Wordless Wednesday-Blast From the Past

Ummm can we skip the next two months????

My calendar is seriously overflowing. I am totally overwhelmed and am wondering what the heck I singed up for and how we are going to manage.
Corey is in little league baseball but it would appear that he is going to be the next Babe Ruth by the amount of practices and games that are scheduled. Matthew is in mini soccer and that is also two nights a week.
Thank goodness Boys and Girls clubs had their wind-ups tonight or I'm not sure how we would do it.
So right now this is the family schedule
Monday-soccer
Tuesday-baseball game
Wednesday-soccer and baseball practice we are also supposed to have small group
Thursday-baseball game
Friday-so far so good :)
Saturday-baseball practice and of course any sessions or weddings I have booked
Sunday-family day hopefully. I really want to try and keep Sundays open for just us

Okay so as I write this down it doesn't seem to look as bad, but it sure feels like it. I guess the thing is this is only two kids in two sports. I cannot imagine how some parent's have their kids in everything and all sorts of activities. Where do they find the time?

I do think it is very important for kids to be involved and active in sports and other activities they enjoy so I suppose we make the sacrifice for two months and hope that in the end they have a good time and good memories :)

Home

We went to a new church today. We have been "trying" some new Church's to find a place where we all fit. With family of 6 this is not the easiest task however I know it can be done.

As we were sitting at the new church and the kids had gone off to Sunday school the pastor mentioned something I know I totally take for granted. As much as I whine and complain about our city and province and long for something more exotic or intriguing we are extremely lucky. When you look around the world at all the natural disasters occurring it is very rare that we would ever experience such horror. We see the pictures on the news and web and hear the stories but really have no clue and likely never will.

I thank God that we live in such a monotonous city and fair climate where this type of devastation will more than likely never be an issue.

I guess the moral of the story is to be thankful and don't take things for granted. A reminder I often need.



This is a photo I took out in the Whiteshell last year in September and it is another reminder of how lucky we are.

Spring has certainly sprung

I cannot believe the Spring we have been having. I don't remember such a wonderfully warm yet dry spring. People have been out and about enjoying this summer like weather. The sprinkers have been on and I've even been tempted to bring out the pool for the kids.
We had a wonderful bar-b-que for Jayson's birthday with some good friends and family and it couldn't have been a nicer Sunday.
Baseball has started for Corey and the kids cannot get enough of being out in the sun.
If the weather continues like this we'll have a scorcher of a summer, however we are owed it from the misery of last summer.
Wedding season has begun and work is busy. I'm finding it really difficult juggling it all this time round. Matthew and Jordyn are so much busier and need to be entertained and of course nap for shorter periods of time so I'm stuck doing work later in the evening when everyone is in bed. I know it will all work itself out but I think I need to find a new groove.

And just for fun here is a recent pic of my little Jordyn that I just thought was too cute not to share.

Wordless Wednesday

Sling Safety

I cannot even begin to describe how frustrated I am by the recent media activity regarding sling and babywearing safety. So much of what is being reported is simply not accurate and only accurate when referring to specific baby carriers that really should have never been available in the first place.
I'm sure a lot of parents have been seeing these articles articles and have been scared and turned off of babywearing.
I am here to tell you that there are TONS of perfectly safe baby carriers that are widely available and affordable.
We as parents have a responsibility whenever we are using anything related to our children's health and safety. We need to understand that just because items are sold in stores does not mean they are safe and fool proof. We need to take responsibility as adults and parents to make sure our babies are safe. When using any baby product we have to make sure we are using them correctly. It seems most recalls on baby items are due to people misusing them. i.e. the bumbo seat specifically says to not use it on a raised surface. However people plop their babies on top of the counter in the bumbo and sure enough Bumbo falls! Like seriously what do people expect?!?!? Bathtub ring. DO NOT LEAVE BABY UNATTENDED IN BATHTUB RING. You guessed it, baby drowned and now those are outlawed.
Granted some of the carriers on the market should never have been as they are quite obviously unsafe. Any amount of common sense should prevail in most situations. If a newborns face is squished so that they cannot breathe that is unsafe and baby should be positioned so that the airways are accessible.
Babywearing is a learned skill and babies expect to be carried. Babywearing has been around far longer than most of us and North America is really just way behind in this "trend".
So for all the fear mongering that has been surrounding babywearing please don't paint all babywearing with the same brush. Get reputable, safe carriers and learn how to use them. Also recognize that lots of carriers can be used for the life of your baby however, different carries apply to different ages and stages. i.e. you are not going to cradle carry a one year old nor are you going to back carry your 3 month old. I have three different styles and have used them all at different stages and for different situations.
Here are some great links for safe babywearing and retailers.
the babywearer
babywearing international
parenting by nature

My baby is 2

Two years ago our littlest girl entered the world. I can't believe how much time has passed and how much she has grown.
I am happy to say she now finally sleeps through the night (most nights). Walks, runs, jumps and is starting to say some words. Her first word was about a month ago and we are proud to say it was "bum". Pronounced BUMMMMMMMMMM. Other words that are coming along are, "all done", "more" (which she also signs), She also signs for milk. Granted most two year olds are talking way more than her we are certainly not worried.
Jordyn was by far my hardest baby with colic that seemed to last forever, a lactose intolerance that was likely the cause of her colic, not sleeping through the night for what seemed like forever, and being an unexpected surprise on top of it all :D

However, with all that being said she is the sweetest little thing anyone could hope for and we are all happy to have a wonderful little girl in our lives.

Happy Birthday to my little peanut and princess Jordyn!