Oh tis the season to over indulge

Oh Christmas, the time of year when we eat way too much and dread jumping on the scale after new year to face the music. We had a extra special treat last night and went for the all you can eat buffet at the local chinese place. Ugh, I was in agony on the way back to the house last night from the overstuffing that took place. Oh well it's a good thing that the season only comes once a year that's for sure.

let it snow!

This year it seems as though there is never any snow, usually we get a little by now but everytime it has snowed it has rained or warmed up right after and melted away. We are away on a mini vacation for new years and it snowed today. I was thinking ahead and packed the kids snow suits and sleds and they were excited to break those out today. We all had a great time out in the snow sleding, shoveling and just generally horseing around. What a great day, now it's evening and the snow has turned to rain so I'm guessing the snow will be gone or iced up in the morning but we made the most of it today for sure.

Christmas gifts

This year for Christmas my wife bought me a new cell phone, we were sick of our contract phones and we wanted to go with a pay as you go phone finally after washing my phone in the washer and the phone company not wanting to repair or replace it unless I extended my contract for another 2 years we got the last laugh on them when we dropped our service. I surprised my wife by also getting her a new phone so we were able to both get away from the evil contract company and be on our own.

A trip to the movies

On boxing day this year we were looking for something to do as a family outing and we decided to take in a movie at the local cinema. Our choice of the day was the new release of Alvin and the chipmunks, I was sceptical of what the movie would be like, if it would interest the kids etc. I was completely surprised as this movie was a laugh fest from the opening moments to the final credits, it truly interested everyone of us from me and my wife down through the kids 11, 7, 5, and 3. I worked for all of us and was probably one of the best movie's we have ever gone to as a family.

The family enjoyment

Well as a family we were really good this year as for a family gift we got a Nintendo Wii, WOW. I had no idea how much fun this thing would be, for me getting into my thirties the thrill of video games had faded out a long time ago but let me tell you this machine is absolutely incredible. The games feel like you are really doing them, baseball, boxing, golf, bowling and the best of all Dance Dance Revolution. This game has been a hit with everyone and we were even able to get the grandparents to play. I remember being a kid there was no hope to having Mom or Dad play a video game with me but with the interactive fun of the Wii they couldn't help themselves, what a fun time.

Christmas with the kids

Well this was our first year spent at our home instead of travelling, usually we will pack up everything and head out Christmas eve or rush through Christmas morning to make it in time for breakfast or lunch. This year we enjoyed a nice quite Christmas eve at home with a nice little supper and a movie to wind down before bed. We got up Christmas morning and were able to leisurly go through our morning with no real agenda but to just spend time together. We really enjoyed the day and got to spend time together as a family which we usually don't have time to do with work, school and activities. I really enjoyed our time together as a family and I believe everyone else did to. It was a little hard being 5 hours from family now but I think we had a really great family bonding time.

Bathroom renovation

Here is another fun reno project we recently completed, we bought a new bathroom vanity for our bathroom for $89 and the wall paper was

$3.00 and the flooring was given to us from my mother in law. Total cost to this room renovation about 120.00 after we bought some new pipe parts for the sink. I think we did a great job and I'm really happy with the end results.

Christmas story books!

I came accross a great site yesterday called www.northpole.com for the kids, we found a really cool feature on the site where you can actually create 1 of 3 Christmas stories personalized with your childs name and personal information like favorite activities, foods, friends etc and then print the story out on your computer. The kids found this was really cool and I had to create 1 for each of them. It was a fun project for the morning that's for sure with glue, and stapler in hand we each got the job done. Surprising enough one would think this would be an expensive venture but you know what all it cost is your paper, your ink, your glue, your staples and a little time ...all in all I would say it was well worth it.

Only 2 days Left?

Can you believe it? Only 2 days left until Christmas really not even that as I type this it is the evening of the 23rd and the kids are starting to get ready for bed so really once they are gone off it is 1 more sleep left. We are almost all done getting ready for the big day but I still have to load the kids mp3 players they are getting from their nana with some of their favorite songs. That should be interesting, I read the instruction manual and it didn't seem to bad but until it's actually done I guess we don't know. Wish me luck...Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Well I said we were going shopping this morning to finish up our Christmas shopping...mission completed...it took all day instead of just the morning but we are done. It is terrible we all leave our shopping to the last minute isn't it. The stores we were in today had every checkout open and lined right up. At least we didn't run into any grinches which I thought we would everyone was very polite as they bumped into you, stole your parking space in the lot or ran over you with their shopping cart. I heard lot's of excuse me and I'm sorry instead of the expected hummph, sighs etc. It was very pleasant, I'm glad at this point the town hasn't lost it's Christmas cheer...let's hope it stays that way knocking on my desk right now!

Only 5 Days Left!

I must be a big kid, here I am awake at 5:30 in the morning tossing back and forth with visions of Christmas morning in my head. I gave up trying to get back to sleep around 6:15 so I figured I might as well get a start on what will be a busy day. This is my last day off work before Christmas so we need to get the kiddies off to school and we need to be out the door to the mall for our last chance shopping. I really can't wait for Christmas morning with the kids, this is the first year we are actually going to stay in our home instead of travelling to stay with family, we will be going to visit for new year. We have had some really good fortune come our way the past little while and have been able to get some super surprises for the kids, I have no doubt they are going to be blown away with the generosity and luck that has been blessed onto our home this year.

The Retail Buzz!

Working in retail it's always interesting to see what the hottest item will be for the Christmas selling season. It's very hard to see the disappointment on parents faces when they realize they may not get the gift their kids are really wanting. I usually do whatever I can to locate items from other stores in the chain I work for and get them shipped if possible to make our customers happy. The hottest and hardest item to find this year is without a doubt the Nintendo Wii, these things sell immeadietly upon arrival and you will be lucky to get one for sure. In a few months of course they will be easier to get but that doesn't work well for the kids that are really wanting one for Christmas morning.

The Little Sneaker!

We caught him red handed finally, we noticed all our treats were disappearing and couldn't figure out where they were going, we found the little bandit eating away one day in his brother's room. He sure is smart leave the evidence in someone else's bed so they will be suspected. He's getting so bad now if we aren't checking up on him constantly he is in the cupboards hiding treats in the pockets and sneaking them away to other rooms to eat them later. Sorry buddy you are busted!

6 day countdown!

It is hard to believe there is only 6 days left until Christmas, with our move this year has just competley flown by. Tommorrow is my last day off work until after Christmas so we will be frantic to finish up all our shopping. The big catch it's also the kids last day of school tommorrow so they are finished at 12 instead of 2:30 so the pressure will be on to get everything we can wrapped up in a few hours...oh yeah and I'm sure we'll have to fit lunch in somewhere along the way too.

5 Tips to show you love!

When you are leaving the house kiss your spouse as if you may never see them again.

Hug loved ones like they are the most important person in your life

Touch can have such an incredible impact in communicating your love and should never be underestimated.

Look people in the eye when you speak to them it's hard to turn their ears off if their eyes are on.

Don't be afraid to say I love you first, someday one of you won't be here and if it's you, you'll regret not saying it every chance you had.

Don't be afraid to forgive things, if you hold a grudge for every little thing you don't agree with you'll spend the rest of your life carrying an elephant.

Author: Unknown

The countdown is coming down, only 12 shopping days until Christmas...working in the retail environment during this time of year can be very fun but it also takes a toll on you. The pace really picks up during this time of year and the demands push you harder than you have been pushed all year. Combining that with the increased demands of the personal life this time of year it can become an exhausting adventure. I find as the years go buy I am learning how to better balance my work time and my home time although there are still those moments that I can become unfocused. I am lucky to have a supportive wife and family that can forgive my off moments, usually a gentle reminder is all it takes for me to snap back to reality and get back to enjoying what this season is all about...the family fun. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

There's only 2 weeks left (14 days) until the jolly ol' elf makes his visit to all the little ones have you been naughty or nice this year? I hope your Christmas wishes come true, through this hectic 2 weeks I'll be trying very hard to drop by and leave new highlites every day.
Merry Christmas everyone!

Man vs. Woman

I found this life lesson going through my emails and I thought I'd pass it on .

HOW TO TREAT A WOMAN

Wine her.
Dine her.
Call her.
Hold her.
Surprise her.
Compliment her.
Smile at her.
Listen to her.
Laugh with her.
Cry with her.
Romance her.
Encourage her.
Believe in her.
Pray with her.
Pray for her.
Cuddle with her.
Shop with her.
Give her jewelry.
Buy her flowers.
Hold her hand.
Write love letters to her.
Go to the ends of the earth and back again for her.

HOW TO TREAT A MAN

Show up naked.
Bring chicken wings.
Don't block the TV.

My Perspective on these.

I must be a really simple man (duh!)LOL>

1: That would be enough to get my attention\
2: Greasy Chicken wings I don't think that would be my first choice, try strawberries and whipped cream.. maybe chocolate
3: TV? If that things on I don't see much happening turn it off.

I recently recieved this awesome Christmas award from (Carrie "My Christmas Elf") her blog is always full of Christmas cheer. She must know I really love snow globes, this is a great pick me up...

I'll pass this onto you if you are visiting my blog and are decorated for Christmas leave a comment and I'll come by to check out your blog.

Happiness Is?

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married,
have a baby,
then another.

Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough
and we'll be more content when they are.
After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with.
We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage.
We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car,
when we are able to go on a nice vacation or when we retire.
The truth is there's no better time to be happy than right now.
If not now, when?
Your life will always be filled with challenges.
It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway.
Happiness is the way.
So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more
because you shared it with someone special,
special enough to spend your time with.....
And remember that time waits for no one.
So, stop waiting Until your car or home is paid off.
Until you get a new car or home. Until your kids leave the house.
Until you go back to school. Until you finish school. Until you lose 10 lbs. Until you gain 10 lbs. Until you get married.
Until you get a divorce.
Until you have kids.
Until you retire.
Until summer..
Until spring.
Until winter.
Until fall.
Until you die.

There is no better time than right now to be happy.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
So work like you don't need money,
love like you've never been hurt,
and dance like no one's watching.
If you want to brighten someone's day,
pass this on to someone special.

I just did!

I am going to be happy today---
want to join me?