students of that district. Close to 85 percent of Capella's students are pursuing master's or PhD degrees.

There are so many opportunities out there to help us succeed and online courses make it even easier. Take some time to look into your options and find the help you need to succeed.

***HOME IN TIME...

My oldest son Jay has just spent the last 2 nights at his best friends house. They have a great time together and his friends mother just loves having Jay there...she says it works out great for her because when Jay is there her 2 boys don't fight with each other and all 3 boys get along great together and no one gets left out. Well Jay is finally home and I will have to kick him to the shower to get cleaned and ready to go to the movie with us. Moving around a lot has been hard on Jay and he usually gets a good friend just before we have to move so the fact that he already has this great friendship in the first 6 months is nice to see and he is happy.

Jay on the end with the elf hat (look how happy he is!) and Matthew beside him in the green shirt...the boys just finished their last school Christmas concert before entering Junior High next year!

***OFF TO THE MOVIES...

We thought it would be nice to do another family movie day. The kids really look forward to this time and we try to catch a movie in theatre when budget allows... "The Waterhorse" is in theatre. This movie came out Christmas day but we didn't have enough time to see both "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and "The Waterhorse" before the Christmas break was over. Today is the day and the kids are getting excited to go. Thank God they all got Movie gift cards from family when we were home visiting. That will sure help out a lot! I will let you all know how the movie is when we get back!

Diabetic Supplies

The number of people with diabetes is increasing more and more and with this condition comes many different changes in life that my gather in law knows all to well about. Not only do he need to change his diet but there are many different diabetic supplies needed to help him control his diabetes.

Through AllegroMedical.com you can shop online for all your diabetic needs from insulin products, free style test strips, meters and test kits and the list goes on. This website is easy to shop, so whether you want to shop by brand, category or condition, you will find what you are looking for easily. Some of us unfortunately can't get out and around and medical supplies are important to our health conditions so take care of yourself and get the medical supplies you need today online.

***GOOD SATURDAY MORNING !

Here it is another morning and I had a hard time pulling myself out of bed. I have been getting the best sleep ever with the new memory foam mattress that we got from my mom and dad. After all the cleaning that I finally am getting done, sleep was sure needed last night. Tonight when hubby gets home from work I am hopping to make a big transformation to our unfinished garage/family room where the kids now spend most of their time. Gyproc (?) isn't in the budget right now to finish the walls and I am getting tired of looking at the plastic covered insulation. I'm sure I will think of something by this evening. I will post pictures when finished, this could be interesting or turn into a mess LOL we will wait and see!

I love it...just love it!

**ALL THE EXCITEMENT OF CHRISTMAS....

Oh where to start? So much happened over the Christmas holiday and I have pictures like you wouldn't believe...We got an early start on the gifts with the air hockey table being set up before bed on Christmas Eve, this gave the kids a chance to play before bed and one less thing we had to put together Christmas day. It was a hit and we all had a great time playing! Christmas morning we took our time and before opening the gifts the kids played more air hockey. The kids were happy with their gifts and especially their big surprises this year. Santa left the family a big package which we waited until after breakfast to open....oh the excitement of waiting...but it was well worth it! A Nintendo Wii and extra games and assessories...including Dance Dance Revolution!

Not having family around this year for Christmas was different but the day went by so fast playing games with the kids and just spending family time together. After Turkey dinner was finished and the dessert we settled in for another movie, which didn't last long because I remembered I had another surprise gift for them (I thought it would be nice to spread out a few special gifts..)The 3 older kids got a gameboy DS Light...they were so excited! This was something neither of them expected, along with the Wii, they had a great night playing games then finally headed off to bed :0) It was a great Christmas! Click here to see more Christmas pictures!

iPOD CASES

Now that my children are getting older the items on their Christmas list were a bit more advanced which is only a sign of the truth that they are in deed growing up. It's not just toys anymore but ipods were one of the main gifts for two of my children and yes they both got their ipods but it doesn't stop there, with these ipods comes many different accessories for them and an ipod case is a must! While I was looking into many different cases I cam across The InvisibleSHEILD which is a revolutionary ipod case that protects not just the ipod but also most cell phones, smartphones and also portable gaming consoles that I will also need to look into in the near future.

The InvisibleSHEILD can be found at sheildzone and don't worry if you can't find a case for your device because they will custom design one for you. The InvisibleSHEILD offers protection that other cases, covers or protectors can give and it is made from a unique material that was created for the military to protect the edges of helicopter blades. So whatever your device is from MP3 players, ipods, watches, laptops, digital cameras and more, protect it with The InvisibleSHEILD and you will go scratch free.

***CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS ARE COMING DOWN...

It is always hard just getting back from visiting and getting the kids back on routine and the decorations put away but before the decorations can come down I have to get the house cleaned up and the boxes dug out from the storage room. Although things are pretty busy I am making some progress and I did get outside earlier this morning with the kids...more snow so lots to shovel. I am so thankful for our neighbors who cleared out our driveway while we were away and he came over again this morning and cleaned us out again. It was a great help. I have a couple hours left to clean before heading out to get groceries. I will see how much progress I can make till then. I am SO looking forward to getting things back to normal! :0)

PRAGMA SYSTEMS

As time goes on there are always new and helpful and more secure solutions added to the world of technology and with SFTP and SSH Pragma Systems, this will provide a secure connectivity solution that will provide large enterprises with secure remote administration and business application protection. It is always good to know that as the world of technology changes we can trust the security of our global connection.

***TRYING TO GET A NEW TEMPLATE....

I am having trouble getting a new template...computer is working very slow today...must not have been use to such a long break and doesn't remember how to work LOL anyway bare with me here until I get something new up and going!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wow, what a week it has been! We just arrived back home an hour ago from visiting our family out of province. It was a great trip and we all had a great time and a Great New Year Party! The kids are just getting off to bed and I am heading there myself, I can't wait to curl up under the covers and enjoy our new memory foam mattress that my parents got us for Christmas.

I felt so bad not checking in on my blog but with all the craziness there just was no time. Tomorrow I will take the time to visit and get things back on track. I am looking forward to a great new year!

Chat with you all later :0)