What I learned on our family travels....

Apart from having oodles of fun and good times here's some of the things I learned along the way of our family travels;

• Not all highways will lead to where you want to go! They don't all connect. You really must figure out which highway takes you where you want to go. Just travelling endlessly hoping you get there doesn't really work. You end up taking the back roads the opposite direction!
• If you don't have enough toll money, talking to the camera and saying "we will pay by mail" will get you no where. Eventually it catches up and a .50c toll becomes a $15 toll. Could have been worse.... perhaps jail for not paying. Make sure you have change on you at all times on a toll road!!
• Looking for the perfect spot at the ski-chalet to sit and watch the kids at their ski lesson may end up taking all the time allotted for the lesson!! By the time you find the spot, drop down the pile the size of Everest coats, hats and gloves...the ski lesson is over. The kids are waving at you to come get them. You end up picking up the Everest sized coats, hats and gloves and sauntering off to get them.... aarrrrgh!
• Pay attention to the printed maps for direction. You are not sitting in the passenger seat for conversation!! Sometimes you must navigate.
• The dimming of lights in a strange house you rented on vacation may be due to timers and not a burglar. It may not be necessary to drive in bikinis to get a fellow renter and his softball team to tour the house...
• When all else fails, throw your hands in the air and circle them around like you just don't care and oh yes..... DANCE!!!

Meet old friends

There's something very nostalgic and rewarding when meeting old friends. They bring to life some of the best memories, spark up laughter and great conversation. Life gets busy, friends come and go. Your circle of friends tends to be those closest to your values and experiences. When some of these experiences change so do our friends. They don't stop being our friends, but they tend to be distant not sharing the same experiences and life surrounding as you. It's natural progression. When that does happen, do take the time out of your busy life to reconnect at some point. It may not be possible to be the same friend or even make it a habit of hanging out but do reconnect.

• Reconnecting with old friends brings out some great memories
• You re-live some moments you forgot
• It almost always brings out lots of laughter
• It re-charges your soul

Make time for those special "old" friends. They may even become your new friends again!

I love snow days...yes, even in April!

April 11th was declared a snow day....so much for Spring! Funny enough there wasn't a speck of snow, just a tad bit of rain that the weather stations called freezing rain.... hmm questionable.

I for one LOVED it!! What better way to hang out with family who otherwise gets caught up in the hustle and bustle of work and school. We all hung out in pjs ordered pizza and enjoyed what felt like a very long day!

Make the most of such freebies! It's easy to think about what we should be doing or worrying about how things will get done as the city is at a hiatus due to a few drops of rain. Here's how we made the most of it;

• We completed all 10 phases of phase 10! For those who have not played phase 10, it's a card game and you should give it a try. Usually we end up half way through as something comes up or someone just got tired of playing or has no hope of winning. I didn't win, regardless it was fun. Even more fun was listening to the kids laugh and giggle as they "skip" me countless times.
• Who needs to cook when you can call for pizza? We stayed in our pj's and continued card playing instead of worrying about lunch and made sure we ordered enough for leftovers for dinner.
• Convos with the kids - they were the best due to the lack of interruption.
• My daughter had her friend over and the two of them had a blast shooting a music video. I might add, that it was better than the original itself and yes, I am biased.
• My son eventually ventured out to drop off a resume at the golden arches. He also nailed a great interview.... bonus! It is truly rewarding seeing what you have tirelessly instilled come to life! He may or may not get the job but if it were up to me, I would have hired him on the spot....no biases here!

Enjoy your snow days. Let's hope we have more coming this Winter! Right now, I'm looking forward to Spring staying and of course the arrival of Summer!

I got out of my comfort zone thanks to Pampered Chef.

I don't cook! I don't know how, and I most certainly don't like doing it. Home Economics was mandatory in the high school I attended, and cooking was very much part of the curriculum. I would find some way to be sent out of the class when it was time to cook but made sure I returned to sample the goodies when they were ready :-) Cooking is not part of my genetic structure. That's my story and I'm sticking with it! After seeing a very delicious looking taco pie online I decided to try my fate in the kitchen with much encouragement from my family. Hmm, it was a process, just layering the crescent rolls! They stuck to my very oiled hands, I then sought out the help of flour to get it off but finally, finally they were laid somewhat mismatched in a circle as the recipe called for. I followed through with the rest of the instructions and ended up burning the bottom of the pie just a tad. Victory!! Any other time it would have been burning all of it. My family LOVED it, specially the kids!! So did my friends that tried a piece. It was even more rewarding when my daughter took it to school the next day for lunch. Thanks, Pampered Chef for getting me out of my comfort zone!

• Get out of your comfort zone occasionally - Not only will you feel like you achieved something, but you may actually enjoy doing it!
• Unless you are performing surgery, don't be afraid to make mistakes! They can usually be touched up and the worst is that you must start over.
• Try something new. It's refreshing when you do.
• If you have burned the bottom of the pie, you can always enjoy the top!

Time and tide wait for no man - Geoffrey Chaucer

When the kids were little I was gifted with a photo frame in the shape of a school house with slots to put in pictures as the kids went through their school years. It was cute, but I didn't realize the full value of it until recently. I just thought it would be another one of these gifts that would collect dust and get lost somewhere around the house. I remember inserting the 1st picture of both my son and daughter (they each have their own school house photo frame), when they were in Junior Kindergarten. There were 13 slots in each and I recall thinking that this may take forever to fill! How wrong I was. Each year we've been diligent to purchase the kids school pictures. We send one to Grandma, GD (Grand Dad sounds old!) and my sister, insert one of the photos into the school house photo frame and leave a rather large number of photos back in the envelope they came in. It's been a pleasure getting the photos and adding them into the frame. The other day when we received the kids pictures for this year, we did the same thing. I added my son's grade 10 picture and saw that there were only 2 slots left to fill!! It really didn't take that long at all. It's almost full! His school days are almost done. I still feel a twinge thinking of it. I must remember to treasure every moment and not be caught up in life's rat race. It's so important that we;

• Make the most of every day. Don't rush it! Don't wish it away! Cherish it as when it's gone it does not come back. That moment, that time is but temporary and deserves your fullest attention.
• Treasure the kids at any age. When they grow, we look back wishing they were younger or wondering what it would be when they are older. Treasure them now. At this moment. The moments in the past have come and gone and day dreaming about them only takes away from the "now". Who knows what tomorrow will be. Live now.
• Keep a record of important things. If you have not, then start a blog. I am doing just that!
• Slow down - a good wine is best when it's sipped not chugged. The same applies to life.
• Cherish little gifts. At the time given they may seem silly, but they may also bring you the biggest smile and the happiest memories.
• Time does fly so if you can slow it just a bit, do just that!

Be yourself!

Ever heard the saying "be yourself everyone else is taken"? How true it is. I have also seen a picture of several little yellow rubber ducks with a bright pink rubber duck in the middle and the saying "why fit in when you are born to stand out?". My daughter has this on her twitter account and I had to smile when I saw this. I had only been preaching this.... like forever... lol!

It's saddens me to see tweens and teens these days just trying to fit in. Trying to belong. Be part of a group. I do think it's important to have a sense of belonging and fit in, in general. It's human nature and it's being part of society. Let's face it though, not always will you fit in, nor should you. We are all different and may not belong to every group even though we may want to. It's then that you should look within yourself and celebrate the difference, the diversity and individuality. It's YOU! Be who you are and love it! We often tell our kids to make good friends. What we omit is to let them know to be themselves when making those friends. Don't change for anyone...unless it's for the better. No one likes hanging around mean and unkind people so if you are then, please change! Life is too short for nastiness :-)

• Be who you are and be proud of it
• Celebrate your diversity and you will have more to offer
• Difference is a beautiful thing. If everything was the same, it would be called booorrrinng!!
• Smile knowing that there is only 1 person like you.... YOU!