Mom Central- An Exciting Opportunity!

As a parent, where do you turn when you are looking for answers? Like me, you probably turn to other parents! Those who have been there, done that and have the puked on t-shirt to prove it.

Living in the north, especially in remote communities where we have lived, it can be hard to find other parents to talk to. So I turned to the internet for information and support. I found it through my blog, as well as other web forums. The moms I met online were a valuable resource, and I still turn to them for advice and suggestions.

I have been asked to promote a website that has been running very successfully in the States, and is now coming to Canada! It is based on communication between moms. I firmly believe that the exchange of ideas from one mom to another is how most decisions are now made.

Want to purchase a new toy? Talk to other moms whose kids have put it through the wringer.
How do I baby proof my house? Talk to other parents and learn the tricks!
Can my household survive on our income? Talk to another family to hear some frugal advice.
I want to live a greener lifestyle, but how? Talk to moms who have already taken those first steps.

Mom Central is a one-stop online resource dedicated to providing busy moms with smart household and parenting solutions. With their move into Canada there are some very exciting opportunities for moms that I think many of you will want to sign up for!

Mom Central is looking for moms to sign up for their Testing Panel! This is where moms get to test out the latest and greatest products and services and have their voices heard by companies who care about their opinion. You will also find out about other opportunities from Mom Central including giveaways, surveys and research studies that help brands make important product decisions. If you are interested, please sign up here!

If you sign-up during the month of June, you will be eligible to win 1 of 5 Canon PowerShot cameras, along with many more giveaways in the near future.



Check them out: www.momcentral.com

Where does my day go??

Before I know it, it is evening again. Where did my day go?

If you can all believe this, I have started babysitting two kids three mornings a week. I am doing it out of pure selfishness though! I felt so bad for Hunter that I was sitting in the rocking chair so much with Cavan and the little gopher was getting bored. A friend of mind was looking for a sitter, so it is a win-win situation! Her children are both close in age to Hunter and they all play so well. The mornings with three toddlers in my house go so quickly, but I get an enormous amount of house work done while they play.

Cavan is going down for the night now between 9:30 and 10:30 and wakes up twice during the night. It is a great little schedule we have. The boys and I are all napping for two hours every afternoon which gives me energy to burn in the evenings. That nap allows me to not turn into a tired-grumpy-super-wench when my husband comes home from work.

The only time I am missing is sewing time. I have not touched a mitten since we came home with Cavan. Perhaps if I was able to break my evening internet addiction I could get started again... Aida, how do you have time to sew with the two kids?! I have some new patterns I want to try with the rest of the seal that I have. And I have an idea for a little seal purse I want to try. The wonderful Indigo has been inspiring me.

And an admission- Hunter now watches the Cars movies once a day most days. Yep. That is more than 20 minutes a day! He begs for it as soon as he wakes up in the morning, so that is usually when he watches it. At this rate he is going to burn through that dvd in no time- Tina you had better make us a back up!

And an accomplishment- today I did six loads of laundry and put away four of them! Yep. I did it! Matt usually does all of the laundry in the house, but I thought I would give him a break. I really dislike putting away laundry, so this is a pretty impressive day for me!

Countdown is now on- 5 and a half weeks until Matt starts parent leave!!

Excited for the Mail!

I am a mail-a-holic! I think anyone who lives in a remote community develops the same disease. In Faro, the mail arrives three times a week and I never miss a day. Yes, usually it is just a flyer or a bill, but once in a while something exciting arrives! Parcels and cards have been arriving for the new baby, but the one parcel I am anxiously awaiting will have two of these inside:



It is a Kidco Peapod! There is an inflatable bottom that can be put in, a sleeping bag, as well as UV protection and adjustable wind screens. It folds up nicely for travel.

I wanted one for Cavan so I can play outside with Hunter and the little guy will be protected from the sun and bugs. After some thought, we decided to order one for Hunter as well. We travel and camp a lot so Hunter will have his own little place to call his own no matter where we go. Much easier than lugging a bulky playpen around.

Another mom here in town has one and brought it out to a playground yesterday for her one year old daughter. I was giddy to see it for real instead of just on a website. It is even better than I imagined!

So I will be stalking the post office until it arrives!

Like my new header picture??

Then head on over here to vote for it!

So far a giant diaper inukshuk picture is in the lead. It is cute, so at least head over to check it and the other entries out!

Swim Lakes

This afternoon we did our longest quad trip with the two boys so far. It was 32km round trip on a really good road/trail. We went into an area called Swim Lakes. We stopped at the first lake, but there are more past it. Both boys did great on the quads as usual. We went with some other folks, and we were the only quads in the group! Everyone else had Polaris Rangers. They are nice, but not great for a family of four, plus I hate not having my own toy to drive.

Today we just drove out, had some lunch, visited and then headed back to town. It would be nice to head in there with an inflatable boat and electric motor (on my wish list) to do some fishing. Maybe next summer I will be able to do that.

Hunter amaaq'ing his squirrel:


He does not want to part with pup and squirrel at all:


Our neighbour, Dave, showed us the way to the lake. Hunter loves Dave and kept taking him for walks in the bush!


Here they are up a little trail on a hill:


Cavan of course slept the whole drive in and out. Once we arrived he requested booby, then promptly fell asleep there too!


Most of our group:


The Lake:


Hunter snacking on chocolate from another quadder:


Hunter fell asleep on the ride home. Matt had tied Hunter to himself on the trail. There were some rough sections where he needed both hands at times and wanted to make sure Hunter would stay on the quad. It worked well for nap time too! What a tired little gopher he was after that adventure.

The Family That Plays Together....

Stays Together.

I really believe in family time outdoors. Growing up we really did not have the money to take fancy vacations and my father had to work a lot to make ends meet. But we did spend a lot of time together camping. In the spring/summer/fall we were always packing up to head out camping to either fish or hunt. When I think of my childhood most of my favorite memories are from those times spent out in the bush.

My husband and I want the same for our kids. We would rather spend our time on the quads in the bush than almost anything else! Cavan is one month old and has already logged over 80km on the quad. Time outside with the kids recharges my batteries. Everyone comes home dirty and happy. I love it.

Tonight we went just outside of Faro to visit some friends camping. We had a little wiener roast and of course smores. Hunter discovered the joys of throwing rocks into water. Oh gosh, I think he could do this for hours! He would yell, "go, go" as he tossed the rock into the water and after the splash he would clap for himself. We had a wonderful evening!

Cavan and me relaxing at the fire:


Hunter trying to pick up rocks with gloves on:


Eying up the lake:


On Wednesday we had the perfect evening. Matt came home from work and we went for a walk around our part of town. Then we came home, scarfed some supper, and headed out for a quad ride. We were out on the quads for an hour and a half and enjoyed every minute of it.

Bear print on the quad trail:


Me and my boys taking a break on the trail:


Hunter on the trail:


Mr. Impatient! Go Go Go!

Help

Hey, how do I change my wording up top so it isn't so farked up? And is there a way to centre my photo??

One Month!

Cavan is one month old today! He is over 11lbs and is quite a pleasant little gopher to have around, so I guess we will keep him. :)

We spent a lot of time together rocking in the chair. Hunter joins us to read blogs, read books, show Cavan his cars, and give us lots of kisses:


He likes goofing around with the rest of the boys:


Most of the time he is very mellow and content to just check out the world:


This bouncy chair is a wonderful gadget! I get a lot done while he sits in it.


But don't worry, he is keeping me from sleeping too! Here he is making sure his lungs work!

Misc. Pictures

Hunter has started collecting rocks. These ones had to come inside to be hauled around in the dump truck.


It is nice to be able to amaaq Hunter again! Pup had to be crammed in there too.


Hunter crawling around at the town bbq.


Dad and boy:

Hunter fixes the baby

This is hilarious!

New Northern Mama Giveaways!

Head over to Northern Mama's blog for some fantastic giveaways.

Check out the paper crafts from Gregg's Goodies she has featured as well as Whitehorse crafter Vanessa of Lotus Paperie.

Lots to see and win!

Low in the Energy Department!

Right after I had Cavan I lost a lot of blood. The nurses did a hemoglobin check on me, but I guess it wasn't too bad then because they let me leave. Matt said it might take a while after the blood loss for it to show up on the finger prick test. It must have taken quite the turn after that. For the first week I was almost unable to walk up a flight of stairs. My legs would shake and I would be completely out of breath. But after my folks left I was feeling pretty good and had a decent amount of energy as long as I got my nap every afternoon.

Just this week one of the nurses and a neighbour (who used to practice as a midwife) noted that I looked a little pale. So on Friday I went in to have my hemoglobin checked and it came out low. The normal range for a woman is between 120 and 160 (I have no clue what these numbers really mean!). Mine came out at 87. So I really wonder what it was when I could barely walk up stairs!

So the wonderful neighbour picked up some herbal treatment that gives me iron, a bunch of B vitamins and some other goodies. It tastes like crap, but I am taking it twice a day now and next week I will get tested to see what my hemoglobin levels are at.

I am excited to see what my energy levels are like once I get back to normal! I think I am going to be superwoman!!

Hunter and his Pup!

When Matt's folks came to visit us in Kugluktuk, they brought along this little dog for Hunter. He has really taken to it, and now it travels with us everywhere. Here he is taking it for a walk around the block in his wagon. Although, he cannot decide if the pup should be in the wagon or with him! So cute.

Because I want chocolate...

My friend said if I told the world how great she was she would send me chocolate.

DEISS IS GREAT!

Here is Deiss the Wondergirl flailing around some sticks when she came to visit me when I lived in the NT. This is from 5 years ago I think.

Awesome Blog! Check it out!

A friend that we knew from our time in Kugluktuk (sadly she left soon after we arrived!) has a really neat blog. Not only does she write about her experiences in the Arctic with her family, but she also does these nifty giveaways! She writes about different products then there is either a giveaway or discount. I have been reading her blog for a while and finally found some time to write about it here!

So if you haven't already, go on over and check out Northern Mama and enter some of the giveaways! It is really fun and the prizes are great. I am hoping to win this one about Ecousable Water Bottles!


I will be blogging about other giveaways she is having so you don't miss out!

Adorable!

Today Hunter wanted Cavan to join him on the sofa. He has been very insistent lately that Cavan sit with him. What a wonderful big brother.

Go Canucks!!

A wee Canucks fan!


Sorry your team sucks-ass Auntie Deiss!!

Grandparents Visit

My parents arrived in Faro the same day we returned from Whitehorse and stayed for six days. Here are a few pictures from their visit.

Grandpa Hunter holding his newest grandson:


Grandma Hunter showing Hunter the finer points of bread making:


Grandpa having some assistance installing our new dishwasher:

Crane and Sheep Viewing Festival!

This weekend Faro will be hosting the 6th Annual Crane and Sheep Festival!

For more information go here and here.

If you aren't already planning on attending this year, make it a priority for next year. The weekend is jam packed with impressive speakers, guided hikes/ nature walks, wild game bbq, workshops, and more!

It is a very family oriented weekend, so bring the whole crew!

Pictures from the last week

The boy relaxing with a dish of goldfish in my new chair:


Proud dad:


Look up... way up.... The cranes have been flying over. We have seen thousands of them.


Chilling in his bouncy chair:


My beautiful new living room!


Rocking with my boys and the pup-pup:


Pissy face:


Thanks for the outfit Carole!!

I can do it!

I have been scared shit-less of Matt heading back to work and me staying home with two kids. But two days in, and so far all is well! My saving grace is that Hunter is still napping in the afternoon. I have been tossing Hunter and Cavan in bed with me for a two hour nap each day. Wonderful!

Hunter has been a big helper around the house! Yesterday I told him that one of Cavan's barf blankets was dirty so he ran down the hallway, opened the washing machine door, stuck it in, and then turned it on!!! What a cute kid. He has had a few more tantrums lately, but they are mainly when Matt is home and he wants attention from him. I have even found time during the day to keep the floors clean, do a bit of laundry and stay on top of the dishes. And tonight I even made seven dozen chocolate chip cookies!!

In the evenings Matt and Hunter play outside while I do supper, then we have all been going for walks together. The weather has been amazing, it has been hitting the teens everyday.

Today was our first day back to playgroup in over a month. My first outing with the kids on my own! I put both kids on the quad with me and we headed down. Taking the quad with the kids is so much easier than strapping them into car seats in the truck. Cavan rode in front on me in the snugglie while Hunter sat on the seat on back. I am so glad I got that seat attachment!! I just need to drill some holes and make some rope handles for Hunter to hold on to. Hunter had a wonderful time running around the gym with the other kids, and of course he didn't want to get off of the quad when we got home.

I hope the rest of the week is as positive as the last two days have been!

Does it get any better than this??

Life is good. Here are the pictures to prove it:

Gearing up for the first ride of the new quads!! Matt soon decided he disliked the kid carrier for quad use, so the boy will do the usual thing of ride on the gas tank.


No chance I was being left at home for this! Cavan took part as well and logged his first 18km by quad.


Sleepy after a booby break:


Matt and the boy:


Hunter even rode with our friend Bonnie and her dog:


After our morning quad ride, we went to visit friends that live in a cabin out of town. Here is Hunter's best buddy, Quillian:


Then after supper we went for a walk in our +20 weather. Here is Cavan in the bunting bag I bought from a talented woman in Cape Dorset! I love it.


Riding in the wagon with his pup-pup:


He decided to tow his own wagon around!!


So seriously, does life get any better than this??