Living Life Simply

Things Kids Say!!

2012-02-01T13:37:00.001-08:00

I have a bunch of grumpy sick kids in the daycare this week.
They all seem to be suffering from some sort of flu/cold virus so most of them are parked
on the couches and chairs in the living room and just taking it easy..

Except for one little guy who is 5 and he is feeling fine. He wanted me to take him outside for a walk today and I explained I couldn't because everyone else was sick.
He told me I was a lousy babysitter and uninvited me to all his future birthday parties.
I tried really hard to keep from laughing, and succeeded as I walked into the kitchen..

Five minutes later I heard the 2 little girls arguing over who is going to get which blanket, and they were trying to exchange toys to get the right blanket… All I heard was, you are a midget terrorist, and one little girl walked away and gave up..
There is never a dull moment around here..

Fast Food Is Toxic?

2012-01-27T12:24:00.001-08:00

I read something to day that almost made me cry.. A 17 year old girl was taken to the hospital, after she collapsed and was struggling to breathe..
You can read the full story here

Apparently the mother has been feeding the girl nothing but Chicken Mcnuggets since she was 2 years old? What the heck? She admitted over the years that she has tried to feed her other things, but the daughter wouldn’t eat it? Who is the parent here?
Children can be finicky eaters, lord knows all 3 of mine are but they won’t starve..
It may be a battle of the wills, but a child will eat when they are extremely hungry.

I know kids have their likes and dislikes, but to only let them eat what they want is nuts..
Running a daycare for a lot of years, and my own 3 kids has taught me more than I want to know about picky eaters. I have given kids different nutritious choices and that’s it…
All of them will eat when they are hungry. One of my kids hates bananas, another hates oranges, but they love most other fruits so I work around that..

You an read the article for all the damages that this poor girl has suffered due to eating
this way, it’s really saddening to see such a young life on the brink of disaster.
Years ago when I was still a spendthrift, I used to think nothing of taking my kids through the fast food drive thru to make my life “easier”, as money was not a concern then.
I quickly realized that a few times in doing this, my happy go lucky kids, turned into surly little rude monsters and I couldn’t figure out why..

I knew I have a food sensitivity to some chemicals and I know a lot are found in packaged foods.. I had been making things from scratch my whole life to avoid feeling sluggish.
I never one considered it for my kids. dumb i know…
One day the light bulb clicked on, and the next night after taking the kids to the drivethru I fed them a regular homemade dinner and got my regular happy kids back.
I feel sorry for this poor teenager and the life choices her mother and her have made..

Cold Enough For Me!!

2012-01-16T13:54:00.001-08:00

As if wasn’t bad enough that last week we got a huge dump of snow, this week Mother Nature in all her wisdom has decided to drop the temperatures here dramatically.

That is what happened to my neighbour down the road when he was working at a camp out of town.. He had to get a bobcat in there to cut a path through the frozen snow to get his truck out.. It cost him a pretty penny for that too..
Glad I have a covered carport, still not a full warmer garage but better than nothing..
For the next 5 day highs of –16 F and lows of –32 F, glad I have extra money set aside for my gas bills.. Now if I owned this home I would have put it a wood stove a long time ago.. I miss the gentle heat of the wood stove..
This cold snap is not expected to last longer than a week, it wouldn’t be so bad,the sun is shining brilliantly, it’s the high winds that are making it bitter cold…
Time to do some more baking and warm up the house and kids tummies..

Daycare Client From Hell!!

2012-01-09T03:39:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a day! Today I had an interview set up with a new client who wanted to come and check out my daycare today to see if it was appropriate for her 18 month old son..
The weather has been really snowy lately, and it has started to melt, and the result is a lot of mud.. Anyone who comes into my home removes their shoes, period, no exceptions. There is a big basket of bootie style slippers by the door for those who don’t want to walk around in just socks. I have enough work to do and mopping floors all hours of the day is certainly not one of those things. She grudgingly took off her shoes, after I pointed out the fact that clean floors are better for he son if he sits down..

I should have known it wasn’t going to go well the minute she kicked my cat, although rather gently, with her foot, because as she put it, “he was a dirty animal…
First of all we had discussed on the phone that I had a pet, some people are allergic to animals, so I tell them up front…My cat is the most lovable, easy tolerant cat you could ever hope to find, he loves kids and follows them around like a little puppy…
He is an indoor cat who never goes outdoors, and I believe children and pets go together, teaches them responsibility,and to care for someone other than themselves.

Next she proceeded to grill me about the food choices I serve, which are all pretty healthy, most things are made from scratch, lots of fruit and veggies, and even gave her a sample menu of the food I serve during a week.. Not good enough, her son will only eat boxed stuff and quick frozen dinners.. And he won’t nap by himself, and adult has to sleep with him.. I told her that was impossible since I can’t do that as I have other kids to look after.. Then she asked me for an ashtray so she could have a cigarette in my house..

Man I was getting pissed.. I politely told her I don’t smoke, it’s not good for children to be around smoke and if she really needed one she could go outside on my covered patio.
She whined that it was cold out, but she went anyways, then came back in and told me I should reconsider my smoking stance..nope not gonna happen.
It may be your right to smoke if you wish, but not in my home. The health of my kids is more important to me than your darn cigarette..

Never yet had she even introduced me to her son, she just plopped him in the corner by the toybox and left him there.. I like to interact with the child a little bit just so they feel more comfortable.. Nope, she just ignored him completely, not a good sign..
Then she handed me a schedule for her son, umm I didn’t know what to say.
He had all sorts of activities and lessons scheduled, he needed a chauffer, not a sitter..
I will not drive someone’s child to 3 different places in a day, this is a daycare not a private nanny.. She also mentioned that he would be paying me monthly, not bi-weekly and she didn’t like my contract, which states that, and the fact that I require a weeks deposit, which gets returned with interest, when the child leaves my daycare…

At this point, I had had enough of her extremely condescending attitude and demands and politely said that I didn’t think that my daycare would be a suitable place for her needs. Those were my exact words to her. I felt like saying, get your snotty attitude and outrageous demanding butt out of my house… But I didn’t…
I made it clear that I had things to do, when she realized I wasn’t interested, she got really defensive and said, we are wealthy, we can place our son anywhere but you came highly recommended. I thanked her, but said no thanks.
At this point she became belligerent, I said leave or I will call the cops, you are disturbing the kids here, and as she left, she managed to get in a snide remark about lack of class..
Lady, if that is the class you have along with all your money, I’ll take my blue collar lifestyle and happily keep it… Now off to go for a long walk tonite and cool off a bit!!

New Year’s Resolution or Time For A Change?

2012-01-06T03:06:00.001-08:00

I looked back at the last year and the way things are going with my life, and for the most part I am fairly happy but there is a small gnawing feeling in the bottom of my stomach.
As much as I like the life I live which is simple to most friend, by their standards anyway,
I feel like I need some sort of change..

Just not sure what kind of change just yet?
I’m not sure, but I know I want to change something, maybe just as simple as de-cluttering a bit more, or maybe even a career change, time to maybe close the daycare and do something else..
It’s hard to figure out what I want to so right now, going to take a bit of time, and decide exactly what it is I want to do and change…

My oldest, will be graduating high school next year, and I have been getting caught up in the excitement of her plans, this is a child who has planned her grad, since she started high school, lol, I wish I had her planning skills at times…
I was looking at the cost of graduation dresses, and the other associated costs, and oh my what a shock.. Time to start putting away extra money now, and hopefully I will be able to afford a cup of coffee after her graduation is done.
In the meantime, off to ponder what this feeling of change I need really is..

The Christmas Countdown Is On.

2011-12-22T13:24:00.001-08:00

Slowly but surely things are winding down here, the daycare is now closed for the holiday, and the whole house has been cleaned top to bottom. I’ve had to lock my bedroom door to keep my teens from looking in there, the presents are all wrapped but I still don;t need them in there snooping..

I still have to buy a few small last minute gifts and some more garlands just for decorating. I’m having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year, just a lot of different factors happening I guess, but the kids are all excited so that all spills over.
We went for a drive last nite to look at the Xmas lites around town and it was a blast.

We went thru Tim Horton’s drive thru and got hot chocolate and donuts for everyone, and spent an hour driving around town looking at the various lights.
Not very frugal I know but sometimes, simple things can be worth it.
Have a great day Everyone!!!

Christmas Doldrums and Dissapointments

2011-11-28T01:50:00.000-08:00

With less than a month to go and 3 kids to shop for, I made the first trek of many to the malls to buy gifts for them. Now our family has never been big on buying extravagant gifts, the kids will each get a couple of major presents that they wanted and then just regular gifts. They are still happy to get new pj's and slippers for christmas, as it's still a gift and something new for them, that they didn't already have and I know their tastes, even the oldest teenager..

Enjoying a few quiet hours to myself, while I left the 3 of them at home cleaning up the house, I was looking forward to doing the shopping. I stopped and got a hot chocolate and sat down and enjoyed the lights and decorations, and the non-stop christmas music coming from every corner.
Needless to say my good mood didn't last too long, have people gone crazy or am I some sort of social misfit that doesn't belong on today's planet...

All 3 of my kids have been asking for footie pj's, yes the kind that 1 years old wear but it appears to be the latest craze and if it keeps their feet warm, I'm all for it. I was going to order them online, but at $40 each they were a bit pricey.
I found them in a discount store for $15 each so I was looking for a pair for all 3 of them, and a lady commented on the fact that I was buying them in all different sizes. I remarked I had 3 kids two teens and an 8 yr old, and getting a pair of each for christmas. She instantly wrinkled her nose and I couldn't believe what she said next.. You must be poor if you are getting your children pyjamas for presents.
I was so stunned I didb't know what to say, I'm just glad she walked away before my sarcasm got the better of me and I opened my mouth and said something I was going to really regret..

I am certainly not rich, but we are far from poor, we have a full freezer, my bills are paid in full every month, I own a 4 yr old SUV outright, have no debts, have a emergency fund for 6 months of expenses and we are doing ok. Yes I may rent a home, instead of owning one, but with the cost of upkeep, taxes and everything else factored in, it's a lot cheaper and being a single mom of 3, the bank is not too happy to give me a loan, I do qualify for one, but choose not too.

While we may not have the latest and greatest, both kids have their own laptops, there is a huge TV in the living room to watch, and a smaller one in my room, in case there is squabbling or 2 good shows on at the same time.
You can walk into my house at any time, the house is tidy, the furniture is clean, not new, but comfy, no rips or scratches,and we're all usually dressed in jeans and t-shirts.. Yes we all have nice clothes, but at home we relax and dress comfy..

I have never considered us poor, and I know my teenagers may gripe about not having the latest and greatest like some of their friends, but it's part of the age things, and I tell them if they want something bad enough, get a job and work for it, like everyone else. Heck, it seems that the kids favorite part is raiding the stockings, a tradition I started when they were little, a lifesaver candy book, a toblerone chocolate bar, a pack of shortbread cookies, bubble bath, yes even my son likes his bubbles, a mall box of after eight mints, and a small picture of each of them I took throughout the year and put in a small frame and a small card explaining why I loved that pic of them, mommy memories I call it..

We get up on Christmas day, make a huge breakfast then open presents, my kids are much happier on a full tummy and more willing to help me clean up later. We have always looked fondly on this holiday, happy with our gifts, content with the knowledge of the turkey cooking in the oven for dinner, good friends and family to share the holiday season with, and just happy that we are all healthy and together, and that life is good.
So the the lady in the mall who told me I was poor to be buying my kids footie pj's for presents, I wonder what kind of expectations you are setting up your children up to have? Does everything have to be expensive, do they appreciate the little things and are they thankful for what they do have.
I know my kids are, thank you for reminding me of that after I got over my shock!!

I Miss My Friend

2011-11-18T00:54:00.000-08:00

I lost my best friend at the beginning of the summer.
Her name was Tara and she was my beloved 9 yr old German shepherd.
She was an beloved member of our family, and I still miss her greatly.
I can still remember the day so crystal clear, the day I got her..
There had been a bunch of burglaries in the area where I live and being a single mom of 3 and the youngest was only a year old, I was a bit scared of being alone..
A good friend of mine who is a dog trainer, and works for security companies with his dogs, said he would help me out if I put in the time to attend the training.

I jumped at his offer, and just to test me to see if I was serious he gave me some of the toughest and miserable dogs he had to try and help train. No problem for me, little did he know at the time that I have a way with animals and sometimes prefer them over people.. One day he brought me this beautiful sable german shepherd, a true purebred if I had ever seen one. He told me there was only one problem with her, she had an attitude and didn't like to listen to anyone. I took one look at her and it was an instant bond, for some crazy reason it was just meant to be.
My friend had never seen anything life it either, this dog was deemed vicious, un-coperative, and stubborn.. I took her off leash, and put her through her training paces, she did it all with me just whispering the commands.
She had been doing security patrol with him but once he saw her with me, that dog was mine. I made Tara make me a promise, that she would never leave my side until she knew I was ready and strong enough, to stand on my own two feet..

Tara knew her place in the household, she did not sleep on beds or furniture preferring to sleep on her own bed or at the foot of the kids beds. I don't think she ever slept, always on patrol protecting her family. Anytime the Suv started up she would be waiting to jump in the back, she loved car rides, and had to be with her people. The dog who was deemed vicious by some trainers, was the most loving , caring , gentle, patient do I have ever seen in my life around children.
She just loved them to pieces, and the feeling seemed to be mutual..

She was fine the day she passed away, there were no signs at all, she was still eating, drinking, and behaving normally the weeks prior.
All I know is she came inside, whines and me and collapsed, I took one look at her and I just knew it was bad. I rushed her to the vets office 15 in away, but the vet took one look at her and agreed it was bad and we put her to sleep..
All of my kids were there, we were al bawling but we got to say goodbye.
A massive tumor that had been on her spleen had burst and take my furry protector from me, and I just wasn't ready for it..
I am still tearing up even know as I write this so I will stop and come back and edit this tomorrow..

Slowly Coming back

2011-11-16T03:08:00.001-08:00

I guess I should have been blogging but so many changes have happened and it just seemed
that life has been one big merry go round for the last few months I guess I just sort of withdrew.
I withdrew from everyone friends, people I used to love being with, everyone except for my kids and
even they seemed to notice that I wasn't my usual cheerful self.

Sometimes when you have so much thrown at you and you don't know where to turn, and you're a single parent shouldering the burden alone, it can be very daunting and scary to put on a brace face for the world, and let them think you are alright, when in reality inside you feel like you are crumbling.

But I guess sometime the anonymity of blogging, people know little snippets and pieces of your life but they don't know the real you, can help you to find a new bearing, a new way of looking at things,
and make the journey of going back to who you were a lot easier.
So I guess I will be coming back, slowly and trying to make sense of this life and back to living simply and back to my core values and beliefs.

School Bans Homemade Lunches?

2011-05-09T14:38:00.000-07:00

Recently a friend of mine sent me an email, and it got my blood pressure up.
It seems that a public school in Chicago has now banned homemade lunches?
Full story here Seriously what are they thinking?

For the parent of the children at this school who don"t qualify for the free or reduced lunches, the charge is $2.25 a day.. Multiply that by a couple of kids and
the cost can add up very quickly. The students can eat the cafeteria lunch or go hungry, and only those children with allergies can bring their own lunch.

In reading the article further I found other schools, that had banned items such as chocolate milk, couldn't bring a drink from home, as they provided ice water at school, and one school in Arizona
seems to have taken it way too far, at least I think so..

If I had to pay for school lunches because I couldn't send a homemade one I would go broke very quickly, having 2 teenagers who eat a lot, I would probably have to double their lunches.. They eat a lot but they are also active kids, and the amount that they eat would cause me to go broke rather quickly.
In this politically correct world, what else will they think of next?

Early Morning Musings.

2011-04-20T05:06:00.001-07:00

For some strange reason I am up a hour early this morning, wide awake and contemplating life.
Coffee is on, bread is baking in the bread machine for breakfast and I am content.
It took me a lot of years to get to this point, and sometimes I wonder how I ever did.
I look around me and see people rushing around trying to make ends meet, endless merry go round of nonstop errands
and crazy schedules..

I know my life gets hectic with 3 kids, 2 of them teens, and running a daycare, and being a single mom, but it all works.
I don’t have time to run to the store for a loaf of bread, I buy 25lbs bags of flour and use my bread machine.
I don’t always have time to make the perfect dinner I want but a crockpot is a lifesaver, and I can add a salad quickly.
My house is tidy, it will never pass a white glove test, but that’s ok, we are happy.
All I know right now is, I hear children softly snoring, the cold rain coming down outside, and my house is warm.
We all have our health, we have a roof over our heads, bills are paid for another month, we have a pantry full of food.
I’d say we are pretty lucky, now I am off to enjoy my coffee in peace and ponder the rest of the day.

Those Three Little Words.

2011-03-28T11:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to visit a friend of mine who lives on acreage about 30 minutes out of town. With our hectic schedules and her living out so far, we don't always have the time to get together as often as we would like. She has 3 boys under the age of 4, so time to even sit down for her is at a premium.
She invited me to spend the afternoon with her and stay for dinner, and off I went with the dog and myself. All my kids were off at friends houses, seeing as how we had spring break here for the last week, so it was going to be quiet and fun and time to catch up on what was happening in our lives.

The fun part in getting out there was the muddy 2 mile road into her place.
It is a gravel road, but with all the snow starting to melt it made for one big huge messy drive, I didn't realize that much mud, could cover an Suv.
Of course once we got there my dog was happy to go off and play and explore, she had 10 acres to run free and doggie friends to play with.

Sheila's boys had just gone down for a nap so we had some time to actually sit down and chat, and catch up on life. Coffee and her homemade peanut butter cookies and I was in heaven and forgot all about my diet. I know, I am ashamed of myself today, but it was so worth it..
As we were talking she started the yeast rising, saying she had to make bread, only one loaf left. With 3 little boys who eat non-stop and a husband who could put any lumberjack to shame, I can see why she had to get busy baking.
All of a sudden out comes this big bowl and in goes all the flour and the rest of the stuff and she starts mixing it all by hand.

I was dumbfounded. I aslked her why she just didn't use a Kitchenaid Mixer.
She just spoke those 3 little words "I don't have one.!
It just hit me like a ton of bricks, I thought everyone who baked a lot had one, I have 2 of them, a smaller one that was given to me for Christmas one year by my ex-husband, and a newer bigger one I bought myself with my tax refund a few years ago, so I could make more goodies for my own kids and spend less time in the kitchen. Its much easier to make 4 loaves of bread at a time instead of 2. And nothing beats the tasted of homemade goodies

I pitched in and helped her knead the bread, boy been a long time since I have done that, and actually enjoyed it. On the drive back home I was thinking about those 3 little words, and what it meant to me. I know Sheila is saving up for her Kitchenaid, but it is still another month before she gets hers.

I spent a lot of time last night mulling things over in my head. I know sometimes when I want something and cant afford it, I will put it on my goals list and start saving money for it, until I can afford to buy it, but sometimes I can be a bit grumpy if I cant buy it now..
Yet watching Sheila yesterday, and how simplistic it was to her, she just made do until she can afford one, made me feel a bit ashamed of myself for being grumpy. I do and am thankful for all I have, but sometimes it gets to me, and I want things, while Sheila just accepts it so matter of factly, made me really think about my goals and what I want, and how much I really need the next best thing whether I can afford it or not.
Guess it's time to go take the dog for a walk, enjoy the sunshine before the kids all get home from school, and do some thinking..

Spring Is Here Already? Really?

2011-03-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

Well it seems the calendar says it is spring already?
It seems like I missed the memo and slept through it all
We still have over 3 feet of snow in the back yard, and other than the fact
its a beautiful sunny day, you would think it's still winter..
Ah the joys of living in a northern climate..

I am so ready to get started and do some spring cleaning and organizing, but when you can't get to the shed in the backyard to store stuff, and the snowplows in town are all still busy, then time to relax and do some other stuff..
I guess today will be a day of baking, and working online for a client to get his website finished. And of course conquering the vast mountain of laundry.

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I don"t know what it is about spring, I want to hang the laundry outside for that nice clean smell.. I am ready to go start digging in the garden and feel the warm earth between my fingers. I want to go get some paint and start painting the porch.. So many things to be done and they are going to have to wait until this weather warms up.
How are things in your neck of the woods? Is spring there yet?

Reflections

2011-03-15T12:16:00.000-07:00

Looking back now, running a daycare was one of the most hectic, but certainly most rewarding time of my life. I was there for my kids every day if they needed something, most of my daycare kids, were either there overnight or afternoon shift, and I had a full house of little helpers which made life easier.
It was funny how the kids got used to my simpler lifestyle.

One of their favorite activities was always helping in the kitchen, seems too many of their parent never had the time to teach them, or it was just so much easier to do it themselves? I never really knew.
I used to cut up apple slices, celery stalks, put out peanut butter, or pizza fixin"s, basically an English muffin that they could customize, and the kids all had fun building their own snacks.
I never had complaints of "you don"t have any real food", referring to the sugary snack things most of them were used to.

I cut up oranges and cantaloupe one day, and one little boy did not know what it was. He thought orange juice came from the factory, and that cantaloupe was a small pumpkin. Oh boy, was he ever surprised to find out different.
It was a shock to me as well, the food that was not eaten was put into storage containers, and back in the fridge. I used to get looks of astonishment sometimes from my little charges as they told me their moms just threw the leftovers away. Wow, I couldn?t afford to be that wasteful.

Most of the kids were also amazed that I had a dishwasher and didn't use it that much. With that many of them around after school, it would have taken too long. It was faster to fill a sink of soapy water, another sink of clear water, and just start washing and rinsing, and there were always volunteers to help.
One little boy who was only 6 loved to sit on the counter and dry the dishes, and his older sister loved to stand there beside him and put them away.
These were kids whose parents said that they wouldn't lift a finger at home, or even clean their rooms.. sure could have fooled me. I just made it clear we all worked as a team, I wasn't superwoman, and I needed help.
They all pitched in and we had fun, talking and laughing while we were doing all the chores. Almost like an extended second family.

Where Did I Wrong Part 2?

2011-03-04T11:42:00.000-08:00

So after being married for awhile, we succumbed to the pressure of my husband's family and bought a house, which meant high mortgage payments and upkeep..
We were constantly trying to make more money, it didn't sit well with me.
Fast forward ten years, I got divorced the house was sold, and I was on my own with 2 kids and life was not easy but it was good.
Two years later I meant someone who would turn out to be the love of my life, but sometimes it doesn"t work out the way you want it to.
Loving someone enough to let them go because you have to is the hardest thing I have ever done.

I found out I was expecting a baby girl and he chose not to be a part of her life.
That was his loss, as she has turned out to be an amazing funny, smart, precocious child.. They always say wait until you have your own kids, then you will know how crazy they can drive you.. This is so true.
The other 2, girl and boy, were ok, this last one was the one to give me gray hair.. and a lot of it..

So here I was with a 12 yr old, and 8 yr old, and a newborn. I had enough savings for a year, and no idea what I was going to do for work, or which direction I wanted to go in, but something had to change I wanted to stay home and raise my kids, there just wasn't enough hours in the day to get thing done the way I wanted them to. That was when the little voice inside me was starting to say, enough, you have too much on your plate..

So I got my daycare license and started a daycare. Because I had a great landlord, (was renting a big old house at the time) he didn't mind, I kept up the property, and he had a great tenant.
I had the room for kids, had security clearance, my first aid certificate, and a lot of room in the house. I quickly found out that a lot of people needed afternoon or overnight care and were willing to pay well for it.
I drew up a contract and made sure my stipulations were covered and I was in business, and it worked well.

Where Did I Go Wrong?

2011-02-24T10:58:00.000-08:00

Growing up as a child it was just my dad and I. We didn't have a lot of luxuries but there was always food in the house, I had clothes, the house was warm, and there was a TV to watch, books to read, furniture to sit on, and I was content.
If the furniture was 10 yrs old and clean, I didnt know any better.All of my friends pretty much lived the same way. A few that had money seemed snobby to us so we didn't hang around with them that much.

We had to make a few sacrifices here and there, if we wanted to go skiing for a weekend I knew my dad would work a few overtime shifts for extra money, and I had to do my share and keep the house clean and cook meals. I was a pretty good cook by the time I was 11 and could bake better than a lot of adults.
It was fun for me, I enjoyed cooking and my dad was a great teacher..

When did the tide change that I got caught up in the consumerism of the world? Even when I was a teenager and was working 25 hours a week after school I still was quite frugal and saved most of my money, buying only things I really needed or saving for vacations. It was just what we did back then.
Looking back I guess it was when I first met my husband that things started to change somewhat, in my mind, and through peer pressure from his siblings.

He was one of 8 kids so by the time he got married all of his siblings were also married and has started families, and had bought houses etc.
We were comfortable in our 2 bedroom apartment, the rent was very reasonable and it was home to us and it was all we needed at the time.

Part 2 coming later on...

A Rude Awakening

2011-02-23T13:58:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you wake up in the morning and it really just hits you like
a freight train coming straight at you.
Where and when did I lose touch with myself, and what was really important to me? When did I fall into the mass consumerism trap that society now is?

I never used to be like that, I had always been one to follow the beat of
my own drum, never a person who lived by society's mainstream rules.
I was different from others and I was ok with that.
So where did I fall into the line and take y place with others?

Could it have been when I got married and had kids that I fell into the same trap as everyone else and wanted it all, no matter what the cost?
When did my values and things that were important to me really change?
When did I just sit back and let life start living me, instead of living the life
I wanted to live, and doing it my way and making a difference.

I honestly don"t know, but I do know it is now time to go back and find
the real me and the values and ideals that are important to me.
This blog I guess will be the record of that journey.