Tag Archives: Life

Easter traditions I grew up with

Parenting, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Easter can sometimes be a controversial subject for many parents. Ever hear the saying “Easter is not a second Christmas”? This would be because many parents go way overboard with buying things at Easter foe their kids. I’m probably (for sure) guilty of over buying slightly. But I wouldn’t say we go overboard here. Maybe this is because my parents never went overboard for us. Easter wasn’t about presents per-say, It was about kind of welcoming spring time and anticipation for the warm weather and when you could play outside from dawn till dusk.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

The big theme was outdoor toys in my house growing up. We had skipping ropes, chalk, skip-its, bubbles, maybe some bug catching baskets or nets. We always had outdoor stuff that we could play with as the weather warmed up. Even different types of pool toys or what not to hang out. A sprinkler was not unusual too. Anyone have the crazy armed octopus sprinkler too? Or maybe the wacky fire hydrant that spun around and you would run through. Of course we did get candy and chocolate however we never had an abundance. Just enough to last a solid week or two and this was eating so much daily and then it was gone. Some of the best things we got were the outdoor toys, anyone remember the ankle killers, Skip-its?

In my home we would wake up, no earlier than 7am. Wait for our parents and then head to the living room. We never had things wrapped though, again, this is Easter not a second Christmas. We would however have one “wrapped” gift eventually from our grandparents which would be in an Easter bag and Ill go more into detail later about that. So we would normally be allowed one piece of chocolate before breakfast. This was something like a kinder egg. No we were not allowed to eat an entire chocolate bunny before breakfast!! But we did have a treat. Fun fact: I was actually allergic to chocolate more so as a kid to the point I would break out in rashes in my elbows and knees. So it wasn’t hard to tell when I would sneak a few extra pieces within a day or two. Especially when I was scratching up a storm. Then we ate a bigger breakfast. Normally bacon or pancakes the whole shebang so to speak. Even if my dad wasn’t home and was away driving the truck my mom still did a bigger breakfast for us though since it was Easter. When we were younger we did go to church the night before though, We always typically went to church on a Saturday night because it was far less people so you didn’t have to wait forever to get out of the parking lot or to get your communion because everyone wasn’t there.

After lunch we either waited for my grandparents to arrive for an early supper/super late lunch. Or if they were not coming over then we went there. Now my grandparents gave us similar things every year. One that they got every year was they got us our new bathing suits. This was huge because we knew summer was on the way and we could swim soon. We also did swimming lessons as a kid so it was exciting to know summer was coming too. They also gave us a chocolate bunny, maybe milk chocolate or maybe white or rice filled. And they always gave us a card sometimes with 20$. My grandparents had the 3 of us and 2 other grand kids but they lived in another province and then moved to England. So we were the only grand kids that were really close.

Easter was something that we loved to look forward to, not because it was about chocolate or hot big our baskets were but because it was another milestone through the year. It never had to be about a second Christmas. I know that looking at different people across Facebook giving their kids literally everything and anything under the sun is wild and amazing. They give their kids a huge bucket to load up with treats and goodies because the old fashioned basket was far too small. Call me crazy but all of my children have the same size basket and will have the same things together too. Sometimes we even got new pairs of sandals or shoes or even a new spring outfit to wear as the weather warmed up. I do live in Canada and it was not totally unusual to have an Easter with snow on the ground.

I will mention though, if you are in a family that takes a more religious view than this holiday may mean a lot more for yourselves growing up. Growing up mine was not super religious and as we got older we kind of stopped going to church and did our own things. As someone who is now raising her kids we choose to not raise them with any religion. If they choose to seek that as they get older they are more than welcome to do that. And they would be supported also. However us as a family just are not raising them to be religious or doing anything like that. So for us it is just a super fun holiday and a great way for us to just spend time as a family with a little bit of fun.

Photo by Jill Wellington on Pexels.com



I do believe though, regardless if you go overboard and or you don’t. Keep it chilled when it comes to the Easter Bunny bringing things. At the end of the day the Easter Bunny is not bringing new bikes, or scooters, or game systems or an abundance of clothes to all kids. The Easter Bunny may even be bringing nothing to some kids. But to keep it to candy and chocolate like the classic days of Easter Celebrations, that way no child feels left out when it comes to comparing gifts with their friends.

Begging for Money? Subs? Does it work?

Streaming, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We all know someone who has begged for subscribers or money or whatever have you in the streaming world. To the viral clips that get a lot of attention of streamers calling out their viewers for not saving 5 dollars to subscribe and financially support their channels. Does it work, Maybe. But I know for sure that the attention these clips get these particular channels is actually insane. To the retweets and comments on them is worth it? Today we talk about if begging for money from your viewers or anyone in general works.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

I also want to state that these are my opinions and some of this may sound blunt and insensitive. I am sorry if that is the case however I will not be changing my opinion on this in order to please the people who may be offended by this.

Let’s begin with the “boo hoo” stories. This is where you hear of someone losing their job, or quitting and having no money for rent and things. I have also seen this in streamers who have the desire to go full time without having the means to. Instead of being financially stable before they take the plunge into streaming full time as a profession, they quit their decently paying job in hopes that their community will now fund them. I have no sympathy for people like this. Why? Because they were unprepared by what they set out to do. If you want to take streaming seriously and if you want to do it full time you sure as hell should make sure that you are able to do it full time before even if that means saving money for months to ensure that your “Giving this a Go” is also having the ability to pay your bills and not rely on a community to do so. What is worse or at least in my opinion (Again) Is when you see a streamer attempting the full time aspect of streaming and suddenly you see them with brand new colored hair, new makeup and manicures, but they continue to complain that their bills aren’t being paid. This doesn’t even make sense and if their community is anything like me, I do not want to support someone ESPECIALLY if they are begging for money for bills and using it on luxuries.

Let’s officially talk about those viral videos for money. We know if you actually use twitter remotely related to your streaming that chances are you are able to see all of the different clips of bigger and popular streamers getting essentially “angry” at their community for not giving them money. They may have a sub goal, they may have bills or something they need money for and they are “upset” that they aren’t being consistently subbed to. Why did I use quotes there? Because, Some of these people I THINK make these clips or comments because they know they will end up on a live stream fails list or viral on twitter and it will pull in more people to their streams. Sure, a lot of trolls will also end up going there. That is for sure true. However there is probably a lot of people who may be also going there to “help out” as well too.

Being direct with how you approach your community and your financial goals could really be how you categories the above with viral clips. You are honest and upfront with goals like “I need x amount of money for x bill by such and such date”. Sometimes communities like the direct approach and how honest a streamer is with them. Other ways streamers have set up goals but are super vague with a mini goal in the background of their streams or incorporated in to their overlays as well. Which can equally be effective if they aren’t talking about it but they do see that it and help out when they can.

Photo by Ron Lach on Pexels.com

Continuously talking about money on stream is probably one of the biggest no-nos you can do though. When you talk about money on stream all the time whether you are broke or have a lot of it you really aren’t making your viewers feel like they are part of the community. You know xQc? He is one of the biggest streamers in the world who probably makes tens of thousands of dollars a month, Do you ever hear him talk about money on stream? Not really. Because it really isn’t anyone’s business and if he was to do that do you think he would be as successful as he is if he did? If you make your viewers seem like the only thing you are interested in is their money they will not want to stick around. This also goes for showing interest in people who subscribe or donate a lot and as soon as they don’t you don’t show much love to them. When I was back working and kid free I too would donate to a few folks. Sure it was great when it was payday and they were excited to see you getting into harmless bit wars with people, But as soon as that money is gone suddenly it is all changed and you barely get a Hi out of the streamer anymore. It certainly does not make me want to stick around when the only interest the streamer had in me was whether or not I could financially support them.

Lastly, how about we stop making streamers who do talk about their financial goals look like aliens? Talking about goals is healthy and a great way to to fill in your community on your aspirations. Whether it is to buy and upgrade your equipment for streaming or you simply would like to buy a new game or toy for your kids. Letting them know your goals and that financial support is an option. Just make sure that your viewers also know that like financial support there is also ways to support that aren’t financial as well too!

August 2022 – Nearing Fall Again!!

Uncategorized,

Hey!

Welcome back to another update. Obviously I am trying out a new intro to the monthly updates and whether or not they make a difference we will see if I continue them each month! I have so much to write I will try to keep it short and sweet though because a few topics will be the blog ideas for the upcoming months!

First, the biggest news of my life. I PUBLISHED A FREAKING BOOK! You can find it on Amazon!!

Literally that is my book right there! How cool is that! This is the first book I was talking about and you will continue to see more of in the blogs this month. I have 2 more poetry collections that I will be releasing this year. Through out the blogs this month though there is a few subjects that are a deeper insight on why I wrote these and what not. I am so excited and proud of these that I am already thinking of future projects. I need to often remind myself that writing is a marathon and not a sprint and chances are I wont be an overnight millionaire. This is something that I am really trying to work hard at so that way I can hopefully make some sort of income while maintaining a house and being a stay at home mom.

If you would like to purchase the book you are more than welcome to do so here, though the link is for the Canadian site you may need to be redirected to the Amazon sited for your Country to be able to purchase a copy for yourself!

Ill keep this part short and sweet. Covid hit our house. Yes, after 2 and a half years of trying not to get it we got it from my parents house and it sucked. I will keep this short only because I would like to write about it more in depth about how it was and symptoms and things. Especially some of the strange things that happened that no one EVER talks about but are totally a normal symptom of having Covid.

We got our heat pumps installed in the house also too! If you are a family or person that is able to afford a heat pump I would totally recommend getting one. We actually got two, one for the upstairs and another for downstairs. Our main concern though was not necessarily to keep the house cool it was more so for the winter to heat our home. We have electric though primarily heat with oil. Prices have drastically gone up and this was an investment that we wanted to spend and hopefully will offset the price of fuel because the heat pumps will be able to really help the house keep warm this winter.

We had a family party! For the first time in a long time we were able to have all of my side of the family over. We haven’t seen many of them for at least 4 years due to the fact we were out of the province however it was really nice to see everyone. A lot of people meeting our sons for the first time too. It was super hectic in the sense that his was quite literally the most people that our boys have seen since well, they were born and it was a lot of people around they were pretty wide awake the entire time taking it in. That being said though it was so worth it and I am so looking forward to the Christmas party that I am bringing back every year on the first Sunday in December too.

Right now, writing wise I am just trying to edit and put my books out there so I can work on promoting. This is literally my focus as well as the blog. I may have mentioned that I always schedule blogs, well I am trying to do that for the rest of the year and I am also trying to schedule some into the new year. This way I can focus next year on marketing the 3 poetry collections as well as writing some new ones to come out for the year 2024. Now that I half know what I am doing I feel like I am unstoppable!

Photo by Daria Shevtsova on Pexels.com

I also am starting a new 16 week weight loss challenge on the 8th of August. I am really looking forward to this because I will be drastically cutting back on weed for one. I also will be bringing back blogs weekly also too. I will be trying to also work out and keep really good track. The reality is that by the end of this challenge we will be trying to have our 3rd and final child and I really want to push myself to be in a great shape even better than the last 2 pregnancy’s. Being pregnant and chasing around my oldest was tough at times, now I will be chasing around my two kids and feel like I want to set myself up for feeling great and looking great! I also may try to start intermittent fasting for the first little bit with a window of 10am-6pm. I feel like that is totally doable and that I can make it happen if I try to!

Overall I feel like July has been busy but also Covid really kicked my butt. It was challenging for me to really get back the energy. I will say though it is certainly not a “bad cold” maybe for some people but it certainly is not that for what I assume is the majority. If it was just a “bad cold” then maybe they wouldn’t have been so fast to try to make a vaccine and what not.

I cannot wait to share with you the next steps in my journey!!

The time is NOW!!!(For Real) -July 2022 Update

Monthly Updates, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

(This post contains some affiliate links, This is to help a kick back to the blog financially by simply shopping as you normally do. If you choose to support the blog by this way, thank you, your support is greatly appreciated!)

I know this is probably coming out later than expected for the July Update but honestly, it happens! We are getting very excited. My partner has just taken his parental only 3 months compared to the 9 with our first little one however it couldn’t be at a better time. I am so looking forward to the next few months to have a bit more time to “pretend” like I have a job. If you know what I mean by that!

Photo by Tairon Fernandez on Pexels.com

One thing I am looking forward to is really tackling getting my books finalized. That being said I have covers being created right now, I have one person doing all three since they are so similar due to them being a trilogy. I will explain more about them in the future obviously I would like it to be a surprise once they come out! I am so happy and yet so very nervous. There is such raw feelings and emotions in these books that I feel extremely exposed. Though I know I am not the only one who can relate to these. That is a huge step for me to see everything coming together in that regard.

I know you guys are probably super sick of hearing this but I am here to say it again for the 14th time. I am going to lose weight. I would say out of all my 2022 goals this is probably the hardest one to reach by far. I am really trying but I get so discouraged. I am sure a lot of you can agree reading blogs like this where I dont lose weight is probably hard. But I am totally taking advantage of the fact that my partner has parental and wanting to lose weight and get ahead of this next and final pregnancy when the time comes. And for the obvious reason that I want to be a healthier version of myself. This time I want to make it different. I want to look at myself and bring back habits when I was working and not able to eat the entire night on the couch. I am going to even be posting mini daily vlogs on my tiktok which you can follow here or at the username @StaySeeJ. I think this is a great way for em to be held accountable and to show you guys what it really is like being a picky eater. I know that I cannot be the only one here who eats this way and I want to show you all that life isn’t just about salads and you can do anything you want to do. This is why I mentioned here about this a little bit on the weekly blogs that for the summer every other week I will have a blog that is pre-written (as you know I do most of the times anyways) I really want to hammer down and show you guys that obviously my food habits are an issue but I can still lose weight or be better at not using toxic behaviors like binge eating nightly I can still have balance.

Photo by Designecologist on Pexels.com

As you know I will never limit myself when it comes to snacks and things however I will do things a bit differently in terms of eating. I dont count macros or micros or whatever ohs I always just counted calories. I am trying to think of healthier alternatives though like these reese bars . I also have a can of slim fast chocolate that I hope to put to good use. As I have said before the hardest part for me is when I at at night watching TV like I need to eat food. One big thing I did the other day was that I brushed my teeth early on. I was literally thinking why am I getting these chips. What is the reason? and the only thing I could think of was boredom so I got up brush my teeth and never ate anything else for the rest of the night. That’s progress to me.

Another thing I am so excited about is to be live more also too! Since May I have been doing fantastic in terms of streaming. I have been pretty good at keeping my schedule going. I have had some days off and I have had some shorter streams but knock on wood I have been doing great while trying to be regularly live again. Going live is something I enjoy doing and getting back into it and feeling as great as I do since before I had kids. I feel like I am finally putting it on the forefront again (Obviously with 2 kids I have a good enough reason to not be regular but as a parent we sometimes put ourselves last all of the time when we need to remember we also are important) Check out this blog here if you want to see how I put myself first in more depth. I also am excited to finally have a great background using these lights for my stream area. The two strings that I used fairy lights for one and the second set were round bulbs however not warm white like here the multi color version . The entire side and stream looks fantastic. I may even be preparing for a revamp/re brand here in the near future! Even with a mascot too! I will be streaming now 5 days a week temporarily by just adding Tuesday and Thursdays which I am very excited to be live then. I will be live in the day time and keeping the other 3 days (Monday/Friday evenings and Sunday Mornings) And streaming from about 12 noon Atlantic time (11am EST) and going till about 4pm Atlantic Time (3pm EST). It will be a great time and I am so looking forward to it!

April Showers – April 2022 Update

Life, , , , , , , ,

So March has been insane. The last 2 weeks with my spouse away through the week has been insane. Staying home with the two boys has been nice but them having super uncharacteristic sleeping patterns has been terrible. At one point I was frustrated at myself for being frustrated. And at another point they were both screaming that I had to actually had to put my youngest into the crib to deal with my oldest because I physically did not have enough hands to do what I needed to do. Thankful that April is the last month my partner works before he arrives on parental for the months of May, June and July. It will be a nice break and i am sure he will be excited fir the needed break to spend with his boys.

Photo by Bich Tran on Pexels.com

Working out and my health physically has been alright. I talk more about my struggles fro. The previous blog you can read here. The biggest thing I am looking forward for April is to NOT focus on my weight. I am not weighing myself until the very last day of the month. Which I think is a good thing because my mental health is not good when I become obsessive with the weigh ins. I need to really focus on other aspects and I feel like the weight will come off in the process. I can do this as I have said a lot of the time. Read this for more of the details on that, I wont bore you with repetition.

**If you like what you are reading through out these blogs, and are looking at ways to financially support the blog, please consider checking out my Ko-Fi link here. You will NEVER be pressured to contribute to towards put any type of money towards the blog however if the thought has crossed your mind, here is a great way to help a stay at home mom provide some financial relief for her family.

Easter is coming up and I am thankful to say that I have everything bought for my son’s. I go into more details in the upcoming Easter blogs for them. I didn’t get a whole lot of chocolate or candy but the focus was mainly on the deck. I wanted to be able to focus on that so when the weather becomes nicer we will be able to really hang out there. I am excited to spend some time in the sun which is very much uncharacteristic of myself!

Writing has been going GREAT! I have blogs schedule for the next few months with some still needing scheduling as well as continuing to bulk write and then scheduling. That works great. My goal before my partner is off work for parental was to mainly schedule all blogs possible so that way we can relax and just chill out. I don’t want to have to worry about having to write or schedule plus as things ramp up with my poetry collections the less I have to worry about the better. I have written my The Darkness collection so I am pausing writing poems while I type this one up. That way I can send it to a few friends and get their opinions on it. Ive been working on growing my email list, we are currently at 55 subscribers which is simply incredible! It is a bit of work to grow it but I am so thankful to be able to do this. Ideally I would love to have 250 subscribers before my launch. I also would like all of the collections open because I think that it would be really great after The Darkness launches to be able to pre-order the others if they are up.

Overall I would say things are going well. I am excited for more home reno’s and to be able to stream a bit more again. With him being gone I haven’t done a lot of streaming because the boys have not really been cooperative (kids am I right). I will be streaming an extra few days for the 3 months I have my spouse home also which I am looking forward to. It will be a great opportunity for me to do more on the computer. Since I have been know to multi-task while I am live that wont change!

Here is to a new month with new ambitions and motivations!

When Will I Learn – Self Care Thursday – March 17th 2022

Self Care Thursday's, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

(This post contains some affiliate links, This is to help a kick back to the blog financially by simply shopping as you normally do. If you choose to support the blog by this way, thank you, your support is greatly appreciated!)

I swear Ill never learn.  This weekend started with such high hopes and it became diminished by weed and poor judgement.

Photo by Alexas Fotos on Pexels.com

I was seeing the lowest numbers on the scale and one weekend was all it took to totally go backwards. I think I will be okay this weekend and by the time this releases I may be back under 240 pounds again. Though the lowest I seen in recent days has been 237lbs which I totally thought let’s eat everything possible because I did a good job. As much as I want to say that the numbers are not a huge motivator they are. I also need to stop rewarding myself with food. For some dumb reason I think I can food should be the motivator when I need to do other things.

One of the hardest parts of this is creating new habits and trying to say goodbye to the old ones. I ate far too much on the weekend which rolled over to Monday. You would think with the sore stomach, and a backup system I have I would learn. For those few days that I over ate I am now paying for it after I get back on track. That is wildly insane to me.  And what is worse is that I obviously still haven’t learned yet to cut that out. Maybe this week will be better and I wont totally screw myself over.

*** If you would like to support this blog financially you are more than welcome to do so by clicking this link here to bring you to my Ko-Fi website. Supporting the blog via tips is NEVER pressured however if you feel so inclined to help out in another way this is a perfect way to do so! You can see some behind the scenes items as well as insider info on the store updates and uncensored blogs also coming soon!

Working out has been decent. I have slacked in the past week in terms of actually doing it due to the fact I’m pretty I hurt my hip from bring my youngest to bed for an hour which I never want to do ever but some mornings it just is far too early! And then my shoulder was extremely wonky after and that was weird. I have been doing these walk at home videos with Leslie Sansone. They have been going well. I love how easy going they are and accessible too since I watch them on YouTube. Sometimes it is challenging due to the fact one or both kids may be fussy and not napping but I am really pleased overall with how I have been doing those videos pretty regularly.

One of my favorite items to use to workout and get the heart pumping is a skipping rope. Pair this with hand weights for a mini workout when you are a bit crunched for time!

Now fast forward to the last 2 weeks in March. I am kind of looking forward to it but also not. My spouse is away next week from Monday to Friday and the following week from Monday to Thursday. Typically if he is gone like that I barely if at all smoke weed. Which I indent to keep up! It could really effect my binging on food if I’m not smoking weed. I intent to use that time to really hammer down on habits and even blog writing. As well as poetry. I am nearly 2/3rd of the way finished my 3 books.  Once I am done it will be time to organize my poems and prep them for typing as well as edit them roughly on paper. I am so dedicated to making this work it is a little bit insane! But I am so looking forward to it though. I want to really again get a jump on blogs due to the fact my partner is going on parental also for May ,June and July. For those 3 months I will be streaming a bit more often than I normally would. Keeping the same Mon and Fri days but also introducing a Tuesday and Thursday day time stream in the afternoon just for something to do also.

One shake that I found to actually fill me up is slim fast shakes, they are a great meal replacement with a sweet kick added too. When I am needed an added bonus for energy I tend to reach for these Nuun energy tablets.

Overall I think I can be close to my 230lb weight loss goal. We are just over half way through the month and the numbers that I have seen on the scale are re-assuring for sure. I just need to stop feeding my victories with treats and instead maybe reflect and drink some water!!

Setting Up Achievable Goals

Life, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting up goals can be a daunting task. Setting up achievable goals can be even more complicated. Especially if you don’t properly think things through and you are stuck feeling disappointed in yourself by not properly planning. I know I have been here more than once and as a result I give up on certain ones. Or I am way to hard on myself and I am giving up before I am done. Goals can be something very rewarding especially if they are for something you are willing to wait or work for. For me, I don’t think a day goes by that I am not thinking about at least one of my goals. Or at at minimum, working towards achieving it even if for a small amount of time.

Photo by Breakingpic on Pexels.com

Time frames are important for goals for obvious reasons. If you don’t plan it right and you don’t make it in time, you will not succeed. Sorry if that seems to be a bit blunt, it is supposed to be. For example, if you want to lose 50lbs in a month. That is a completely unrealistic goal and by the end of you will begin to feel lost and confused and beating yourself up as to why you are were not successful with this. But if you set a goal of losing 50lbs in maybe a year or a year and a half that is something that you may be able to achieve even before the time frame is up, so to speak. Sometimes things have to have strict timelines, Maybe you are working and have deadlines or maybe you are in school and have particular things like an essay done at the certain date. Having self discipline in order to get tasks done in a timely manner is a skill that most people may have difficulty to maintain. However, once you have this quality valued you will work far more efficiently than if you winged it. We all have been there when we are rushing a project and you know it is not your best work but it is passable.

*** If you would like to support this blog financially you are more than welcome to do so by clicking this link here to bring you to my Ko-Fi website. Supporting the blog via tips is NEVER pressured however if you feel so inclined to help out in another way this is a perfect way to do so! You can see some behind the scenes items as well as insider info on the store updates and uncensored blogs also coming soon!


Not rushing on goals can be beneficial to understand when it comes to creating achievable goals. I know for me, if I wait last minute and I find myself rushed on a project, I know when it is over I regret not putting my all into it. I want to be better on things like planning and not cutting my productivity in half being rushed. This is like blogs, Instead of waiting til I have none already written, I need to be more proactive and writing when I have things scheduled so that I don’t have a period of time when I am scrambling and trying to get some happening. I like to have at least 10 or more blogs already written so I can switch some in and out if the need is there. I feel like if I am rushed in writing blogs sometimes I ramble on or I am not putting the effort in that I need to have and it can be really challenging to put out quality content that I would like to do.

Another thing that I have been trying to do is set up achievable goals for my other writing. By the end of this year I would like to have one book published. I have set up something in terms of a time line, when to have things written, when to edit by, when to release the collect, etc. Setting up this goal has really helped me to stay on track and help me stay motivated towards following this through.

Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com



Being realistic is also one of the most important steps if not THE most important steps as it can tie into so much more that is happening. If you say you want to fly to the moon but have no desire to do the training, save money, practice different tests and drills than saying you are going to fly to the moon is super unrealistic and not something you should expect to happen. If you have a goal to lose weight, as mentioned before and you plan on doing absolutely nothing different than you are doing now chances are you are not going to achieve this goal.

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

Being realistic with yourself is understanding what it is you want to do, and what you are going to need to do to achieve this. Some things take less steps in order to complete compared to others. Some may take many many steps in order to complete. Fully understanding or in the very least understanding that this will be a challenge is a great first step. There will be a lot of learning along the way I am sure however knowing what it is you will need to do in order to achieve that will help you better prepare for the dedication it will take.

I am sure this also goes without saying, just as I am sure many of us have heard this since we were children, you can do whatever you want to do! If you have a drive and a desire to complete a goal no matter how outlandish you are going to succeed. If you really want to do something and there is no outside factors that you are not willing to try to overcome, you really can say that the sky is the limit for you. I know there are many goals I would like to tackle, in fact making this an income making blog is one of them! And how am I going to achieve that one might ask, by doing what I am now, being consistent, and keep going!

3 Shows We Avoid Watching with Our 2 Year Old

Parenting, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When it comes to having your toddler or small child watching TV I think it goes without saying, you are the parent and you decide what they watch or how often they watch it. There is no right or wrong way to allow this to happen. That being said, I have seen places where they talk about not allowing any child under 2 watch TV. This might be particularly challenging if you have multiple children of various ages. Are you going to tell them no to a TV show because they have a younger sibling? Or are you going to compromise and put a TV show om for a period of time. If you decide to put a TV show on, here is the 3 shows we will not be showing in our household.

Photo by Ksenia Chernaya on Pexels.com

The wiggles is a show that I honestly have not seen a whole lot about but know that once you start it can be very obsessive. This is based on the fact that whenever they were doing shows around the world pre-covid people all over my Facebook with small children would be posting how they want tickets or whatever for their little kids. For me, I am not a fan of any type of show that has adults jumping and playing and singing songs the entire time. I will admit I could be way off on this and the show might be OK but in this house we will be doing our best to avoid it at all costs. And before I hear “But Blue’s Clues has an adult doing those things” not really. It has a host yes, but the main character is a puppy ans they learn and do things. There is just something that I want to avoid and shows such as this or even the one that was popular when I was growing up “Imagination Movers” are shows that I would honestly like to avoid when it comes to allowing my child to have any screen time!

**If you like what you are reading through out these blogs, and are looking at ways to financially support the blog, please consider checking out my Ko-Fi link here. You will NEVER be pressured to contribute to towards put any type of money towards the blog however if the thought has crossed your mind, here is a great way to help a stay at home mom provide some financial relief for her family.

Baby Shark or Peppa Pig are shows we also are trying to avoid. For obvious reasons. Now as an adult, Peppa is a spunky pig. But as a child I do not want my kids to be learning how to be spunky and back talk me! Maybe when they are older and want to watch and understand that she is a bit out their in terms of defying her parents sure, but as they are learning no. Another reason why we aren’t watching shows such as Baby Shark is again the obsession it had caused. I heard this song far more often before I had kids due to everyone talking about it or videos being made with the song that I honestly am just over it! We do not need to introduce a song that will lead to an obsession. Sure, they will probably like it. But as an adult, you don’t want to make it a problem where whenever your child is upset you put it on. Or whenever you turn it off you find yourself dealing with a temper tantrum. You as the parent are in control of what your child watches. I personally do not want TV to be an obsession or a way to relieve a tantrum unless maybe your little one is sick. Even then I dont want to rely on a TV show or songs to divert a crisis. My partner and I already sing enough of the Blue’s Clues songs we really do not want to add to that list of songs by these that you hear for months and months after the first are heard!

By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

And, last, but certainly not least. The number one show we will never ever ever play in our home, is Caillou. This kid is a straight up brat. As a teenager or older child we actually made fun of how Caillou was. He whined and cried whenever he did not get his way. His parents kind of let him do it. And when he had a sister Rosie come along it was just the same! This is basically the exact opposite of what type of child we hope to avoid when it comes to raising our children. Not to mention the fact that he still never changes through all of the seasons. Be still wants everything to be about him with everyone around him. His grandparents, neighbors, friends and everything else. The fact that this show has finally also been cancelled due to the fact that the kid is a menace. Apparently some episodes are even banned by PBS due to the fact that the kid is a big old meany. Sure, as kids grow up they have to be able to learn things and explore how to properly behave but when it comes to Caillou there really is no learning in the many episodes where he properly learns to behave with nearly a melt down every single show.

Photo by Vidal Balielo Jr. on Pexels.com

I am sure there are plenty of other shows out there that can be really off putting and parents avoid at all costs. These are just the shows that I will continue to try my best to avoid at all costs. And mentioned in the blog post here where I talk about the top 3 shows we watch, we really limit our TV time with my son. TV shows are not babysitters and if you are going to put something on to grab your child’s attention for a few moments than that is totally fine. My son watches a bit of TV every day but it is never excessive. It is mostly before bedtime or even the occasional moment when I am prepping food or trying to get him to watch something while I run up and down the stairs to switch over loads of laundry on different levels.

Do you allow your child or toddler to watch TV?
Is there any shows that you choose not to allow to be shown in your house?

Let me know in the comments below, I know there must be some I missed!


Pregnancy 34 week update – Nearly THERE!

Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

Firstly, I am SORRY for not updating you all since the half way point, Holy smokes. It really has been that long and I have no idea how time flew by but here we are. I will try to cover as much as possible with out making this boring for you since we are nearing the end of my 2nd pregnancy and it feels insane to think that in however many weeks I will have another little fella in my lap!

During this time we had a second ultrasound which was at 31 weeks. Again, it was great because my boyfriend was able to come along and my dad watched my son til my mom was home from work. it is nice to be able to have family here to be able to help out if need be. Everything at the ultrasound went great. The technician even got us a photo with the 3D technology and we could kind of see his face! I know it sounds craZy and it was! But we are very excited as time inches closer. I will say this, that ultrasound did freak me out a little bit. My son when he was born weighed 6lbs and 12 oZ. This boy, he was measuring 2.5 weeks ahead in growth AND he was currently weighing according to the ultrasound 4lb and 14oZ. So as you can see this is quite the siZe difference from my first son to my second son! I am hoping that he comes early but any time after 36 weeks would be ideal obviously. I will be doing all the little tricks that probably do absolutely nothing just to hope he comes quicker. Like drinking raspberry leaf tea, or sitting on a yoga ball to help him really get into position!

As for how I feel, I would say that I am feeling pretty good though! I feel like sleeping at night is for sure becoming a lost art though with the amount of times I have to get up during the night for varies reasons especially heart burn. Which I am currently on medication for among taking tums here and there. I still find myself waking for varies reasons even if it is just the bathroom or sleeping to long on one of my sides compared to the other side. My body is for sure aching more as it stretches to the max and I am trying to take baths frequently in the evenings to help curb that also too. Overall I have also been trying not to nap in the afternoon because I am enjoying the time my son sleeps as my personal me-time whether that mean I am sewing or getting a bit of gaming in while he naps. Though normally I do have a bit of regret about not sleeping when he naps because towards the end of the day I find myself dragging my butt in the process.

Other than that I feel like I am anxiously awaiting for this little fella to be born. I feel like with my son the last few weeks didn’t really pass quickly but I didn’t think they passed slow either. With this little guy I am anxiously awaiting for him to arrive, again not before 36 weeks but still any time after that would be great due to the fact he was measuring so far ahead. The crunch time to try and get everything ready for him in the process is just that, a process but I feel like I am on a good pace to have everything done and ready for him. I did however have to purchase myself some new pants since the ones I had were getting holes in the thighs as well as it is getting colder and all I had was basically shorts! I will be taking more about the details of prepping for our new baby here once the blog post goes life in a little bit, so keep the eye out for that as well!

One thing I have noticed with this pregnancy is that I look and feel rounder. I know strange but apparently with more pregnancy’s you will grow a bit more in the process since you are already stretched so much as it is from the 1st. I also find myself really trying to focus more on weight loss. Obviously this is a bit away after I am all healed up but I am thinking about how I want to really try to get under what i was pre-pregnancy as far as weight goes and try my best to become a lighter version of me. I feel like I didn’t really over indulge this pregnancy like I did with my son and that is not a bad thing by any means, I just would like to really try to become a better me where I can chase around these two boys in the future and not be winded in the process which is not a good time!

Overall I am really looking forward to the little things. I asked my partner if he was nervous, more or less this time than last and he said he was less nervous because we had already done this before. I said that I was getting nervous and anxious about that as well. I am going into the mind set that I am not trying to be a hero, if I need an epidural than I need one. But I wont be trying to hold out because I never needed one the 1st time. I don’t want to be in agony and pain the entire time to prove a point to no one. I would be lying if the ultrasound measurements didn’t freak me out also since this little one seems to be a lot bigger than his brother was! Though measurements can be off to some extent also that is known to happen too.

Were you still just as nervous the second time you or a loved one was pregnant
How were you feeling towards the end too

Let me know in the comments below! I would love to hear anyone`s thoughts

October Update 2021

Life, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Welp here we are! I am a few days late but that is totally okay by me. This have been hectic to say the least however let’s break it down for the month in review!

Streaming is yet again, om the back burner for me. With everything I have legit no desire to be sitting in front of the computer. The computer chair that I have is also not very comfortable so sitting there even for a little bit starts to hurt my back just as it did with my 1st pregnancy.  I think going forward I would drop streams to 2x per week. On Mondays and Friday’s. If I want to do more the option is always there and if I don’t want to do more than I don’t need to. I still love streaming don’t get me wrong, but I want to spend my time doing productive things that can begin to make money for my family. Not to mention, I have really not been into playing dead by daylight like I once was. The game has gotten stake for me and I have nearly no desire to play it. I am still on the fence with content if I want to just play solo games or if i would like to start doing more crafting/just chatting streams into the mix also. Adding crafting into the mix would mean that I am able to do more in terms of potentially making money for my family. I’m not stressing over it as we wait for the birth of our second child but all are ideas that I am having do cross my mind! With that being said I also would like to revamp my discord server. While healing from this pregnancy that may be the only thing I try to regularly use. I want to bring back a simplistic and society/community based theme to bring people together. Streaming for little to no financial reward is challenging at best. Especially when I feel like I do have skills that I could be using to better financially support myself and bring in a few dollars to the house. I miss being able to work and have a pay check but I also love staying at home as a mom. I just need to think creatively and figure out a way to make it happen!

If you also haven’t noticed, since the move I have been majorly slacking on the blog too. Why? I have no idea. I normally do really well with writing and pre-writing things out so I can get things written efficiently. I have not done that. I need to though because I would really like to make sure that I can get things going for when our second son is born that they can be scheduled and just consistent. Just like before when I did this with my 1st pregnancy, only last time I wrote strictly about streaming and now I barely even touch on that unless it is my monthly updates! I will really be trying to hammer down on building another handful of  logs to schedule while writing about subjects that also come up in life too. I think in 2022 I will be attempting to do blogs 3x per week. I feel like I also need to research a lot more about SEO and how I can better make my blogs seen by people too!

And lastly, our home update! Everything upstairs is basically painted! A few walls in the new babies room need to be done, and then after the front entry if the house needs to be done but that is for now. Oh and the floors in the bedrooms also need to be done but the main hallway, dining area and living room floors are done which is huge! And the kitchen and bathroom and front entry floors also need to be done. And the baseboards because the ones with the carpet were all different and we want them to be the same (Obviously!). Downstairs will have to wait til the time comes when we use it more. I also feel a bit of a rush with the due date approaching to get everything ready and prepared for the birth! I am so happy with the house turning out to be ours. It is crazy to think how it was and where it has gone with us updating things. Just getting rid of the carpet in the main living areas has been such a huge change!

As you can see things have been happening here in my life, I just have not been able to find times update people on it though! I am enjoying the last bits of peace and quiet til we have our new sin with us into the world. Update in that also coming soon too! As the time approaches where we will have him I have an increase in anxiety and increase in nervousness. I think that is okay natural though. Thankfully I have been keeping use with crafting and planning and sewing to prep for the new year. Sometimes one of the hardest things for me is the fact I have so many ideas and not enough time in the run of a day to finish everything! Even an extra hour the day would be great. Let’s not forget too, as this baby is growing so is the need to run to the washroom every 2 hours at night which is drastically cutting into my sleep schedule! And on top of that while my son naps I have been, more often than not also napping too! Even an hour seem to help me feel a little bit caught up!

Here is to hoping that I can get back on track and make things happen more and more in prep for the year coming up!

How has things been going in your life?

Did you have a great summer? How has fall even treating you also?

Let me know in the comments below!