The struggle

I'm not going to get into the whole 'it's been a while' thing. So I will just go right into why I came on here to blog 

I want to pour my heart out. My dream as a child was to be a wife and mom. God knew. I met my husband while I was in grade 11 and started getting to know him as I entered my final year of high school. Most of you know, he's 6 years older than me. He was in university. We married a month and a half after I finished Grade 12. My thoughts weren't for career, but for motherhood. I worked part time at our CFL team store as well as summer at the local drive in movie theatre (no longer in business). I took a course from home on early childhood development. So my thoughts were to work in a day care or have my own day care. I started nannying for two different families and all was well. 

Nearly 2 years of marriage we decided it was time to start our family. We got pregnant immediately!  After having our first, 18 yrs ago, I started doing child care  part time in my house. After having child #2, 16 yrs ago, I stopped doing child care. Fast forward to about 5 yrs ago. Hubby lost his job, and we had to start at the bottom of the barrel pay wise. I started a newspaper delivery job. Five o'clock in the morning, 6 days a week. Not fun, but the money helped. 

I struggled after my dad passed away.  I didn't want to do anything. I looked into doing child care again. An opportunity came, one child part time, 4 yrs old. Perfect. Exactly what I wanted!  Paid more than papers too. After a month or so, I thought I could do more. Picked up 2 - one year olds. Had that for a few months. One ended abruptly, and the other stayed on. Anyways, it all came to an end eventually. The 4 yr old started full time school, and they didn't need me anymore. And the other I just stopped , tired of the lack of communication. Then I picked up another, part time. But that didn't last long. Fast forward to today. 

Kids are growing up, my youngest just turned 13. Oldest is on the verge of graduating. In as little as 5-6 years we could be empty nesters. I feel like I need to get a job. About 10 yrs ago I looked into medical transcription (MT), but at the time, it was too expensive. Some friends of mine, like 4 or 5 now, have recently taken the course & are working from home doing MT. I have tossed around the idea again. As well as going out of the house to work. I just don't want to leave the house. I like the idea of working from home. I just feel like I won't be able to do it. I don't want to fail.  If you read this, I could use your prayers. I always said I NEVER wanted to go back to school.  The course is a year long. I'd be going back to school. 

  A recent picture, from 13 yr olds birthday. We went for a drive and did our 40th geocache. 

If you made it this far - Thanks for listening/reading. 

Family time is the best!

I'm clinging to every day when we are all together for the next while. Because before we all know it, they will be off on their own adventure we call life. So I will steal anytime I can with them, all!  Today we went for a bike ride, 17 km bike ride that is. It was so fun. Yes I'm tired, yes I'm sore. But we were together, biking. I wish I had a picture of us all. But I do have one of son, up on an old bridge. 

I won't tell you what he told me about being scared.  

Biking. Something I kinda avoided for like 20 years, but I actually kind of love it. I do. It's a great workout cause you can get in more km in less time than walking & be done faster! 

Someday I want to do a bike tour, don't tell hubby, cause I told him I doubt I'd be able to do that. 

I thought I've posted since then

But I guess I haven't. I have been meaning to. That counts right?  I was reading a friends blog recently, and it inspired me!  

Not a whole lot has been going on around here, well....maybe there has. This has been by far the busiest summer on record!  Kid in Mexico, kids helping with camp, kid at my sisters. Almost 2 weeks with no kids...1 full week without kids, it was nice. Someday, before we know it, this will be our reality. No kids here. I recommend having a vacation at home sometime without kids!  It's definitely enjoyable! 

I actually was able to organize my craft room.  The before mess WAS NOT ME!  It was pretty much ALL my youngest crafter. 

BEFORE

AFTER

I painted, cleaned, and organized! We made the kids a new table, used curtains to hide hubby's messy corner!  I organized my stamps & ink pads too!  

I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!  If you are looking for me, I'll be down there! 

While the kid was in Mexico, we redid her  room (which I decided to do the day before she left) it was a surprise!  She LOVES it!  Says it's exactly what she wanted!  I didn't take a before shot until all the stuff was in the middle of the room. 

BEFORE 

AFTER

I love the way it turned out!  Now when the other kids go away, they run to their room when they get home....I'm done painting for a while!  Two rooms in less than two weeks!  Phew. 

Well that's good for today!  There is 5 day club going on at my house today. And right now they are screaming a bible verse outside!  It's awesome!  

Christmas time is here again!

Just like every other year, we run around finding just the right gift for the right person. 

The hustle & bustle is just enough to make a sane person, well, insane. But we actually got done remarkably early, thank goodness. I just have a little baking to do & food prep for the turkey dinner with the hubbies fam jam.

We have the usual traditions & made some new traditions this year. 

A new one is the person who picks the winning team & closest score for the CFL grey cup game gets to pick out the Christmas tree!  Noah was the winner this year,  to which he was very thrilled for, he LOVES Christmas!  

Lovely tree

Baking is another tradition, and I've made a few things. I made something that I failed at last year. 

It's called sponge toffee or sea foam candy. Or Crunchy Bar. It was D-lish. 

Dipped it and gave some away to my family!  

I made some yummy homemade turtles, sugar cookies, whipped short bread & tarts too, but didn't get a picture!  

The last two years I haven't really been very excited for Christmas.  This year, I'm so excited.  Mostly cause we will be all together, giving thoughtful gifts & celebrating the real reason for Christmas!  

Our traditions will continue tomorrow, Christmas Eve, we will have pizza, go to church for the candlelight service, and then drive around to look at lights. We will come home and open a present, which is usually PJs. Maybe watch a movie or play a game & antisipate what the next day will bring us under the tree & in our stocking!  I'm so excited!  

I pray you & your family will have a blessed & memorable Christmas.  That Gods blessing will be with you wherever you may go to celebrate the birth of our saviour Jesus Christ!! 

Merry Christmas from our little family to you & yours!!  God Bless!

Well, that was fun...

NOT. 

OY.  I survived, we survived. And I have realized that as much as I LOVE LOVE LOVE kids, I'm not cut out for full time child care. Part time is way better for me & my family!  

It was a long year.  Full time for two one year olds. And part time (full time summer) for a 5 yr old. We were blessed to have had the opportunity, for sure. And I truly believe it has helped my kids, tremendously.  They have grown up with very little opportunity to be around very little kids. And didn't have nearly as many babysitting jobs as I did as a teenager. But this last year has opened many opportunities for the kids. Emm has a part time in home child care job for 3 kids, one of which has been diagnosed with autism. Alexa has a weekly babysitting job and it just right for her at this moment in her life. 

AND, we are officially done with paper delivery at 5:30 every morning. That ended in May of this year. Phew!  The Leader Post made some changes, which I've since heard has been a poor choice, and they were expecting the carriers to pick up the papers at a central location & then still have them to be delivered by 7am. No way was I letting my 16 yr old daughter going out at 5am to a location where who knows who would be there!?  Right!!?  But, Noah & Breanna picked up a flyer route, which is just 3 days a week and not by 7am!!  So everyone is making money. Except me now....

Life seems busy and we don't have very many extracurricular activities. But the calendar seems to fill up fast. 

Christmas is less than a month away. 

New Year's Eve is always exciting, our oldest will be 17 this yr. This could have been her last year of school. That would have been cray cray. But we held her back a year. As much as I sometimes wish she was in grade 12 with all the other 1997 babies, I am glad she has another year before she's graduated. Ok, I'm gonna stop talking about this now, I'm getting nauseous!!

A little update from our family!   I wanna try to write more than 2 or 3 blog posts a year, but I wanna know who my audience is....who are you??  Tell me below in the comments section!!  

January

Has come & gone. It was an eventful month!

We did some traveling & had a sleepover at my moms!  It was so much fun!!  I can't wait to go again! 

  

My boy turned 14!!  He got a punching bag for his birthday. 

Super Bowl food was eaten while we watched the commercials err, the game. Ya. 

Snuggling

Green smoothies!!  I need to do more of these, I felt sooo good when I drank these last year!!

Some baking was devoured.  

A little bit if a warm spell, to enjoy some of this. 

Coffee. 

Curling. 

Okay, the last few were February. But I'm kinda caught up ish. 

HAPPY February. Soon to be March! 

 

BEFORE & AFTER & during {Fireplace photos}

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE the way it turned out!!!!  Still a few more things to do!  That corner will change too!  It's still a work in progress, but I'm happy with the stage it's at now! Our living room felt huge before, well it feels even bigger now!  

It's been a while

The title used over and over by many at-home mom bloggers. I've been busy (exuse #1). As I'm sure I mentioned, I started child care for a 5 yr old boy. That's going fine. I am sure I also mentioned that I was looking for one more. Well I got one more & then another & also oodles, well probably not oodles, but a few more inquiries. I could probably start a lucrative business. If I wanted. But I don't, yet. My kids come first, always have, over work outside (inside) the home. 

So far he's been a good addition!  Fits right in! And the babies are loved 

Busy, but loved. 

Thanksgiving & Christmas have come & gone. We even celebrated my oldests 16th birthday 2 days ago!  Hard to believe I'm old enough to have a 16 year old, I know. But once you realize I was 12 when I had her, you'll see how I can really not be old enough to have a 16 yr old. Haha. And if you believe that, then you don't know me.  But seriously, she's a precious gift from God & we are very thankful He gave her to us to raise here on this earth. What an amazing responsibility.  But God doesn't give you more than you can handle right? 

As I sit here in the quiet after having a week off of responsibilities, and at the start of a new year I am realizing all there is to be thankful for!  Yes, I've had bad days, and angry days and sad days. But have so much to be thankful for.  Our health is the first one. We are all healthy & one thing I am thankful for, is the knowing how to eat healthy too!  We may stumble & fall a few times, but I feel thankful knowing that it happens & we can not make it a habit. I struggle on a daily basis with food. I felt so good last year when I was eating much healthier, not drinking coffee, doing green smoothies. I want to get back there. I know I can, it's just a matter of flipping a switch right? I wish it was that easy. 

I always have so much going on in my head, I had to write a list to get it all out. I'm sure I didn't get it all, but most of what consumes my thoughts, besides the usual, what should I make for supper today thoughts.  Do you have the same problems? Things consuming your mind daily that 'worry' you or 'stress' you?  How do you deal with it? 

We've had some fun, expensive things happen in our livingroom. 

We had installed a natural gas fireplace into the old wood burning hole. It has been quite the project from start to finish, one that we never had one single hand in (except the destruction of the faux brick facade, which was fun by the way, and very helpful in relieving the pent up aggression I had after losing my dad so suddenly). It's turning out so fabulously, much nicer & a lot faster than if hubby & I took on the reno!  We plan on putting the tv up there & creating more space in our livingroom!  I'm so excited, and trying to be patient waiting on people to come & finish up the little things that need to be done before we can install the tv mount & then the tv.  I'll post a before & after when it is all finally finished! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR ONE & ALL!  

Do something new this year, learn to Love more, and God Bless You!  

Summer

Is over. Insert very sad, long face here. I really enjoyed it this year, the weather, the time off from school books, the vacation. It's been grand!  

Some big things happened as well this summer, changes in the Keffer home. I quit doing the paper route, and have taken in a 5 year old boy. He's a great fit for our family. And I'm considering taking in one more. I want hubby to not have to do the paper route anymore. It crazy how much life changes from littles to bigs. How much more food they eat, different things they are doing. And we don't do anything compared to some of our friends who have way more on their plate. 

Anyways enought about that. We re did our sons room.

Before;

After;

I love the way it turned out!  We purchased him new furniture & flooring. He wanted to change the paint, but I didn't. (Cause that's a lot of work!!) So I won!

Hubby and I celebrated 18 years if marriage on August 18th. 

Oh, I was 18 when I was married. Lots of eighteens!  We went out for supper, but didn't do too much else. To be honest, I was a little disappointed, as I hyped it up so much it being our special anniversary (18yrs on the 18th). Whatev. I'm hoping we can make a fly trip somewhere this fall, or not. 

So anyways. Ya. Peace out. 

I miss him.

I just had a moment,a realization, that my dad isn't here anymore. (which I've had many of).  That van ahead of us on the highway isn't him driving to a job. The phone ringing isn't him calling to talk.  The text early in the morning while doing papers is not him saying good morning paper momma. 

A friend tells me her dad is in his eighties, my heart breaks. I hear of another friend whose dad takes the grandchildren on a road trip & my heart rips apart. Our kids have no grandpas, on either side. 

My mom is moving from the house he built. I want to take everything he made, which would be the whole house, cause he built it all. The song by Miranda Lambert, The House That Built Me & How Dare You get me every time & I try to avoid any song that will make me cry. 

 

Amused?

Me, not so much. That is in regards to amusement park rides. Ya, I don't do so well with them. I tried, to be brave, and even convinced my 10 yr old to ride with us all. You know, cause it would be fun. I thought I was going to die!!  I closed my eyes for about 90% of the ride. I wish I could have taken a picture of the picture they took of me. I felt sick for the rest of the day. Wanna see what part of it looked like: 

This was an insane incline & drop!!!!!  

Just a little bit of the ride. This part wasn't so bad. The part I opened my eyes. We all went in this one. 

Three of the kids & daddy went on this ride first!  It was crazy fast!!  

Then we saw…

more corn!  Surprise surprise!  

And were bored driving!  

And saw that!!  

Ended up here

The Canadian Mint & saw how money was made.

And here 

Spent too much money here!

 

But really, 

This is where we belong!!  

SONSHINE

We conquered Sonshine Festival and the heat & humidity that was had the week we were there.  We had a BLAST!!!  This is coming from the person who doesn't like heat, outdoors & much music (not the tv channel for those children of the 80's & 90's).  We are considering a subsequent trip in the future.  You should join us, that'd be fun!  But I have to say, I do love live music, so that helps! 

This was Building 4:29, who got their band name from Ephesians 4:29, go read, it's a great verse. 

You can't tell, but this was Skillet.  Great show!!  Wow!  I'm not a huge fan of heavy metal music, but my family is, and this band is growing on me. Shhh, don't tell my family, but this was one of my favorite performances for me of the week. 

The charging station, lots & lots of plugs & chargers! 

My beautiful children! They had an amazing time. 

Good times! Think about it next year, July 16th-19th. We are....thinking about it!