Happy Halloween...

Oh My God, are you serious? Could this be any cuter??

Ok, so I am bias..he is my baby, but honestly, the cutest puppy EVER!! Ollie in one of his costume's checking out our jack'o lantern.
These past few days have been crazy, its been a whirlwind of fun! We have had halloween parties, birthday parties, trick or treating and some good'ole fashion pub hoppin'.
We finally did it, we dressed up and went out to some pubs and had a great time. I of course was Snooki, not because I necessarily wanted to be Snooki but because we had the costume. Paul looked so sexy as a SWAT team member, and Jeff and Sue rocked the vampire couple with sexy poise. They were too cute, making sly comments back and forth with one another...undressing eachother with their bedroom eyes!
SWAT TEAM & SNOOKI....
Paul taking down an suspect in our kitchen...

The four of us dressed up and heading out to rip up the town.

We went into the Groove Kitchen and it was packed! They had the best crowd, who were all up dancing and they were playing the best music. The staff approached Paul and asked him to be apart of the "Village People" up on stage to sing "YMCA". He obliged and had lots of fun with the others...he was to funny! It was a good laugh, he was a great sport!

After lasts nights festivities, today we celebrated Braden's family birthday...we surprised him with an Ipod birthday cake made by Sue herself. If she had a website, I would post it...but I don't think she does! If anyone is interested in ordering a homemade cake, I can get the information for you! The cake was fabulous and Braden was plesantly surprised!



It was a great cake, she did an amazing job! Thank you Sue, we so enjoyed it!

Nana and Papa with their grandkids!
On a side note, Ethan finally lost his two front teeth! Thats a pretty big deal for him! He is pretty excited to be growing up! Our funny face boy with no front teeth!

So after Braden's birthday party everyone got ready for trick or treating! It was a pretty exciting night. It has been along time since we have had to go out with a little one. This year me, my mom, Katie,Ethan,Kailey and Braden all went out together! The only one getting Candy was Ethan but we had so much fun walking around looking at the little ones and of couse watching Ethan run frantically from house to house. He was an Avatar and he looked so great, Ethan had the best manners I have ever heard! I am not just saying that because he is my nephew...when he would go up to a house he would happily say "Happy Halloween", and then he would say to every single person, "Thank you" have a nice night! Sometimes he would even ask.."Did I scare you?" he knew that he looked awesome! His favorite was when someone would open their front door and react to his costume with "Oh my goodness, you scared me!" He loved it! He even told someone that his mask was only plastic and don't be afraid! God, he is so adorable...I just love him so much!! He's sissy's boy!!
Check out his costume below...

Overall my friends this weekend was fantastic! Every once in awhile I need a good family fix, this weekend I got just that!
I am also very proud to say that this weekend Kailey scored her first goal of the season against Ajax, which they won 4-3 and she also assisted in two other goals. She had a great weekend too...I am off to bed, its been a blast! Good night and god bless!!

Snooki's in Town baby...

Thursday night my baby girl rocked the Snooki costume, tonight mama will!! Hope everyone is having fun tonight at your halloween parties and outings!
Happy Halloween Friends...

Trick or Treating with a child who has special needs...

So tonight I decided to write about the experiences of taking a child who is physically disable out trick or treating. I did take some of the information below from a parenting website.
I never really found there to be any difference with finding costumes for a disabled child or a abled body child. The only difficulty that I found was trying to incorporate the wheelchair. The major problem was trying to get Braden up the front steps of all the homes. When he was a little guy Paul would carry him up the stairs to greet all the neighbours and give him the opportunity to say "trick or treat". Eventually he became to big for that, and the neighbours were great for coming out of the front doors to meet him at the bottom of the stairs. Then, when he became a tween...he wanted to go out with his friends. That was when I was nervous all of the time! He did go out on his own with his friends, and he always came back with twice as much candy as anyone else because for whatever reason, people always gave him more! He never complained...and I always made him share with his sister!
The other big deal when halloween would roll around was the fear factor! It is common for children in wheelchairs to be "overly sensitive" to scary costumes and scary decorations...well at least with Braden he had problems with them. As he got older, I realized his fear was because he didn't have the ability to necessarily protect himself or escape from any uncomfortable situations. Many children with disabilities are even protected or not exposed to certain life experiences like haunted houses, halloween parties, scary movies...we tried to expose Braden to certain things in that department. Unfortunately still today at 17 years old, he hates scary movies and will not ever participate in a haunted house. We don't push him, eventually someday he will sit down and watch a scary movie with me. It took me 30 years to watch one..i expect the same from him!
Over all though having a child with special needs wasn't any different at Halloween. He experienced all the same things...we never kept him from those things. He always carved pumpkins, had an amazing costume and trick or treated for lots of candy!
The information below might be helpful if you are raising a young child with a disability and have questions regarding halloween.

Halloween can be a fantastic time of year for kids of all ages. If your child is in a wheelchair, Halloween can be just as much fun for him as it is for his peers.

Wheelchair-Friendly CostumesThe perfect costume is the most important part of Halloween for some people.
There are several websites that advertise costumes for disabled children. This distinction may make some children self-conscious, however. As long as parents know how to adapt a store-bought costume to fit their child’s needs, though, any costume the child is comfortable wearing will work for a child with a disability. Some kids with a disability might like to hide their wheelchair or incorporate it into their costume. If that’s the case, homemade is the way to go.
Read more at Suite101: Halloween & Children with Disabilities: Fun Costumes and Simple Safety Rules Make This Holiday Fun for All http://www.suite101.com/content/halloween-children-with-disabilities-a156575#ixzz13nvmiA00
Here are some creative ideas for wheelchair-friendly costumes for your kids. Parents, it is up to you to decide if these costumes would be appropriate for trick-or-treating. They are ideal, though, for costume parties or parades at school, church, etc. All you need is some paint, some cardboard and a little creativity.

A monkey. Paint a jungle scene - trees, animals - on poster board or cardboard. Once your child is dressed in his costume and settled in his chair, attach the cardboard all around his chair. In an instant, he’ll be transformed into a monkey swinging through the jungle.

The Lincoln Memorial. Buy a suit from Goodwill or some other resale shop and some white spray paint. Fashion a stovepipe hat from cardboard. Dress your child in the spray painted suit and white shoes, paint his face white and affix the cardboard to three sides of the chair. Voila! A moving monument.
Royalty on the throne. Drape your child’s wheelchair in gold or silver fabric. Adorn the fabric in garland and “jewels.” Buy a crown and scepter. Dress your child in a regal-looking outfit and start referring to him as Your Majesty.

Drummer. Attach containers (ice cream buckets, empty paint cans) to a wheelchair with duct tape. Use a hula-hoop covered with cardboard or material pulled taut to make the bass drum to go on the front of the chair, over the child’s lap. Glue “drumsticks” to the top of the bass drum. Dress your child in attire appropriate for the style of music to be played – rock, 60’s, etc. – and get ready to rock Halloween.

Some other creative and unique ideas for wheelchair-concealing Halloween costumes include pilot, astronaut complete with spaceship, television set, chess/checker board and the classic pumpkin. With a little creativity, though, you can come up with your own idea for your child’s costume.

Trick Or Treating SafetyIf you are taking your child trick or treating this year, follow the guidelines set forth by your child safety advocates and local police. Some of these include staying on well-lit streets, only visiting houses with lights on and going out with a large group. Any other guidelines are personal choices and plain common sense.
If your child is in a wheelchair, there are some extra steps you can take to make the Halloween rite of trick or treating more enjoyable.

•Affix strips of reflective tape to your child’s wheelchair.
•Use face paint instead of a store-bought mask. A mask can make it difficult to see, thus making it difficult to navigate a wheelchair.
•Only visit houses that are ground level or almost ground level. If your child has to wait on the sidewalk while the rest of his friends go up on the porch, he will feel isolated and left out.
Remember to take all the necessary safety precautions and your child’s Halloween can be as ghoulishly fun as all his peers.

Halloween's coming...whooo'oooo Boo!!

Happy Birthday to my Son...

You are by far the most amazing person I know! I Love you with a fierceness that could crack the earth in two.
Today is one of the two best days in my life! I was blessed with you.
I was only 22 years old, but wanted and wished for you since I was a little girl. Always wanting to be a mommy, never could I have imagined how blessed I would become.
Just a few very old shots of Braden's first year! These chosen pictures are actually not really the best ones, but I didn't have to dig them up...they were around! So I thought I would use them.

Me pregnant, I think I was almost 5 months in this picture. We lived in kitchener in a condo. We had a dog named Taya who we got rid of shortly after Braden was born.

Our first mommy and son picture, not to desirable but its one that I love, its very genuine.

Daddy and nana, both equally excited to have Braden in their arms.





These couple of pictures were from Braden's first birthday, he was such an advanced baby. He walked very young...9 months and by his first birthday he was running. He was just so darn cute!



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Grandma and Grandpa Martz loved having visits with us, eventually we moved into their basement apartment to save money for a house. Braden got to see them alot more at that time.

There you have it, short but sweet. My boy is 17 years old today and I remember his birth like it was yesterday.
One of Braden's favorite books when he was a baby was Robert Munch's "Love you Forever"....
"I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My baby you'll be"

Just another day...

Once again i've got nothing! There really is nothing to blog about, I took a picture of Kailey last night when I walked into her bedroom to talk to her check it out below.....


I walk in her bedroom to this scene!! Really Kailey a lazyboy in your room?? LOL
We had pulled it in their on the weekend because a couple of her girlfriends spent the night. When these lazy chairs are stretched out to the fullest they are like a small bed, very comfortable. I found this picture very amusing...She looks so comfortable in that chair,she was actually doing homework and just infront of her up on the wall is a TV. She just looks so relaxed, chilling in her bedroom! It struck me funny, with the fireplace and all! I mean, its great..I won't complain because that fireplace was fairly inexpensive but adds so much heat and light to her downstairs bedroom. That was one of my biggest fears with having her in the basement, that it would be too cold or damp. Luckily that fireplace gives off amazing heat, and she says its comforting at night time especially after she's watched a scary movie! Probably the best purchase yet for that bedroom. I guess she want's a lazy boy in her room!! I can see why, looks pretty cozy in there!!
Well, with her new job...she can start to save some money!! Yep, you heard me right...I have a working girl!! She passed her course and test and is officially a referee! She has her first game in a couple weeks, I am pretty proud of her! Only 13 years old and she's already working, don't worry my friends..lol, its not alot..but just enough to get her started in the real world of making money and having some responsibilities. Way to go girl!! Dad and I are very proud of you!!

Monday's Menu...and guess who's cooking?

You'll never guess who cooked dinner tonight in my house?? Do you have any idea?? Braden?? Nope, guess again...
KAILEY DID!!! Yep, my big girl is growing up and she even cooked dinner, cleaned the table, served her family then tidied up the kitchen afterwards! I was so happy, she did an amazing job, we are so proud!

So tonights menu is going to be Kailey's recipe.."Smarter Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken"
What you need
1/3 pkg of fettuccine, uncooked
1 lb. of boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
1 1/4 cups of less-sodium chicken broth
4 tsp of flour
1/3 cup of Philadelphia Light Cream Cheese Spread
3 Tbsp Kraft 100% Parmesan light grated cheese, divided
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. pepper


Make It
Cook pasta as directed on package.
Meanwhile, heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on med-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 to 7 mins or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occassionally. Remove from skillet. Mix broth and flour in same skillet. Stir in cream cheese spread, 2 Tbsp of the parmesan cheese, the nutmeg and pepper; cook 2 min, stirring constantly until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in chicken.



Drain pasta; place in large serving bowl. Pour chicken mixture over pasta; toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese.


Thankfully my girl totally amuses me and allowed me to document her first major meal cooking for our family. I am one lucky mom because both my kids have been very tolerant of my ramblings on this blog. Thank you to both of you!
Great job tonight Kailey, even your brother loved dinner!

What Kind of Mom are you? Typical Stereotypes...

We all have parenting types, each of us are all slightly different. I think on the large scale we all want the same for our kids...health, happiness, independance, all the regular things. Its how we try to help get them there that makes us so different. I was reading an article about the different types of mom's. I think these are all very general, but within each description is a small truth for each of us. I have taken the following mom types from the Parenting magazine. So, what kind of mom are you?
Purist Granola MomAlso known as the “You Aren’t a Real Mom If You Had an Epidural, Didn’t Breastfeed, Home-School or Do a Home Water Birth with Wiccan Doula in Attendance” Mom. Close relative of the “No One Else Has Ever Given Birth Before” Mom. After she’s sat down with her organic rooibos tea, opened wide her hemp tunic and ensured her first-grader has a good latch, she’ll happily tell you where you went wrong as a parent.

BlackBerry MomShe natters endlessly at empty space, pretends to hear her children by responding with a steady thrum of uh-huhs, and has thumbs that could be featured in Muscle and Fitness. This satellite-signal cyborg with hardware fused to her hands and ears is at every soccer game, dance class and birthday party (but not really).

Flash Card MomOne look at the Mandarin drill cards she uses in a pinch as coasters — and you’ll know whom you’re dealing with. That, and her fridge stocked with performance-enhancing yogurts emblazoned with cartoon brains and those annoying pictures of kids with Einstein hair. “I cram, therefore I am” is this mom’s parenting mantra — because if there’s a time to be teaching Cartesian dualism, it’s after the first positive pregnancy test.

Fashionista MomIt’s not just that her baby’s Burberry tights cost more than your house. Or that her thigh-high Italian boots coordinate with her diaper bag. And wipes. Or even the fact that perennially photo-ready Mommy never looks like she had just enough time in the morning to grope around in the dark for a lopsided Walmart bra with an underwire missing. Her kid wears more designer labels on each tiny buttock than your closet will ever house in a lifetime.

Sports Mom from HellEnough already with the sideline rage, threatening the ref and insisting to other parents that her Joey is NHL material. Just throw on the size 6X uniform and play the damn game yourself. If you suspect you might be a Sports Mom from Hell, a couple of helpful pointers: T-ball is not a full-contact sport, and telling a three-year-old to “play through the pain” doesn’t qualify as cheerleading.

I guess each of us have a little of everything mixed in to make us who we are as mom's. I certainly have been guilty of each of these stereotypes...not really just one, probably all of them at one time or another.
No one's perfect...its when a mom doesn't venture into the other stereotypes that concerns me. Too much of one thing is not good.
I hope everyone has had a good weekend, we had a great one...tired today. I am heading out to walk the dogs...bed early, I hear my pillow already calling me!

Another great weekend...

Its been a busy one! Having teenagers is exhausting!!

Family Matters Friday...cancelled until Saturday!

I get to this time of night on a Friday and have no desire to discuss family issue's. Tonight Paul and I had a date night, it was great! We webt to see Paranormal Activity 2...it was scary! It was good, the ideas were good but it is more of a teenager's movie. I do become intrigued with these types of movies so I dragged Paul to see it with me! Overall it was a great night, looking forward to tomorrow...we need a weekend so badly! Good night my friends and god bless...

Just around the house...

This was our house tonight! Kailey was exhausted and at around 5:30, this is how I found her! Passed out on the couch. Sometimes I think she is too busy, these past two nights have been draining. She has had alot of skate time, practices and dryland training and I think tonights exhaustion was way over due! It's just catching up with her. She slept, she ate, she rested, she walked with me, and then she curled up to watch her shows of course with me! Even though I sometimes think, she is too busy for a 13 year old young lady..I don't think she would have it any other way! As long as she isn't complaining...I won't worry too much! I made some dinner, and we had nothing planned tonight in the extracurricular area. It was wondeful, you really learn to take advantage and enjoy these quieter evenings when you don't get them often. I had some fun with the dogs...check out the pictures...


I love these pictures of Finley...the ones with her eyes closed! She is just so funny, she closes her eyes because the flash is to bright...we tried again and managed to get the next picture.

So cute...

The next two pictures are just some decorations around the house. They are fun and add to the halloween decor. I bought a few new things at Peir 1, they have some really nice stuff!

Wednesday's Reflection and Ramblings...

Has the media been affecting any of you lately? Watching the news has been like watching a horror film these past few days! This situation with Col.Russell Williams is one of the most distubing things I have heard since Paul Bernardo's trial. I was reading today( which I shouldn't be, due to effect it has on me) the national post's stories regarding the trail. The evidence is so grossly horrifying, that it is difficult to read. I cannot imagine what these families are going through. I have been paying attention to this story watching and listening to the evidence that is being discussed. I think my interest has been peeked mostly due to how he could pull these horrendous crimes off with out being caught. How does someone get away with this? How can we walk around feeling safe when one of our own military men is being charged with such crimes? Its unfathomable to think it is our reality.
When you hear stories like this as a women it takes away your sence of security, it makes you look over your shoulder more, and listen to your instincts. Those aren't necessarily bad things I guess...but I must admit I am thinking of putting Kailey into some for of self defence class! Probably not a bad idea regardless.
Kinda of on a side note...just thinking, I really hope that both my children continue to have dogs in their families as they grow and become adults. There is certainly a sence of safety knowing I have two big yellow dogs sleeping at our front door. They know when someone is close, they hear everything and they always respond to something they are unsure of! I will never regret having dogs in my life.
Another story recently that has slightly jolted my security is that of the little 4 year old girl who was found road side in a ditch semi-conscious. It is believed that this young girl was taken from an arena in Woodsville Ont and possibly sexually assulted. Police are now saying that the little girl was in a hit and run and her injuries were sustained from that. However they are still looking into a possible sexual assult. Apparently a male took this little girl from the bathroom in the arena, when she left her parents to go to the bathroom.
Police continue to investigate and are reminding the public to be aware of their personal safety and that of their children at all times.

"You can never be too cautious with kids in a public setting," Boileau said.
Amen.
As most of you know, I am a very cynical person. It is not necessarily a good thing. I am cautious, suspicious but aware of people, places and things. I have always been that way, even as a child I rarely ever found myself in situations that I was not in control of..haha go figure!! If I was uncomfortable, I got out of what ever situation I was in. I hope both my children have a sence about them that makes them question everything they see or do, never be unaware of you surroundings and always listen to you instincts.
Well, basically things in Ontario have sucked. I believe the overall mood amoungst society is pretty upsetting right now. We sit back, listen and show thanks that its not us going through the trauma. On a personal note, that is one of my biggest pet peeves. Sitting back and thinking "thankfully its not me", it won't happen to me! Whatever you do in life my friends...never take it for granted, life I mean...it can happen to you, ask the families of the women who lost their lives to that monster. No one is immune to bad things...however thankfully tonight my friends we can sleep in comfort and peace!

So I wasn't going to do Wednesday's Reflection but I already had the pictures scanned and thought what the heck...
Tonight's pictures are from a trip that Paul and I took Cozumel, Mexico in 2005. It was one of the best trips that we have ever taken alone together. Both Paul and I are big fans of Mexico and we have been plenty times with the kids and without them. This trip was different. We did so much, the best time we ever had alone together was renting a jeep and driving around the island of Cozumel. It was so fun, and romantic too. We didn't care what time it was, we didn't pay attention to routines, schedules, deadlines, kids or anything else for that matter. We just drove...we would pull over to the side of the road, hop out of the jeep and snorkel in the reef's. It was truly beautiful. We stopped at two restaurant's on our way through and the first one was called "Bob Marley's". It was a bit questionable as the cooked everything on an open flame on the beach and didn't really have any washrooms for customers. They played Bob Marley music and other regae tunes which certainly set the mood for island tour. The food ended up being fabulous, the drinks were refreshing and everyone was so happy, outgoing and easy to talk too! It was a great experience.
The second restaurant was a bit more regulated. They had washrooms, waiters and menu's...it also had the most amazing scenery I have ever seen.
The picture below is the long road travelled around the island, check out the colours in this picture...isn't it beautiful!

On our travels we came accross this sign, I thought it was kinda cute...yes I did get out to look for turtles, nothing was there! I was disappointed!

One of our snorkle spots...the water was amazing! We eventually found out that some spots that we loved were actually being saved as a "natural" area where no one was allowed to go near. They were saving the reef's from pollutions..haha! Oppps!!

Our Jeep, we lived in this thing...it was great! We had it for two days. The only regret that I have is I didn't drive standard back then...if we do it again, I'll be driving!
Paul and I , someone offered to take a picture of us in that second restaurant. You can kinda see how beautiful the scenery is...

Paul enjoying the water in one of our snorkel spots..look at the color of the water..gorgeous!!

Me in the jeep, playing with my camera..

Bob Marley's restaurant..check out the decor..

See how open and amazing it is...right on the beach,everyone chillin and enjoying the atmosphere, it really was a great experience.

The second restaurant we found, the entrance is a little grown over. It was hard to find but worth the hike up the hills and through the forest.

More road trail that took us on an adventure...i would love to do it again someday!

Paul, sunburned...but loving our day together..god I love his snorkel..lol