I know it's been forever since I have been on here... to read... and to write...
So many things have been happening in our lives... I will give you the cliff notes version...
The summer was great with camping every other weekend... We travelled an hour to go to Yogi Bear Resort and tented it... Met lots of new friends and had lots of fun... We won second place for tent decorating on Christmas weekend... First place on Halloween weekend... and received a token for free camping on the last weekend of the summer... by the end of the summer- we had enough of the tent- and decided to buy a pop-up!! We are really looking forward to using it lots next summer...
Right now I am writing from a hotel room in Moncton, NB (about 5 hours from home.) Cecile is in the hospital just getting out of surgery of a kidney biopsy... All went well- right now she just feels yucky...
Mia turned 14 two weeks ago (September 10)- She is excited cause in NB it means she can get a job--- We won't let her do that- but she is excited about it anyways... What we have allowed is for her to spend time with a friend of ours who owns her own business... Mia is "working" at a Dog grooming shop right in town- She absolutely LOVES it... and so far has been ok working without getting paid...
The twins are turning 12 on January 31st... We are planning to take them to Disney for their birthdays--- shhhhhhh--- they don't know that yet...
Celia is so smart--- she surprises everyone when they ask her how school is going and she tells them that she doesnt go to school--- She starts kindergarten next year... for dance, she has moved into the age 7-9 group- I still have to post the video of her solo dance from last year... (note to self- do it already!!)
Lucy is completely wonderful... She is almost 11 months (the 25th)- took her first steps right before she turned 10 months and has been walking ever since... she is a cuddly bug- and just so busy... It can be completely frustrating at times with her cause when I get home from work- all she wants me to do is take her and hold her--- if I even attempt to sit down- or put her down- she screams like I am hurting her... This time with her and Celia alone has been awesome... Loving really getting the chance to take care of them... As I said Lucy is always on the go--- it's been cute to see her up at the hospital... when we first get there- I put her down at the door to Cecile's room and she toddles over- climbs on the bed and just cuddles for 30 minutes or more... She really misses her Maman...
Me-- I am doing ok--- Working hard-- enjoying my job for the most part... I have achieved lots at Day and Ross and really look forward to the growth of the company... I am excited to play my part and see where it takes me... Right now I am working in a department that most never get the chance to work in... I was accepted for a promotion over many other applicants... I am now working with people that have been with the company for 5 or more years... and I did it in 6 months...
Well-- that's about it for now...
Friday, September 19, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Merci beaucoup ma Tante Chrissi!!!
We picked up your box today!!! What a treasure chest of cuteness!!! Props for the boots!!! Looks like most will fit... Maybe the one little pj may be small- but oh so cute!! Lucy LOVES her bug!! She studied it and played for a good half hour or so... Thanks again!!!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Camping out!!- a favorite nightime passion!!
The kids love to "camp-out" in the kitchen under the table together. We let them do this every other week or so. Sometimes the all climb in together- Sometimes it's just one or two.The other thing they love to use are the rocking chairs, the baby's swing and even the dogs cage.
I am glad that simple things make my kids happy. They never ask for much and really just want to have fun!!
The Penny Sale
Coming home from Edmunston, we crossed into the states for gas in one of the border towns. There was a sign in the window advertising a penny sale for the Lions club ob February 3, from 1pm -3pm. I thought that was kind of fun and cute for a small town.
February 3rd, the day of the penny sale, we gathered the kids pennys and brought them across figuring we would be able to let them buy little trinkets for a couple of penny's or so... You know, like a little yard sale. Boy were we wrong.
We arrived at the Lion's club about 15 minutes before the sale began. Figuring we would be able to browse through some of the items before the yard sale actually began... Well, we arrive and there are about 50 people in this large room... There are tables of JUNK- literally, junk- lined up. The ideas was to buy these tickets and place them into containers to win them like a lottery.
So, we get 4 sheets of 50 tickets for $1.00... these are for the junk tables... Then the better items were on another table- those tickets were 1 sheet of 25 tickets for a dollar... I put all my tickets into the gift certificate tables... Cecile and Celia walked around, placed tickets in all kinds of containers- trying to avoid the dirtiest of the items. (Celia really wanted to win pillows- however, the pillows smelled like cat pee -ewwwww!!)
After all the tickets were depositted, we sat among the natives... The started on the far table and drew tickets one by one. The whole process took over 2 hours.
What did we win you may ask?? Definately not the pillows!!! Terry won a suitcase that was actually really nice. Celia won the picture above, which is now on our back porch. There were numerous baskets that included spiderwebs and dirt. Lots of bags of hair elastics and barrettes. A large scarf like belt. the grand prize for our family- a learn to tie knots kit!!
It was fun- good memories. We won't ever return!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Happy 11th Birthday Mindy and Terry!!
Mindy and Terry turned 11 on January 31st!!! We celebrated the night before by having a shaving cream fight after dinner.
It didn't start as a shaving cream fight... We decided to teach the kids to shave... So, we blew up balloons, had them draw a face on the balloon, then added shaving cream... Even Celia learned to shave...
The fun of the game was for the balloon to pop while they were doing it. Unfortunately for us, they didn't, even with Celia's side-to-side technique, it just didn't work.
So, plan B- Cecile and I grabbed pins and went next to the twins and popped their balloons... The spray of shaving cream was so cool... It then escalated to grabbing the two cans of shaving cream and spraying each other... What a great birthday memory for them!!
Horse Drawn Sleigh ride
Feeding the horses... ********************This is a picture of
Terry in the front, **********************Mindy sitting up front
Celia in front of the**********************with the horses... The
horses, and Mindy **********************funniest part was
on the opposite side** *******************when the horse
in black hat. ****************************relieved itself!!
We went with a group of our friends on a horse-drawn sleigh ride through the woods. It was a great time to spend together. In this video the kids are feeding the horses.
There was also a large bon-fire to keep us warm. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Drank hot chocolate. And really enjoyec each others company.
Doing the Chicken Dance
Terry is our family clown. He is so funny and really loves to laugh and smile.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Through the years..
Thanks Becky!! This was fun to remember everything.
20 years ago I... I was 9 years old. I lived with my bio-mom in NH. We lived in a small town where to call anyone in town, you only dialed the last 4 numbers. The third and fourth grade shared a classroom on the top floor of a small school house. My teacher was the principal. What did I learn that year- well, I remember reading Mr. Henshaw. And being the new kid in class, I chose to sit with the girl that didn't have as many friends, which automatically put me on the outside.
10 years ago I... was 19 years old. I took my second semester off of college. Moved back to Mass from Utah. After being home for 8 months, I moved back with my parents. I was still working at the movie theater in Natick. I didn't have a car and mom has always stood her ground that I would need to ride my bike to work. So, I don't know how many times I actually rode all the way to Natick before I quit my job. It was more than 2 times for sure. It was about a 45 minute car ride. I biked it in 1 hour 30 minutes. I still remember that ride and I know that I enjoyed it, but my butt hurt. In September, I left for my first semester as a trandfer student to the University of Massachusetts.
5 years ago I was... just graduating from Becker College in Worcester. And moving to Canada to be with my family. I was creating my daughter Celia during the second half of the year. What a blessing. We spent lots of time getting to know eachother better and travelling as much as possible before the new baby came.
1 year ago I... pregnant with Lucy. At this particular time, I was going through morning sickness and had a bout of gastroenteritus on top of that... It was awful. We spent this last fall renovating our home and the rest of the winter doing additional renovations.
So far this year I... got a new job. Cecile and I are really enjoying our new roles and hope for continued happiness. We are planning a trip south to visit my parents in Boston at sometime in the summer or early fall.
Tomorrow I... will get up, get everyone ready for church. The kids have Sunday school and then we will visit with the neighbors. She recently had surgery and our kids miss seeing their little ones as they have been with g-ma. We may also take a trip south to visit with a church member. She is 98 years old, and had her first major heart surgery. She was expected to come home but as things are now, those plans have changed.
In the next year I shall... do what I can to become debt free. This time between now and June, every dollar I earn is not budgetted. So, every dollar I earn is going straight to debt repayment.
Secondly, this time next year, we will be trying for one more little angel. We really are blessed!!
20 years ago I... I was 9 years old. I lived with my bio-mom in NH. We lived in a small town where to call anyone in town, you only dialed the last 4 numbers. The third and fourth grade shared a classroom on the top floor of a small school house. My teacher was the principal. What did I learn that year- well, I remember reading Mr. Henshaw. And being the new kid in class, I chose to sit with the girl that didn't have as many friends, which automatically put me on the outside.
10 years ago I... was 19 years old. I took my second semester off of college. Moved back to Mass from Utah. After being home for 8 months, I moved back with my parents. I was still working at the movie theater in Natick. I didn't have a car and mom has always stood her ground that I would need to ride my bike to work. So, I don't know how many times I actually rode all the way to Natick before I quit my job. It was more than 2 times for sure. It was about a 45 minute car ride. I biked it in 1 hour 30 minutes. I still remember that ride and I know that I enjoyed it, but my butt hurt. In September, I left for my first semester as a trandfer student to the University of Massachusetts.
5 years ago I was... just graduating from Becker College in Worcester. And moving to Canada to be with my family. I was creating my daughter Celia during the second half of the year. What a blessing. We spent lots of time getting to know eachother better and travelling as much as possible before the new baby came.
1 year ago I... pregnant with Lucy. At this particular time, I was going through morning sickness and had a bout of gastroenteritus on top of that... It was awful. We spent this last fall renovating our home and the rest of the winter doing additional renovations.
So far this year I... got a new job. Cecile and I are really enjoying our new roles and hope for continued happiness. We are planning a trip south to visit my parents in Boston at sometime in the summer or early fall.
Tomorrow I... will get up, get everyone ready for church. The kids have Sunday school and then we will visit with the neighbors. She recently had surgery and our kids miss seeing their little ones as they have been with g-ma. We may also take a trip south to visit with a church member. She is 98 years old, and had her first major heart surgery. She was expected to come home but as things are now, those plans have changed.
In the next year I shall... do what I can to become debt free. This time between now and June, every dollar I earn is not budgetted. So, every dollar I earn is going straight to debt repayment.
Secondly, this time next year, we will be trying for one more little angel. We really are blessed!!
TIme is precious!!
Hey Everyone!! Sorry it's been awhile.
Three weeks ago, I took the leap into the workforce. It was a very emotional experience for me. Everyday I would debate between work and staying home with my little ones. But deep down, I know that working is the right place for me.
It's been five years since I have worked. When I moved to Canada, I wasn't able to get a work permit because I was viewed as a temporary resident. Every year I have to renew my pass to have another 364 days of guaranteed time with my family. When that year comes up, it's a stressful time as I need to gather evidence of good citizenship. There is always the chance that I can be deported from Canada. Just before Lucy was born, I received my approval to become a permanent resident. With that comes the right to work in Canada.
So, I spent a lot of time at the career center here in town. I took resumé building courses, interview courses, and employment courses. The one course that I was unable to take was a french course, and without being able to speak french, it really limits my opportunities in this area. Everyone is bilingual...
I am a true believer in "Everything happens for a reason!" and I know that this job landed in my lap. I work in a customer service call center for a leading transport company, Day and Ross, inc. It started as a small company in a town about hour south from here. In the last 3 years, it has had consistent amazing growth. The company chose Grand Falls for the placement of the call center because of the true-bilingualism of this area. This is just a guesstimation but, of the 75 employees there are 7 that speak only English. And to get an English-only position is very competitive. I am very lucky.
So my typical day begins at 6:30 when Celia wakes up and comes to climb into bed. Around 7:00-8:00 Lucy wakes up and I will go get her and bring her to bed to feed her. We spend time together in the living room playing with toys on the floor-most days. And then around 10, I get ready for work... I eat lunch around 11 and then head out the door for work at 11:30. This schedule is so perfect for our family. Right now I am still in training, so the shifts are only 6 hours. I am home every day by 6:15. It's just in time to eat dinner with the kids and to feed the baby.
This was a very hard decision. I spent the first 8 work days in tears. I really didn't want to leave home. And especially leave Lucy while she is still young. But she has adjusted perfectly and all the time that I have at home is for my kids.
I have enjoyed playing catch-up reading everyone else's blogs. Thank you for being so faithful. ~L
Three weeks ago, I took the leap into the workforce. It was a very emotional experience for me. Everyday I would debate between work and staying home with my little ones. But deep down, I know that working is the right place for me.
It's been five years since I have worked. When I moved to Canada, I wasn't able to get a work permit because I was viewed as a temporary resident. Every year I have to renew my pass to have another 364 days of guaranteed time with my family. When that year comes up, it's a stressful time as I need to gather evidence of good citizenship. There is always the chance that I can be deported from Canada. Just before Lucy was born, I received my approval to become a permanent resident. With that comes the right to work in Canada.
So, I spent a lot of time at the career center here in town. I took resumé building courses, interview courses, and employment courses. The one course that I was unable to take was a french course, and without being able to speak french, it really limits my opportunities in this area. Everyone is bilingual...
I am a true believer in "Everything happens for a reason!" and I know that this job landed in my lap. I work in a customer service call center for a leading transport company, Day and Ross, inc. It started as a small company in a town about hour south from here. In the last 3 years, it has had consistent amazing growth. The company chose Grand Falls for the placement of the call center because of the true-bilingualism of this area. This is just a guesstimation but, of the 75 employees there are 7 that speak only English. And to get an English-only position is very competitive. I am very lucky.
So my typical day begins at 6:30 when Celia wakes up and comes to climb into bed. Around 7:00-8:00 Lucy wakes up and I will go get her and bring her to bed to feed her. We spend time together in the living room playing with toys on the floor-most days. And then around 10, I get ready for work... I eat lunch around 11 and then head out the door for work at 11:30. This schedule is so perfect for our family. Right now I am still in training, so the shifts are only 6 hours. I am home every day by 6:15. It's just in time to eat dinner with the kids and to feed the baby.
This was a very hard decision. I spent the first 8 work days in tears. I really didn't want to leave home. And especially leave Lucy while she is still young. But she has adjusted perfectly and all the time that I have at home is for my kids.
I have enjoyed playing catch-up reading everyone else's blogs. Thank you for being so faithful. ~L
Monday, February 11, 2008
Can you really spend money by driving 45 minutes away??
Truth is- we do... You can't go for just a few things... and we wouldn't have been in Madawaska if it weren't for the appt in Edmunston... But when we cross, we spend close to $300 including gas... That feeds us for 2 weeks... If we were to shop here, it costs us about $450 for 2 weeks to get as close to the same as you can... There are so many differences in what you can get that it is ridiculous...
Milk $6 CDN per gallon $3.50 US
Chicken $8-9 CDN $3-4 US
Turkey $40CDN $20 US
Gas 1.10/litre CDN 89/litre US (It adds up quick)
Postage Stamp $0.56 CDN $0.38(?) US (We send most of our mail through the states)
Cereal- Abig box of lucky Charms- $7.50/box CDN only 3.50 US
Ice Cream- $7.00/box- the standard cube... 3.50 US
As you can see- we save quite a bit of money per item... When you add it all together- we save a lot.
Things you can't get in Canada- at least where we are!!
American cheese- you can get others and for sandwiches they sell Cheddar slices.
Lots of the kids snacks...
many different kinds of cereal.
As many of you know- you can really get anything in the states... Here they only carry what sells most often...
It hasn't always been cheaper to travel for groceries. When I first came to NB, the CDN dollar was worth about $0.50 per US dollar.... But today- using a credit card for the actual bank rate- we sometimes get 2-3 cents on the dollar... And in our case we use a card that when you use it, you earn money back... (For mom- we carry a low balance month to month)
So, we travel 45 minutes there- and then 45 minutes back... Spend about 2-3 hours walking around Super Walmart- usually through the goods department... then the groceries. We get lunch which is another place we save tons of money...
KFC- feeding 6 costs us around $45 CDN... In the states about $20...
McD- feeding 6 costs us around $35 CDN... In the states about $20... (there isn't a dollar menu in Canada)
The other thing that is HUGE that save us money- is in the states we save the tax... Tax here is 13%... Not on things like bread, meats, pasta, basics. But on cookies, diapers, marshmallows, nuts, lots of things are taxed in Canada.
When we get to the border, we need to declare our purchases... Genreally any groceries are fine- some limits are 1 Turkey per person... 20 lbs chicken per person... 20 lbs beek per person... 20 lbs pork per person... etc. Restrictions include potatoes, citrus, and some dog/cat foods.
For taxable goods (trash bags, laundry detergent, pet food, etc) we are allowed $22+ per person... minus the driver... So for us with 7 in the car- we are allowed to import $120 in taxable goods... For anything over that amount we pay 13%...
Things we don't save money on- orange juice, some cheeses, sometimes peanut butter....
What I find the most interesting is that the cost of living in NB is lower than that of Maine- but the groceries are SOOOO expensive... It's always been the one thing that I have complained about. We are very lucky to have a dependable car to help us save money on groceries!!
*** Sorry this is so scattered- working on 3 hours of sleep... and a fussy baby- I am blessed!!***
Milk $6 CDN per gallon $3.50 US
Chicken $8-9 CDN $3-4 US
Turkey $40CDN $20 US
Gas 1.10/litre CDN 89/litre US (It adds up quick)
Postage Stamp $0.56 CDN $0.38(?) US (We send most of our mail through the states)
Cereal- Abig box of lucky Charms- $7.50/box CDN only 3.50 US
Ice Cream- $7.00/box- the standard cube... 3.50 US
As you can see- we save quite a bit of money per item... When you add it all together- we save a lot.
Things you can't get in Canada- at least where we are!!
American cheese- you can get others and for sandwiches they sell Cheddar slices.
Lots of the kids snacks...
many different kinds of cereal.
As many of you know- you can really get anything in the states... Here they only carry what sells most often...
It hasn't always been cheaper to travel for groceries. When I first came to NB, the CDN dollar was worth about $0.50 per US dollar.... But today- using a credit card for the actual bank rate- we sometimes get 2-3 cents on the dollar... And in our case we use a card that when you use it, you earn money back... (For mom- we carry a low balance month to month)
So, we travel 45 minutes there- and then 45 minutes back... Spend about 2-3 hours walking around Super Walmart- usually through the goods department... then the groceries. We get lunch which is another place we save tons of money...
KFC- feeding 6 costs us around $45 CDN... In the states about $20...
McD- feeding 6 costs us around $35 CDN... In the states about $20... (there isn't a dollar menu in Canada)
The other thing that is HUGE that save us money- is in the states we save the tax... Tax here is 13%... Not on things like bread, meats, pasta, basics. But on cookies, diapers, marshmallows, nuts, lots of things are taxed in Canada.
When we get to the border, we need to declare our purchases... Genreally any groceries are fine- some limits are 1 Turkey per person... 20 lbs chicken per person... 20 lbs beek per person... 20 lbs pork per person... etc. Restrictions include potatoes, citrus, and some dog/cat foods.
For taxable goods (trash bags, laundry detergent, pet food, etc) we are allowed $22+ per person... minus the driver... So for us with 7 in the car- we are allowed to import $120 in taxable goods... For anything over that amount we pay 13%...
Things we don't save money on- orange juice, some cheeses, sometimes peanut butter....
What I find the most interesting is that the cost of living in NB is lower than that of Maine- but the groceries are SOOOO expensive... It's always been the one thing that I have complained about. We are very lucky to have a dependable car to help us save money on groceries!!
*** Sorry this is so scattered- working on 3 hours of sleep... and a fussy baby- I am blessed!!***
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