Monthly Archives: June 2021

Preparing to move provinces with a 1 year old!

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Preparing to move with any child can be crazy and hectic to say the least. I have only ever moved provinces with a dog and a cat and that alone was a bit much for me! However we did it and it worked fine. Now, moving with a baby or I should say toddler, I feel like there is a lot more we need to prepare for in order to make this a success.

We currently live in Quebec, Canada and will be moving back home to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The total driving time is about 14 or so hours however we all know that with a baby and animals that time will probably look more like 16 or so hours based on the amount of stops that you need to do for different things like fueling up, food, rest and stretch your legs as well as whatever else there is. I have only ever went on road trips when I was a child for bowling around the province of Nova Scotia so I really have nearly no idea what it would be like to move with a toddler. Oh yeah, and did I mention that I am also going to be about 5 months pregnant at this point too? Not to mention there is a lot of of different rules with traveling through different provinces especially with Covid restrictions as well too. Here is the plan and hopefully it does work out!

Food is something that as adults is super easy. If you are hungry all you need to do is simply stop at a fast food restaurant, and keep going. No need to stop and do whatever though we normally do for a few minutes due to the dog. The cat is typically fine for the drive which is okay. The dog we also have to stop for a little bit because if we don’t he might get sick due to being in the car so long which would also suck. Not to mention we have to do his business outside frequently also. For our son I was thinking about (And by thinking at this point I had already gotten) a few things to help with the car ride such as, a small cooler so that we can put some apple sauce and yogurt inside, as well as some small ice packs, and 2 small thermos. I was thinking that the day we leave to make the drive that I could also get up earlier so I can make some oatmeal to put in one thermos. This will be a good start for the day as he does love oatmeal. I also am looking for perhaps making some small pasta with some tomato sauce and putting it into a second thermos for his lunch. Supper will have to be more winged it though which shouldn’t be so hard to think about either. If he was older sure fast food would be maybe alright but since he is smaller I don’t want to have to rely on worrying about restaurants to get his foods though. As far as drinks he only has water right now so we don’t have to worry about that.

As far as entertainment goes, I have gotten a tablet holder for the back of the seat so that we can download some episodes of blues clues for my son since that is his top favorite show right now. This obviously would be nearly a last resort since we try to even limit his screen time by normally putting it on just an hour before bed since he does enjoy it! We also are planning on getting him some new toys just a few books and hand toys that he can enjoy while we drive. Nothing too crazy in terms of pieces because I really dont want to be picking up pieces along the way but something he can just fidget with. One is the lacing toys that he currently has a watermelon of and loves. The hardest part when we drive with my son is stop signs or stop lights as he always starts to fuss so we are hoping by moving on the highway he will do better.

We aim to also be driving early about 4-5am so we will get there in the evenings. And wont be really driving into the dark as that can be really hard. Plus with two of us we will be able to drive so that will be nice to flip if one of us is tired. The hope is that my son will sleep in the beginning since he normally would, and then once wakes up I can entertain him in the back since I will be there. the hope is that we can keep a pretty solid schedule and then it should be okay. He also has a nap as well in the afternoon. And about 7pm or so he should be asleep for the last leg of the drive. It really should be okay however it makes me extremely nervous since we never did this before. Thankfully this is our last move though since we did find our forever home so we wont need to do this anymore. Any family in Quebec will have to come see us in the future til our children are old enough that we can leave and they not ask when are we getting there every few moments!

Other than that I am pretty nervous about it however when we drive to Quebec city which is 2.5 hours away he did pretty good. My son is also old enough that we don’t need to have warming his bottles all the time so that is a good thing, not that he really has many now, we still give one in the morning and one before bed and if he drinks it he drinks it, if not no worries.

Have you ever traveled with a toddler?
What did you find helped with the drive?
Was it over 10 hours?

Let me know in the comments below! I would love to hear your experience!

– Stacey

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Pregnancy 16 Week Update

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Where do I even begin! I feel like this pregnancy if some what going fast and some what going slow. It is hard to believe that the next update we will have together will be the official half way point! And I will be also in transition between Quebec and Nova Scotia and hopefully figuring out things with my doctor in Nova Scotia to be able to be referred to get a new labor and delivery doctor to follow me. My goal is to hopefully get everything set up so that it goes as seamless as possible and I wont be behind on blood work or anything else that may be needed.

My energy levels seem to be going back to somewhat normal levels thankfully. That is huge for me already being a Mom to a 15 month old and having to chase him around. I find myself not needing to nap as much as I did before and also not having to lay down as often. The bathroom breaks at night seem to also be a little less depending if I find it is a good idea to drink a liter of water an hour before bed or not. As for nausea, I sometimes feel an upset stomach if my boyfriend makes something gross like fish or whatever and I find myself feeling yucky. Still only ever got sick the one time which I think is honestly a blessing!

I also have gotten blood work previously which you may or may not know I hate doing. The first I think is the hardest due to the fact they take so much. And I am a wimp so I would have loved to have my boyfriend there holding my hand but that wasn’t the case. He was watching our son and I went on my own. I did not cry which was good and I never even looked either. For some reason giving blood stresses me out. Maybe because I never had to do it will I was about 20. And then when I did it again after I was pregnant with my son. Lucky would be an understatement or maybe that asthma does not usually require blood work!

I also had a doctors appointment as well! Which I am super happy about and hopeful to be possibly getting an ultrasound before the big move. It was a pretty standard appointment.

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We talked about my blood work results which are great. The only thing was I am not immune to something called the “5e maladie”. The doctor was not sure what the translation in English was however it is when a child in particular gets a fever or rash for no apparent reason (not like a teething rash or whatever) if I was to get the same thing it could really effect the baby inside. Which would not be good and result in complications. Other than that everything was great. She asked if I would like to have a final check up before I moved which I said yes to! I am getting more blood-work just after 16 weeks and that would be for the 2nd part of my “Trisomy 21” screening. This is to check for abnormalities such as down syndrome and what not. With my son our numbers were extremely low so I am hoping for the same results here.

Next we did a quick check up on me. Checked my breathing and heart rate. My blood pressure was already checked by a nurse when I arrived and that was great. Which obviously was good for me considering the stress of moving and what not! And of course we listened to the heartbeat again which was also great. I still wish my boyfriend would be allowed to go to appointments but it just doesn’t make sense with the pandemic and if that was the case I am sure so many people who didn’t need to be there would be.

And lastly, my doctor put in a request for a 19 week or so ultrasound. Normally this would be done after 21 weeks but I am excited to hopefully have it before. With my son the placenta was in the front so movements were not felt as easily and part of the placenta was covering the cervix. I would like to obviously know this and not have to wait til maybe 25 weeks or more when things happen in Halifax after the move. Oh, and for sure. I would also LOVE to know the gender of the baby too! My boyfriend and I are thinking about names but not entirely til we find out the gender though. It overall would be a great feeling to have this done before we move so we know everything so far is alright!

Over all I am relieved that it went well and cannot wait to hear about an ultrasound. It will be great. I am so happy that I am feeling more like myself again also. That alone can be really exhausting when I am tired and feeling different. Especially with the move coming up I am relieved to be able to finally have energy to get things done. I haven’t felt overwhelmed by anything thankfully I have a partner who can take care of a lot of things on his own. I am starting to plan and pack what we all need to bring for the car and a few nights in a hotel but other than that things are alright! I wont be waiting til the last minute that is for sure! Be on the look out for moving blogs as they come up! I talk a bit about that here.

Oh, and it is probably time we start with belly updates so here is the 16 week one!

Im sure at the 20 week update I will be equally as big by then! I should be in transition to the new house but I will still do my best to update you all on time! It just might be a bit challenging if I have to do it all on a Tablet!

Our Game Plan for Our New Home!

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If you have been following our housing journey thus far you will know that it has been nothing shy of a roller coaster. BUT I am super happy to announce that we do in fact have a house! We closed and are waiting for the final things to happen. We officially own the house on June 30th however we won’t be moving until the following week or so. We want to be able to hopefully hook up internet on a day that my dad is off and he can check a few things.

The house we bough is straight from the 70’s. There is wallpaper in some rooms not completely but there is some which we will be removing thank god. And on top of it there would be some shag carpet that has got to go. Cosmetic wise there is not a whole lot. It is a split entry, 3 bedroom upstairs, downstairs has a place we can easily make a 4th bedroom for when our kids get older and want their own space. It also has a living room upstairs and downstairs it also has a rec room. We will eventually open up the space a lot more but for now the focus will be a lot of the upstairs. I will be taking the opportunity to be paint the entire house first upstairs and then downstairs. And the flooring my dad will be able to help us as well too. That will be huge save on money as we will just buy the flooring and he will help us when he is off for a day. This shouldn’t take too long but these simple fixes will also be nice to make the place our own. I already have colors picked out for them, my boyfriend is basically giving me all the freedom in terms of paint colors. Right now it has pale yellow in the kitchen, as well as white walls everywhere and a super retro bathroom also too.

Now on to the major things. The bigger things that we needed to have done was number one electrical. The electrical is dated for sure. Hopefully we can find a reliable person to check it out after we do our 2 week quarantine. This is a bigger issue we need to have fixed. The inspection had said there was an outlet in the bathroom that was humming. Due to being dated and for whatever reason. There is also a few plugs like one in the hallway that doesn’t have power to it. We need to address these in case something were to happen. Hopefully it won’t be too expensive however this was a huge thing that we need to address immediately before it becomes a bigger issue.

Next is there is a few cracks in the foundation. They are about or under a centimeter. I’m not entirely sure as I never received the reports (Boyfriend handles this thankfully!) and they also need to be checked. Whether they be repaired and see what happens. What we do know is that they are not leaking which is a huge thing. If they were leaking that could be a lot more problems for us in terms of mold or what not. But the fact that it is not leaking is great though the cracks being the size they are is a reason we want them addressed quickly. We do not want to have to worry about leaking in the future or if they were to get worse. The fact is a home over 40ish years old having cracks is not abnormal. It’s just taking care of them before they become un-fixable.

Lastly there is just figuring out the home and what not. Most of the things we would like to do is cosmetic. And once we get some of the bigger issues done we would also like to do things in terms of creating a backyard oasis. The good thing is behind our home is forest to there is not going to be any one building behind thankfully. We would like to get a fenced in yard as soon as possible whenever that might be. Not the entire yard but some of it so that the dog and kids can play safely. We also would like to have a gate towards the back to be able to explore and what not when the time comes too. This year we will probably get a quote and see what happens with the other two issues before doing the fence. Just because it might be pricey. We will be doing it in metal due to the price of lumber and so hopefully that is the cheaper alternative.

Overall we do want to get things like a swing set, an above ground pool, build a fire pit hopefully this year also. A fire pit will probably only cost a few hundred bucks for the bricks as we would like to build it. This is more of a nice relaxation spot for us when we have a bit of downtime to sit by the fire and relax and hang out in the cool air while roasting marshmallows or eating hot dogs too. Not to mention smores also! This will be a nice change and since we haven’t really ever had our own nice fire pit before this will be a good thing we both are looking forward to. We also would like to kind of map out the yard though to plan a bit where everything will go from the pool, to the hot tub eventually (Boyfriend would like one of those not me!) and then the fire pit and swings. The home is on septic so finding out the pipes and things will be huge in planning the backyard but I believe we have plenty of space to figure this out though.

Overall I know there will be some work to be done but this is our forever home and we couldn’t be happier. With the market the way it is there could have been a lot worse things happening in terms of housing and any house unless built under the last 5 years will have some sort of problems. It just is how much are you willing to do to it? Not to mention, if we were to pay more for a home with the same problems it might have been super skimped on trying to upgrade it and make it our own.

Oh yeah, And before I forget, Yes! I will be adding a section for home renovations to this blog so you can see what is being done in terms of before and after’s. I will also be posting these on pinterest as a lot of our inspiration has also come from there. Plus with a home so dated, why not share the progress as well with everyone!

Have you ever done major home renovations?
What was some of your biggest challenges for it?

Let me know in the comments below so I hopefully don’t make the same mistakes!

– Stacey

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Normalize Formula Feeding Again

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When I was growing up, It was so rare to have or know someone who breastfed their children. Ironically enough, It seemed there was a lot more stay at home moms who never worked also too. This was in the 90’s. To be fair, I don’t think I could name a single one of my friends who had siblings that I can remember ever having them breastfed. I don’t even remember if their mom’s pumped either. It was all about formula feeding at that time.

Fast forward to 2020, I had a child in that year and many of my friends have been having kids for a while before that. A lot of the times you hear about them breastfeeding. Which was almost unheard of when we were growing up. What changed? In the time when I was born to the time when I was having kids, something had to have changed to have such a shift in how we feed our children.

Before I go into my own opinion Chrissy Teigen said it best.
Here is the link to the original tweet and a screen shot for all you folks who don’t want to click away : https://twitter.com/chrissyteigen/status/1333097266710679552 (Not to mention she doesn’t even have Twitter anymore?

I totally understood this for sure. She is not wrong. Something has changed in the last however many years that has made breastfeeding seem to bee superior to formula feeding. There is no doubt that breastfeeding probably has a FEW MORE nutrients then a formula however it is 2020 and I am sure that there are so many advances that they basically are super similar also.

A friend of mine had a child 2 months before we had our son. Her and her husband decided to start with formula right from the beginning. She had mentioned when she gave birth in the hospital that they were a little bit judgey in the sense of “Oh you aren’t going to try breast feeding”. It was pressured in the very beginning which I also had noticed as well. This was a decision that her and her husband had decided on and they were completely pushed back on their decision by these little comments.

When I had given birth to our son, I wanted to try breastfeeding. I wanted to at least give it a go. Early on our son had a small heart beat issue which sorted itself out however we had to stay in the hospital for an extra day because of this. Then we came home for a day due to them kind of lying about us not leaving, And then we went back for 24 hours since he had a bit of jaundice and had to be under lights for 24 hours. We then went home for another day and went back to check up on him that he was doing well and his levels were fine. Now I know, There is so many more health issues that children and babies can have, But for me as a first time mom staying in the hospital alone (My boyfriend went home at night to sleep, stock up on our supplies, and be with our dog) it was a lot. After begin up every 3 hours and him feeling a bit helpless due to obviously not being to help a whole lot with feedings especially, we decided that on the weekend we would go to formula. It helped a lot and I think our sanity was saved a bit. When we went back to the hospital for the check up after his jaundice things, We again were met with a bit of eye rolls when mentioned we had switch to formula.

Being a new parent is stressful. To say the least. Are they fed enough? Are they clean and happy? Are they okay physically? When you have made a decision on whether or not you will breastfeed your baby and are met in the hospital with resistance and a bit of shaming as well it certainly does not make you feel very good. Especially if you and your spouse have thought and made this decision together only to hear it met with such rolling eyes and questions as to why you aren’t doing it.

I stopped breast feeding because it legit stressed me out. From my child being in the hospital more than expected I was worried he wasn’t drinking enough and that isn’t good. It was a lot of pressure just on me and not my boyfriend (not that I want him to have more pressure but you know what I mean). We stopped because I was running on fumes being up in the hospital alone for some time. Once we did this I think some stress did go away that is for sure.

People need to stop thinking “Breast is Best”. Sure it may be a bit more nutrients however there is no right or wrong way. A baby fed is the best. There are many different reasons why someone may not want to choose the breast feeding route. Maybe they are unable to produce enough and supplement with formula, Maybe they have to go back to work due to bills and are unable to breastfeed. They may choose to use formula because they had to use a surrogate and aren’t able to produce milk themselves. Or maybe, just maybe they choose formula because it suits their needs better.

For me, with baby number 2. I may decide to try breastfeeding again. If it wasn’t for me the first time maybe I would have learned a lot before the 2nd child and feel more confident in my abilities. Breastfeeding is hard and there is a lot of tricks to make it successful. I do know that if I decide to breastfeed and switch to formula though, I wont be as hard on myself for making the switch as I did this time. It felt like I was a bit of a failure by switching to formula when I said I would try the breast in the beginning. And if it doesn’t work a second time around I know that I can say I tried. Sometimes formula just better suits a lifestyle or family more than breastfeeding.

All I know for certain, is just because someone may breastfeed or formula feed shouldn’t make them any different. Mom’s who breastfeed shouldn’t look down on mom’s who formula feed and vice versa. Fed is Best, regardless of method.

Do you have kids? If so have you tried breast feeding or formula? Or both?

Let me know in the comments below!

-Stacey

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4 Things You Need For Streaming in 2021

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If you are unaware about what streaming is which is totally possible, you might be living under a rock, respectfully of course. Streaming is a way for people to connect with the world right from the comforts of their own homes. Whether or not they are playing video games, chatting, doing art or anything they want really. There is a few basics that you should do though if you want to take the plunge into streaming. In order to give yourself the best shot at success at least. Remember also, you do not need the most expensive equipment in order to be successful however having any of these is better than none. Even if you start with a lower end item you can always upgrade and get the higher end models as well when things are accessible.

The 1st two things can be debatable however way you want to look at it. Get yourself a solid camera. They have cheaper ones and they have higher end ones. For me, I started on PS4 and had to use the camera that they offered. However I moved up to a bit better one which was about 80 dollars and now I used the Logitech c922. This is a lower end/mid tier camera however it can go on sale quite a bit so you can watch for that and save yourself a few dollars also. Then you have the higher end cameras that you need special hook up’s and cords to be able to charge the camera while using it and set them up. I have no idea how to do this as it is far above what I make streaming. Though if I wanted to upgrade I would ask my boyfriend for them for holidays as a gift or I would save the few dollars that I make streaming in order to upgrade my equipment also. Having a webcam will immediately set yourself above the streamers who do now have a webcam. At least starting out. If you see streamers who do not have a webcam and are successful that is fine. However chances are they did start by using a webcam and grew their audience. At some point they would have realized having a camera while streaming does not add any value so they stopped. One of the main reasons besides being live that people want to watch live streams is the interaction. You can see a streamer getting scared, laughing, facial cues and other things also. Personally I never started with a webcam I waited to get my Playstation 3 one after I hit 250 followers because I wanted to be able to know I was serious or semi-serious about this before dumping money into it.

Next which interchanges with having a camera is having good audio quality. That being said, Do not go out and buy 300$ headphones because they will not make you a better streamer. For a long time I started using headphones that were just ear buds from a gas station. Then I upgraded to a pair of razer krakens when I got a capture card and still used the earbuds but I used it for myself to be able to talk to my chat and razer krakens for the stream. You do not need to have expensive headphones. Not to mention, there are plenty of things that you can also do in order to make your sound more crisper, clear, etc. This being said. If you are planning to stream, Remember that having a quiet environment, relaxed, and peaceful can sometimes be great also. No one wants to sit there in the middle of a stream when you have your kids running around and yelling, if you are unable to find a time to stream that accommodates this maybe putting this dream or hobby on hold is best. Another thing to be mindful of is that stream/game audio is not louder than yourself or vice versa. Check clips or vods to make sure that your sound is the best it can possibly be also.

Scheduling streams is important even if you are just starting out. The only way scheduling is not important is if you have absolutely no desire to grow or maintain anything don’t worry about this. However if you want to grow somewhat I would suggest starting with a schedule, even if this is only 2 days a week. On top of that, if you have a job that doesnt allow for a set schedule you can always start and post a stream schedule once a week to update it every week. You have to let people know when you are live even if it changes or else people won’t want to find you as easily. Play around with times maybe you have more viewers different time zones, or times of the day even. Maybe evenings are worse than mornings for you. Or maybe you only have very specific times due to prior life commitments. For me I stream evenings once my son goes to bed, However once I have my second child I know they will change slightly but I will still do my best to try and be consistent though!

Lastly, streaming more will not make you more successful. You need to be putting content out to many different platforms in order to be successful. There are millions of streamers that go live daily from hundreds of thousands of countries across the world. If you are only streaming on twitch that is just not enough to be successful. Whether or not you try and put content out on twitter, or tiktok or instagram putting content on other places other than twitch would do a lot of good in terms of growth.

So there you have it. Streaming really does not have to be hard. Whether or not you are streaming on a playstation or you are streaming directly from a PC or even an xbox, you only need to do a few things in order to set yourself apart and begin the journey.

Do you know what streaming is?
Would you give it a shot or are you completely not interested in it?

Let me know in the comments below!

– Stacey

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What Got Me Into Gaming

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A lot of people or kids growing up, I would assume can relate to video games in some way, shape or another. Whether you were a casual gamer or given a time limit from being obsessed with gaming from the start (this was me) can understand why there is such a vast appeal for gaming even at a young age as well. And if you were not as fortunate as some to have a console chances are you had friends who did have some that you would check out whenever you went there for a sleep over or after school fun!

The early days of my gaming were spent with my brother and sister and occasionally my mom trying to get the furthest on our Nintendo. My mom had another daughter who had passed away from a disease called Fanconi’s anemia. I wont go into detail in this post but you can read more about that here. We would all try to see who could get the furthest in an afternoon (remember there is no saves!) And try to get to Bowser than rescue princess peach! We also would try to play games that my dad had like a boat racing one that I cannot for the life of me remember as well as duck hunt. We even had the bright orange almost neon gun that was made of plastic and you used to shoot the ducks. If you missed be prepared to be taunted by the dog popping up over the tall grass too.

After playing this for years and seemingly being the only games my mom could kind of play with us, we received the original play station from Santa. And our family friends had gifted us destruction derby and Spyro the dragon (I know this really ages myself eh?). We played this for hours and hours. And as our friends got different games we would trade them for a week or two til we met them again. This was a good and free way for all of us to get different games without paying a rental fee or buying new games. And if we liked it we would end up saving our allowance to buy it. We ended up saving for the Crash Bandicoot’s and Spyro’s once they all came out as we loved those games a lot.

As we got older, my sister kind of fell off the bandwagon of gaming. Unless it was a classic she did not really want to be interested in them. My brother would slowly trade in the consoles he had as time went on getting a Nintendo game cube, then the ps2 when it came out. As well with games we would do the same thing. Trade them in for different ones at a local video game store. I normally got the same ones as always being the Spyro and Crash Bandicoots. They would be my top favorite and occasional other story games also too. My brother would trade them in for the newest resident evil games. I liked watching him play but even that gave me nightmares so I never played them myself. And he would always get the newest Super Mario or Mario Sunshine Games as well too.

As I got older and was in collage I jumped on the guitar hero bandwagon. I loved playing them in my dorm with my friends however it was always a joke and good time. Though my ex who was an absolute piece of garbage would smash them and replace them when he was mad at me. Thankfully he is out of my life since I was 20 and I have my current boyfriend of 10+ years who appreciates gaming as well too.

When my currently boyfriend and I first got together I did a bit of dabbling in call of duty on his ps3? Or maybe ps4? I’m not entirely sure I am nearly positive it was the play station 3, but I did play a bit due to not working a whole lot and when I stayed at his house he would be at work and I would have nothing to do. This was short lived because I eventually got a second job and had nearly no time left for anything let alone gaming.

Fast forward to when my boyfriend started playing Rainbow Six Siege. He was playing with someone who would be streaming. I was not really back into gaming however I did download a game on my laptop called Stardew Valley. It was such a fun game and reminded me of Harvest Moon from way back when I was a child. The more I watched him play Rainbow Six on his computer the more I thought that I could do that. Since he was on the PC I wanted to play but decided to start on the PS4. I found a few people from his friends stream who also played on console. And here we are today. I barely game on my (his) PS4 and I have my own computer. I did use his old potato after he upgraded but that was short lived due to it being so old and slow.

Now as of today, I would say I am a semi regular streamer streaming 3 days a week and trying to grow my community to include people from all around the globe. I know the impact and friendships that I have made streaming are some of the closest people I am in contact with today. So much so I probably talk to them more than my own family at times. The bond we have and the way you can disconnect from reality when gaming is incredible.

That being said, As silly as I thought it was when I was a child. I will more than likely limit screen time with my own children. There is nothing wrong with gaming or having some time on the screen however I do believe that an hour or two can quickly turn in to too many and then it becomes an addiction and a root of a lot of fights. I seen that with folks who had children far before I did. Sometimes it can be hard growing up with so much technology to remember that when I was a 90s kid there really was not a whole lot of technology around we had to essentially make our own fun!

What consoles did you have if any growing up?
What is your all time favorite video game?

Let me know in the comments below and I cannot wait to hear all about them!

  • Stacey

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Prepping for the Month Ahead

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Prepping for the month ahead can seem like a major chore for some people. For me, I LOVE IT! I love doing so many things and setting myself up for success not to mention it really is helpful for me to see the month ahead. Being pregnant again it helps me stay on track for appointments, blood work, meetings, goals, and whatever else I needs to have done also too.

The things that I schedule may seem pretty trivial however when I don’t leave the home due to covid and a stay at home mom it really does help to schedule everything even if I don’t always follow it too. For me it helps me feel a sort of normalcy because when I used to work and live back home I would schedule so much. Being at home you can get lost in the moment (which is not always a bad thing) and fall behind on things. For me it helps me to keep track of things such as my streaming schedule, or things related to streaming such as clips, scheduling tweets, blogging as well. I also have certain days I schedule writing whether that be for blogging or the books or poetry that I am working on. I also schedule in days that I do absolutely nothing because even those are important to have too. Right now in the prep for moving we are also going through certain things so that we can make sure that we are gutting out the basement and throwing things away to make things easier. I also have doctors appointments and blood work to plan and take care of due to moving and being pregnant and trying to make it as seamless as possible between changing doctors too. And of course it can change month to month on what is scheduled and planned.

The first thing I normally would do is I would write in my planner, This is the easiest way for me to see the month in advance with the days laid out. I can write it in pen or pencil whatever I choose to do and It is a clear way for me to see what is happening. I find this best to start with as I can sit in front of the TV and chip away at it. Normally I start about a week before the end of the month so I can change around dates that are possible to be changed.

After I have everything pretty well sorted I will then transfer the dates on to my calendar. I like to do this after my planner as I use permanent markers and well, if i make a mistake it low key gives me anxiety because I then have to either scratch it out or make it work because white out doesn’t typically work on that. And if that happens it legit gives me low key anxiety that the whole month is thrown off. It also hangs above my computer as a quick glace for me to see what is up and coming for the month. I feel like if I don’t do this before the end of the month I look up more often than not and get completely thrown off on what is going on for the month.

Lastly I use post it notes a lot. If it is something important or something I am keeping track of like an appointment or something I will write it there and put it on that and stick it to the bottom of my monitor. I find this to be easy since I see it all the time when I am sitting there working on whatever or gaming as well too. I keep so many post it’s around and stick them to scribblers and lists and things that it does help for sure I think.

The only thing that I Have never done before even when I was working shift work is put things in my phone. I don’t think I will ever use my phone in that way and truth be told I have seen more people miss appointments and things because they put it in the wrong date or the wrong time that I simply do not trust myself to not mess it up. I will sometimes text my boyfriend if I am on the fly for an appointment date or he does the same to me, but only because I typically do not bring my planner around everywhere with me and I don’t carry a post it either. As far as using my phone goes, I just don’t trust technology to not screw it up or even user error. Being 30 something years old I have never used my phone for scheduling and I don’t plan on starting it now.

Overall I would say to anyone who doesn’t schedule to not sleep on this. When you schedule things even if it means really relax scheduling it makes you feel like you do have your life together. I know some things I schedule probably don’t need to be scheduled and most times things re flexible, but in the long run it really can help with organizing your life. Knowing what to expect and what is up and coming can help to prepare for it, whichever it might be. I know being stuck inside during quarantine, not working and being a stay at home mom, prepping for a move across provinces, and whatever else, it really does help to have things laid out and feel like I am living a “normal” life where I can get grocery’s regularly or I can go to appointments for my son instead of having one parent go on them.

Are you a scheduler?
Or do you just wing it in hopes that everything works out and nothing clashes?
Do you use your phone to plan things or are you a pen to paper person like me?

Let me know in the comments below!

– Stacey

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4 Tips on How I Use Twitter Efficiently!

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Using social media can seem like a huge black hole when it comes to filling time. I know believe me. If you are anything like me when you are scrolling, you then put your phone down, almost immediately to pick it back up though and then you do the same scrolling again. Only to find out that obviously nothing has happened in the last 15 seconds since you last closed the app. Or you start scrolling and scrolling only to realize that you are reading the same amount of garbage you just read before and nothing is changing in the process you just see the same things recycled. Well here is some tips you may be looking for on how to use Twitter more efficiently so you can spend as little time as possible on there instead of mindlessly browsing.

Scheduling tweets is something i need to do more and it has become super simple with the help of the desktop app for Twitter. Right now in the process of moving I am HOPING that I will be able to schedule tweets for the next few months up until September when I have settled things and are back into a routine. I schedule blog posts, I even schedule funny comments that I have saved to my drafts (More on that next!) and I have also scheduled funny questions and words of wisdom too. I will mention if you want o schedule a poll there is no ability to do that at this point in time however they are useful if you want to find more out. Scheduling tweets can make it seem like you are more active than you are. I like doing this on weekends especially since I don’t stream on weekends I find myself slacking completely on posting things in order to seem like I am around when I am not. You can always give the illusion that you are around even if you are taking time away for whatever reason.

Drafts are your friend. I never really started using drafts until the last year. I love using drafts especially if I am thinking of some good tweets but it might be too late or I think they will flop or not fit the mood of my timeline. I simply type it out and save it into the drafts to use at a later date. Sometimes it could be about something happening in my own life, Maybe its something happening at night and I don’t feel like posting it. Or maybe it even is something that popped up in my mind but I already posted a tweet that has been doing good traction wise and I don’t want to over lap. Saving drafts are huge in order to keep content going. Sometimes you can even save a tweet that you may have posted, but instead of it getting some sort of traction it didn’t do well and you would like to save it for a later date. A key thing to remember is maybe a tweet you posted might not have gotten a reaction you wanted, or less than you expected, that does not mean the tweet was bad or the information not useful. You can save it and use it later when you might find better success!

Comment on posts you enjoy and try to let networking or building relationships happen naturally. If you are commenting on posts to start an argument that you have zero interest or do not agree with you will find it extremely challenging to grow or have any success what so ever online. Genuinely showing interest in content you enjoy and vice versa will help in making your experience online and using your time wisely. Why comment on issues you hate or have no desire to really understand or follow? Another valuable piece of this would be if you are tired of seeing certain terms, mute them! If you have no interest in politics or anything like that, mute the terms. If you do not want to see something about a particular country, mute it. There is no point keeping somethings on your timeline when you really do not want to be part of it. Maybe you followed a fan club for some actor you liked and that is all that pops up now and you are tired of seeing it. Well, mute the phrases or sayings you are tired of seeing also! And this includes muting or blocking individual people to. Maybe there is someone who always pops up on your tweets just to argue with you. Save yourself the headache and just mute or block them so you no longer see them anywhere. This is YOUR experience not anyone else’s and if it is effecting you get rid or it from your timeline!

Stay active and be random! Don’t worry about posting things that might not flow with your timeline. Remember that the most times you are able to showcase your personal side of likes and dislikes or even opinions that will be the best way to gain traction on followers. People like to hear opinions whether or not they agree or disagree with them. The more personal you can be with someone the better you will find yourself on Twitter. This doesn’t mean sharing your credit scores or personal address this just means shedding some light about yourself to others who think the same also too. When you are more personal with people they seem to flock to you, however don’t always post negative things or struggles, keep it semi-light humored and fun!

So there you have it, That is my 4 simple tips in order to enjoy your Twitter experience. I know for myself I need to practice some of these things a bit more but I will say, when I do, I feel a whole lot better about myself. You do not need to spend every waking moment online to have a great experience or some growth. Leave some time away from the screen and share moments with the world that you think they would also enjoy too!

Do you practice any of these tips?
Is there anything new you would like to add too?

Let me know in the comments below I would love to hear them!

– Stacey

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June Update 2021

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Where do I begin with this update! I feel like I have so much to share! So I guess we can start in the beginning.

If you have been following you know that we are about 15 weeks pregnant with our second child right now. It is incredible that we are bringing another tiny human into the world and keeping our family growing. Our goal was to always have 3 kids and since we waited a bit longer to have children then we would try to have them close together so far so good in that department. Hopefully before our big move we can find out the gender of the baby as well since we wont be able to get some appointments for a bit of time.

We have in fact also found a home! I will be mentioning a bit more about that in the near future for a blog post however it will be ours! It is a nice approximately 1500 square foot home. Outside is about 25,000 square foot land. It is close enough to neighbors that you can see them in case you need to and it is on a nice small quiet street too. It is only about 8-10 minutes from my parents house which will be helpful as well if we need help though I think our home will be keeping us busy for a very long time as we try to get things organized and to our liking.

Covid is still around which sucks however finally here in Quebec due to vaccinations being administered there are restrictions finally, and I mean FINALLY easing up. There has been a no private gathering rule in place since October 31st or so of 2020. There is also a curfew at 8pm originally and now at 930pm and that will finally be over as of the 28th of May. By the time this is released I will have spend a few hours on the weekend with my Uncle’s at their home. We are excited to finally have some contact since you are able to have outdoor gatherings at a maximum of 8 people. We will hopefully be able to spend some time the next few weekends with them as the weather gets warmer and then when we transition to our new home we will also be spending time with them in order to avoid a hotel. That would be because with a cat and a dog we would like to avoid a hotel as much as possible for the sake of our own sanity! The only downside of this is that currently in Nova Scotia they are in the biggest covid wave since the beginning. Thankfully as I write this they finally are having some lower numbers but for a while they were having bigger numbers a few hundred per day for a while. We are hopeful that by the time we get back they will still have gatherings allowed as right now they are not allowed. Other than that we will just have to wait and see. The crummy part of this move is that we really can’t plan anything until a few weeks before in terms of staying. We might have to drop the dog off at my parents house and then we will have to stay in a hotel for a night or two til our things arrive and then maybe change our address to our home and stay there instead. Hopefully mid June we have some answers for ourselves but only time will tell as things change. We will have to however do 2 weeks isolation as that has been a rule in place for a very long time with Nova Scotia.

And as for me, I really have to be strong and hold fast on my rules that I am making for June. I want to have a lot of structure in terms of planning in order to get things prepped for the move. I want to really tackle writing blogs and being able to catch up on everything. My goal is to HOPEFULLY be able to schedule as much as possible til about September. Whether that be tweets on Twitter, Blogs and prepping those to be scheduled as well to. I want to really do as little as possible while seeming to be active. When I had my son I really did not do a whole lot in terms of keeping active which is fine, but overall it hurt my growth everywhere and I would like to try to make it as fine as possible with little to no worries. That way when I do end up coming back I don’t have a lot of stress over the summer while we get settled back into our new forever home and new normal. And also after we do our isolation I will probably need to have some appointments especially me for check-ups with the baby as well too which I would like to just get everything happening and phone calls ready though. I already started prepping some of the things we will be taking in the car as well as some of the lists we will need to take care of once we are there.

Other than that, I think excitement will be the driving force here. I find myself not wanting to take naps as much and just wanting to get things done. I also hope I can do some extra blogs in the process as well too and mention my blog more on social medias which I think will help gain some traction as well too. The fact we will finally have our own space to share with our family and a fresh back yard with privacy again is amazing. We never really had privacy before since we were always close to our neighbors, this will be a refreshing start and I cannot wait to share it with you all! The only thing stopping us, which I would never want to wish away, is time!

What are some moving tips you have from moving across provinces or states?
Is there anything you over thought and it wasn’t as big of a deal as you assumed it would be?

Let me know in the comments below!

– Stacey

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