I miss you my friends – the next time I come back, I’m bringing my family with me.
I want to show Chloe where I left my heart.
March Break
Well, March break is almost over and we survived it – wished my leg didn’t hurt so bad when we were up in Halifax though – that suck big time and to think that I didn’t think of taking some muscle relaxant was really stupid of me. I think it was probably trying to accommodate everyone, from PB, Chloe and my g/f who went with us that took a toil on me. But Chloe had a good time although I wished I had more time with her, the next time we go up to the city, it has to be only 3 of us and no one else – so that I don’t have to try and please everyone or worry about PB being bored or anything of that sort. Don’t get me wrong, we loved to have our g/f with us but I just worry too much about everyone and trying to make everyone feel comfy that I had forgotten about myself, so yes, the next time, it has to be only us 3.
To The City To Help A Friend
We are heading up to the city to help a friend pick up some of her stuff from storage and had to cancel our BBQ that was planned because Chloe’s Godma Lynn was going to be in town. But the way I see it, helping a friend is more important than a BBQ – plus Lynn would also understand. Anyhow, this is Digby and the weekend is starting to look really good, the drive is thus good, we had taken gravel before we stopped to eat in Digby and this is a restaurant in Digby. We will stay in the city for 2 nights and 3 days and then head back home before movie day.
I hope no one would be in the position that my girlfriend is currently in now – living out of a suitcase with nowhere to call her home. I still cannot believed that her ex – can be so cruel as to leave her alone. He is in for a huge surprise if he doesn’t do right by her soon.
Summer Camp Is Almost Over
Summer camp will closed even earlier this year – in fact in another 4 days. Why ! oh Why!! my poor chloe is going to be so bored. She loved to do outdoorsy stuff during the summer and even though she is only there for a few hours and we have to pay full price – we feel it is worth it because it gets her outside and she learns to get along with other kids.
This year for summer camp, we have less complains – she seems to be enjoying herself more and seems to be getting along well with others except for 2 little girls who loved to boss Chloe around.
Chloe has grown taller this summer and put on some weight as you can see here – she had only gotten sick once this summer – and she continues to thrive but still misses her grammie and speaks of her often.
An Awesome Vacation
This vacation that we took to Moncton was a great bonding time for Chloe and us. We wanted to make sure that the vacation was about her – and we did try to make most stuff about her. Chloe had a great time swimming, playing games at Crystal Palace and going to Build-a Bear and build herself a new bear plus we bought lots of clothing for her from The Children’s Place in Moncton. I’m glad that PB was doing his best to make our vacation a good one. But I came back with a cold – darn!
To Magnetic Hill Zoo
We headed to the Magnetic Hill Zoo after having breakfast at the hotel with the extended family. But alas, we should have dress lightly – it was way too hot but we did managed to walk a good part of the zoo with Chloe.
Like any zoo – there were lots of animals – and chloe wasn’t too fascinated by them to be honest.
Some goats for petting but Chloe didn’t wanna pet them.
Believing In Santa
Christmas is finally over and as usual – I have a very happy kid – and every year on Christmas morning – I see more and more difference in Chloe – she has definitely grown but she didn’t lose her innocence at all. Why? while her friends keep tell her that there is no Santa – Chloe strongly believes that there is one. And I’m happy about it – I certainly don’t want her to be growing up so quickly and not believed in fairy tales and tooth fairies and the magic of Christmas. Some kids in Chloe’s school are all so grown up and so persistent in telling Chloe that there isn’t a Santa Claus – I feel bad for these kids for some are even younger than Chloe. Kids should have a bit of magic in their life as long as they can – don’t you think?
Frugal Family Travel Tips
In these tumultuous economic times, vacations seem like a luxury that many families can’t afford. But going on vacation doesn’t have to mean blowing the family budget. In fact, taking some time off to be together can be really good for everyone. The following are some vacation money-saving tips that will help you to have a great time while still economizing.
Source: http://frugalfamilytips.com/tag/traveling/
Set a Budget
The first and foremost step is to set a clear budget and stick to it. Rather than be vague about what expenses will be, figure out how much money you can afford to spend total. Then sit down and write out a list of what you’ll be spending money on. Set a food budget, activity budget, gifts (if necessary).
This way you’ll see what the actual monetary outlay is likely to be, and figure out ways you can save on the trip. It will also show you just what you need to make over your ordinary day to day expenses to afford the trip at whatever style level you choose.
Though it would be ideal to spend only cash on a trip, credit cards provide an added level of protection and security. You might even want to incorporate use of a travel oriented credit card such as the Aeroplan Plus Gold Card into your trip. This type of card offers all sorts of travel perks and advantages like sky miles, breakdown assistance, and various travel related types of insurance, so using them is actually a good idea when taking a vacation.
Book Hotels in Advance
Booking hotels is advance is a good way to save on accommodations. You can actually ask the hotel clerk how much you stand to save by booking in advance and then compare various hotels to see which ones are the most competitive in this regard. Try to choose hotels that reward you the most for good early planning.
Get Airline Tickets in Advance
Airline tickets are another area where advance booking can mean a much cheaper rate. There are a plethora of websites online that give you rate comparisons on various airlines and flights. These sites will give you exact rates and saving possible for given booking dates so they are a great way to compare advance flight booking rates and savings.
Consider Off Season Travel
Off season travel is always cheaper than peak season. This usually means the late fall, winter, or early spring (for locations that are reasonably cold at those times) and times not very close to the holidays. Consider planning trips for these times since they can often make for fine vacations that are also more cost effective.
Consider Camping
If camping is something you enjoy you can save a lot of money by camping rather than staying in hotels. This also gets you in touch with the outdoors and gives you a real feel for the flora and fauna of whatever locations you’re visiting. Consider this as an option if outdoor living is something you feel comfortable with. Even if you don’t there’s always a first time, so maybe you should give it a try!
Boating Safety Tips for Kids
As adults boaters, we learn a great deal about safety on the way to earning our boat license. What we often don’t learn, however, is how to share these skills with our children. This can be tricky business because kids tend not to learn well when they’re disinterested and when we overload them. The key then is to seize their attention and to expose them to the information in bite-sized chunks.
Image Source: http://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/news/last-call-for-kids-safety-program-72624.aspx
Here are a series of tips that should help:
Tip #1: Teach the kids to swim, and make sure they have ocean experience. Swimming in the ocean is a very different experience, and those with pool-only practice may freeze up in an emergency.
Tip #2: Once the children know how to swim, introduce them to personal flotation devices (PFDs), and explain to them why a PFD is so important. Stress the importance of wearing a PFD at all times, and give them experience wearing the PFD in and out of the water before their first boat trip.
Tip #3: Don’t wait until the first time on the water. Acclimate kids to your boat while you have it on the trailer parked at your house. Make a game out of understanding the terminology, safety locations, danger zones and so forth.
Tip #4: Ensure that they understand the risk of horseplay while on the water, and a great way to avoid this type of behaviour is to give children seated responsibilities while you are driving. If they are having fun and feel as if they are doing something important, they will continue to focus on that activity.
Tip #5: Stress the importance of sitting at all times while the boat is in motion. Standing is only OK when the boat is stopped, and stress that it is never all right to sit or stand on the sides of the boat.
Tip #6: Expose children to all of the equipment on board, and let them learn how to operate it. Begin teaching children how to operate and drive the boat at a very young age. This can prove invaluable in an emergency, and the safest boaters are self-reliant boaters.
Tip #7: However, stress that it is never OK to use that equipment without adult supervision unless there is an emergency. It also important to be strict about your rules, so if the child breaks them, they should lose boating privileges.
Tip #8: While on the boat, always set a good example. Don’t let kids be around adults who don’t take the experience seriously. Keep your eyes on them at all times, and consider using a safety harness for particularly young children who may stray on larger boats.
Blue Grass Festival
So we all know that I’m the adventurous one – and PB – well – he is PB – he doesn’t change and you young gals out there who think that they can change their men – forget it! they never change – you just go with the flow if you want the relationship to work (lesson #1 to #100). Anyhow lets come back to me being the adventurous one (blowing my own trumpet again) – but when the best friends said that they wanted to go see the blue grass festival this summer – I was all for it. They were bringing their families in their motor home aka RV and I wanted to do it too – after all, how can one go wrong with so many friends on the road together right? But being the paranoid one – I also want PB to check out on the 5th wheel warranty for our trailer – since we don’t have an RV – we thought we should borrow the trailer from PB’s uncle – who goes camping all the time. But I wanted to make sure that we were covered on the road – you never know what might happen right? so yes – as soon as we find out more about our trailer’s warranty – I think we are all set to go. Very excited that we don’t need to actually drive the RV but bring our SUV and the trailer along – that’s way easier. Blue grass festival here we come!