resolution time

it's that time again. some say it's silly to make new years resolutions because you should be making resolutions all year round. i blogged about this back in 2007 as well - 2007 resolutions. some of these resolutions are the same as 2007, but seeing as i'm a fan of fresh starts - here are the resolutions that i've made for 2010.

> be a little greener: use less produce bags, remember my reusable grocery bags when i go shopping, send tim's lunch in tupperware not baggies, etc.

> use the food in my fridge, freezer, and cupboards instead of shopping every few days.

> read one book a month at least.

> floss daily. and make a dentist appointment.

> write some letters that are sent via postman, not email.

> sew something. anything.

> drink more water. eat less junk.

> do the 30 day shred for 30 consecutive days. three times.

> clean my bathtub more regularly.

> sell some tupperware.

> research starting a compost. maybe start one. at least do the research.

> keep up with ben's baby book - get some photos printed.

> tell people who i appreciate that i appreciate them more often.

julie and julia

so a year and a half ago, i read the book, julie and julia. i love love loved it. i dug through the archives and found my review of the book.

then the movie came out and i was not excited. i knew for sure that this book could not be made into a movie. and amy adams was not the julie powell i'd imagined. i never went and saw it. whenever anyone i knew said that it was good, i asked, "did you read the book?" and the answer was no. so i could never get an idea if the movie was enough like the book to make it worth seeing.

and then it came out on dvd and i got around to watching it this week. i was glad to see at the beginning that the julia child portions of the movie are based on julia child's book, "my life in france". it made those parts of the movie less awful for me. and though i was a little perturbed by the julia child parts at the beginning, i got used to it and was okay.

so if you read the book and are afraid to see the movie, i'd say, "it's okay" and "worth a rent".

a sidenote: if you liked julie powell's book, she has another book called "cleaving: a story of marriage, meat, and obsession." i've requested it at fvrl.

wary of the sewing

welll...i got a book from tim for christmas. it was super thoughtful - about decorating and using colour. it was very pretty. but i took it back. poor tim. let me explain - tim told me about all the books that he was looking at for me. i decided to get a sewing book instead - one of the ones he'd been trying to decide between. you know - decorating takes money essentially. sewing might cost less. (and i bought some beautiful fabric in december at a crazy fabric sale...)

so today i stood in chapters in front of the sewing books. there were some beautiful books. ones i really wanted. but i flipped through them and they were all in a different language. who are we kidding? just because i took a sewing class a couple years ago doesn't mean i can read sewing. it doesn't matter if the word "simple" is in the title. i would need a sewing tutor or partner to make anything now.

then i came across handmade home by amanda blake soule. i love this woman's blog and have loved it for years. and i remembered her book that i've wanted since before it was even published and she would post about writing it - the creative family. there was ONE copy in store. i found it and bought it. i haven't read it yet - and i know my kid is only 6 months old...i'm excited nonetheless. and i haven't given up completely on sewing - there are some projects in this book. i'll come back to those pretty and "simple" sewing books another day.

thank you, tim!

olympic gear

always a good gift - did you get something olympic for christmas?

an extra piece

my tupperware offer for the first party dating of the year: www.tupperwareabbotsford.blogspot.com

oh my beloved quick shake...

i've been sprized...

i didn't post about GAP's sprize program when it came out because alyssa did, however, i must post now. in case you're not on their email list and you don't spend time in the GAP everytime you're in the mall...they started a program called sprize. you sign up, get a card, and everytime you make a purchase at GAP, it's recorded in your account. THEN if those items go on sale in the next 40 some days, the money that you would have saved goes automatically into your sprize account. all money in your account can be used like a gift card on other purchases at the GAP. they're GIVING you money!!! (sorry, this is only in BC right now) BEST PROGRAM EVER!!!!

so today i got an email from GAP saying that they just put $12.16 in my sprize account today. (i think those were from your purchases rachel - thank you!) i LOVE it! if you live in BC and haven't signed up - do. you never even need to log in to see your account - they just email you. and a bonus to sprize that i recently discovered is that when you buy something and want to take it back but you've lost your reciept (this happens to me often) - they can look it up on your account and give your money back. normally, you'd just get credit to the store and it would be the lowest sale price which is lame when you know you paid full price.

it all just makes me want to shop at the GAP more often...exactly what they wanted. oh they're good....

what a christmas!

christmas eve at the shulba's...

fun presents

cooking on stones is our tradition for the last 3 years -

happy to have a suprise visit from shaun - home from dubai in the UAE

christmas morning at our house...

christmas day at the macdonald's...

cinnamon buns for breakfast

exchanging gifts -

happy to have katie home from RCMP training for a couple days

playing with his new toothbrush

enjoying the sun at the beach

what a great couple days - we're feeling blessed by both our families and happy to spend time with everyone.

merry christmas!

more posting coming soon...

funny...until it's not funny

ben has been eating baby food for a little while now and when i was at superstore yesterday, i bought these rice crackers - mum mums. they're for "babies who have started solid food". they dissolve super easy so they won't choke on the pieces. i've seen babies eating them before and i thought i'd try them out on ben.

he of course put it right into his mouth. and then he made some faces. and tim and i laughed and laughed and got the camera.

and then he got a little piece off the cracker and in his mouth. the faces got way funnier.

but then he started making gagging faces.

and then he threw up all over himself. shoot. no longer funny.

but he seemed like he felt better afterwards. poor little guy. we won't try these mum mums again for awhile...

hello teeth!

after about 3 months of hot, red, teething cheeks, my boy has cut his first two! phew. the day they came through, he was in one of the best moods i've seen him in all day. what a kid.

new blog style

if you're reading my blog in google reader, i'd recommend clicking on it so that you can see my new background. cute and easier than i expected. go here or here and follow the directions if you want one. now i just need a new picture for my header.

fake decor

the problem with christmas garland and trees and wreaths etc. is that they're so plasticy and fake looking. we have a great tree that we inherited from friends. and i found a wreath once that i really liked so that's fine. but every year i want to buy a garland and then just can't do it when i look at the stuff. it's all ugly. but then i go to someone's house who has that fake garland and it looks great once it's home and has lights and decorations on it and i think, "i just need to force myself to buy one."

well the other day i was in winners and looked through all their christmas decoration stuff. i found this pretty good looking garland for $16.99. i thought we could put it on our fireplace mantle. well i stood in line for so long and i analysed this garland the whole time. by the time i got to the cashier, i was going to say, "i'm not going to take this." then i said to myself, "just take it home and see how it looks. i asked the return policy on christmas stuff. i could bring it back. so i took it home.

turns out, it looks great. phew. i stuck some birch bark star picks in it as my own touch. :) (not pictured here)

speaking of my pantry...

i have signed up to begin selling tupperware. yes. i thought that if i was raving about it so much, why not put the raving to good use. so that you won't be subjected to tupperware play by plays (because i'm pretty excited), i have started another blog - Tupperware You Are. it'll have my own personal stories on tupperware in my life, recipes, and current sale info. it'll be updated a few times a week so add it to your reader.

(and by the way, those modular mates (blue-lidded containers) will be FORTY PERCENT OFF in january! aaaand...if you host a party, the host credits are DOUBLED until january 15th aka. you get double what you'd usually get for being a host.) i bought my modular mates set with my host credit when i held a party a few months ago and they have made my pantry so much more organized.)

my pantry has exploded...

our kitchen has an add-on, built-in, pantry in the kitchen. it kind of messes up the feng shui of the room and the door to the pantry has been mistaken as a bathroom door numerous times; but it is full of stuff. yes, pantries are for food. but our pantry is so big that only a shelf or two stores food. the other shelves house our roasting pan and the cake stand. there are a couple pretty boxes with brand-new cookie cutters bought a couple years ago. a fondue set. it's the room for misfit cookware. not only that, this pantry also stores our reusable containers in a giant cardboard box on the floor along with all plastic bags and recycling. the picture above really doesn't do the mess justice. (as it was taken last april...imagine how much worse it got)

when i got home from from grocery shopping last night at 9:30pm, i opened the pantry to put my goods away and there was literally, no room. no room? in a pantry this big? you've got to be kidding me.

and so began the first, huge, pantry clean and organization of the shulba household ever. all things came out. i had a bag of flour and a bag of sugar sitting on the shelf beside two empty tupperware modular mates! i was hanging onto a billion plastic lids with no bottoms and vice versa. i have cake mixes for cake flavours i don't even like. and what are these red bowls? where did they come from? i have a plethora of placemats and none are my favourites. and how many half eaten boxes of crackers am i going to let go stale before opening up my cracker modular mate and putting them inside? (yes, i have a modular mate for crackers - a must have)

it's starting to look better. i have a couple bags for the thrift store and a lot of cans for joe's recycling. and i cannot believe how much room there is in here! after pictures on their way soon.

making me laugh at six months

benjamin, benjamin, benjamin. 6 months and a day ago - you weren't here. and you're growing at such an unbelievable rate. we spend a lot of time laughing at each other throughout the day.

things that make me laugh:

the crazy positions he's in when i come into his room in the morning but he's always smiling when he sees me.

the way he laughs when i sneeze or cough...or fake sneeze or fake cough.

how he pulls his soother out then tries to get it back in but always backwards.

how funny he thinks playing peek-a-boo is.

time spent in the jolly jumper.

man, i love this kid. happy six months, baby boy!

a ben series: breakfast

i have confidence in sunshine...

a snowy day outside, ben and i curled up this morning with the sound of music. i have the 40th anniversary edition on dvd and i went straight to the special features and discovered that there's a sing along version! so great. and so began our sing-a-long morning.

ben didn't last long propped up against me on the couch so by the time maria was running for the convent, ben was on the floor. but he had a great view from under the coffee table.

ben's view of maria checking out the ballroom

ben is a fan of the fake pears in case you're wondering...

but a snowy, sing-a-long movie morning with a 6 month old just isn't what it's cracked up to be. as maria rode the bus to the von trapp house, ben was ready for nap time. he's whining on the floor while i'm singing out, "i have confidence in sunshine! i have confidence in rain!". so after maria fell in love with captain von trapp (remember? "i fell in love with you the first time you blew that silly whistle.") but hadn't yet discovered how terrible the children are, i pressed pause and put ben to bed.

we'll have to continue our sing-a-long later...like a few years later.

still jumping...

it makes me laugh...and i keep taping. i'm going to have all these 30 second clips of ben in the jolly jumper that all look the same. "he's just such a good hopper" says his mother.

the hopping soundtrack: elizabeth mitchell's album - you are my little bird

it'snot

well, one week away from 6 months, ben has gotten his very first cold. ben's been sleeping on his stomach which doesn't help a runny nose and last night, before tim and i had gone to sleep, he woke up snorting. lots of stuffy nose sounds made me think i should help him by getting out the "snot sucker". (like a turkey baster but tiny) of course, he's barely awake in his crib and i'm leaning over him trying to stick this thing up his nostril. he wasn't happy. and it didn't seem to help much. but he went back to sleep quickly. all through the night he woke up every few hours. i felt so bad for him...seeing as i'm the one who gave him the cold. but what's a mom to do? i've washed my hands so many times in the last two days that my knuckles are raw. i tried not to breathe on him. but I'M his caregiver! lame. anyways, poor guy. i'm learning that colds are a much worse affliction for a baby. he doesn't want me to wipe his nose so he shakes his head all over the place resulting in snot everywhere. but he seems happy enough. this morning he sat in his bumbo on the counter while i attempted to make coffee cake. he was mesmerized by the goings on in the kitchen. he'd never seen it in all his life. so i'm sure we'll get through ben's first cold and there will be many more to come.

what are on your feet?

when colder weather rolls around, there are no more ballet flats for me. i want socks on. and every winter, i find that there are very few cute shoes that accommodate socks. i attempted to buy a pair of uggs (well, a knock off) but after much analysing, will be returning them. i don't think i can make them work with my wardrobe...and that would mean buying a new wardrobe which is not an option.

what are you wearing with socks this winter? please. i need help.

craft fair inspiration

a post about my weekend spent manning a heartworks jewelry craft fair table is on the way tomorrow. but after a month or two of really relishing all things handmade on etsy and various blogs that i read, there were many an item i wanted to buy this weekend. i resisted. however, i came home and went to my craftiest blog and found you a craft that we can all make: snowflakes with martha. you know - in case you went to any craft fairs this weekend and wished you were also crafty.

the new manners

now that so much of our keeping in touch is done via facebook...there is a whole new set of etiquette to learn. and maybe people have different thoughts on what is poor etiquette but here are my thoughts:

making a friend request: don't request someone you wouldn't want to talk to if you saw them walking in the grocery store. because if you're friends on fb and then you run into them, make eye contact, then both walk the opposite directions - it's awkward.

deciding on whether to accept a friend request: if you don't know the person, just deny the request. if it's a friend of a friend and you'd feel badly saying no, accept. then if within a week, they have not made wall contact, delete them.

responding to event invites: someone invites you to an event. you check out the page and you make the decision: yes, no, maybe. the polite thing to do is to choose one of these options as soon as you see the invite. don't be a "not yet replied" kind of person. it's poor form. people are less offended by an immediate no than a not yet replied.

choosing maybe: maybe is really the perfect response to any event. sure, maybe i will go. and if you think that yes, maybe you WILL go, then by all means, choose it. but if you know that you will not go but don't want to hurt that person's feelings - don't choose maybe. coward.

status updates: the question here is, "what are you using facebook for?". is it to keep in touch with friends? by all means, update your status as often as you want. is it to creep on what people from highschool/college are doing but not comment on their walls? you probably shouldn't post too many revealing statuses about your life. is it a networking tool with which you keep in touch with business associates and work colleagues? you may want to re-think your constant status posting about what you ate for lunch and how you're skipping out on work to get a pedicure. the problem arises when you're using fb as all three. if this is the case, i'd go with the latter. better to be safe than sorry.

oh i know what you're thinking - "who is rebecca to think she's the facebook etiquette master?" don't get me wrong - i most definitely do not think this. but it's been quite a funny week on fb for me, so i thought i'd put a few thoughts out there. however, you may be sick of me inviting you to open houses and think that's poor etiquette. or maybe you can't figure out why i never reply to your messages and think that's poor etiquette. i'd like to make a public apology for my personal fb blunders and also, i should let you know that if we're still friends on fb - i wouldn't mind running into you at the grocery store... :) do you have etiquette pointers of your own? add them here.

walks

with the gorgeous weather, i've gotten out a few times for a walk with ben and we're getting to use the sleeping bag thingy that came with our stroller. it is SO warm in there. i just pop him in in whatever he's already wearing, throw a blanket inside it to fill the empty space and off we go. since he's an easy laugh - he gigles most of the way at my singing, funny noises, or faces. because his giggles are addictive, i just look like a crazy person walking down the street.

sytycd

hmm...i didn't realize how much i enjoyed the little choreography montages before every dance until they took them out this episode! but i do love when they move up to the double dances!

the legs and ash dance with the vampire cape? was that choreographer cashing in on new moon or what? weird. on the opposite end of the scale of weird (being weird cool) was sonja's dance!!!! what?!!? so so good and well danced. i have not liked jakob at all this season but that was awesome. but you have to wonder if different dancers had gotten that choreography, if it would have just as great?

wow - legacy's dancing on the street story was so interesting. though a strange comment from "flea" - "he's beyond my friend". hmm. and legs' dad - "i love him. honestly. i love him." haha. but oh my goodness - his b-boy-ing? a-ma-zing. wow. i'd like to see him go far on the show.

who is getting kicked off tomorrow? my predictions: i don't know. i can't even guess. everyone seems so even. this is a great season so far.

best advent calendar ever...

since i'm on an advent calender kick - here's a fantastic one that i will most definitely do in the future. books. 24 christmas books. but then i started thinking how cheap and fantastic it would be to get 24 books out of the LIBRARY and wrap them up!!! oh my goodness - what a great idea. and maybe #1 and #24 could be ones that they could keep. or better yet - all library books and then on day 24, the kid can choose which one was his favourite and that will be the one to go buy. wouldn't that be fun? love this idea. (yes...this was a train of thought post - i try to refrain from those usually)

the moments i wasn't expecting

don't get me wrong, i was excited to be having a baby. but i was expecting there would be a lot more moments of frustration or resentment - you know - it's a huge life change. instead i have moments when ben buries his head in my neck and giggles and i bury my face in his neck and giggle at the same time. i have moments when i am giving ben his last bottle and he reaches his chubby little hand up and gently strokes my hair. i have moments when he is so tired and i'm standing at the counter at a store and he gives in and just rests his head on my shoulder. i have moments when i'm trying to tuck him in for a nap or bedtime and instead of making a sleepy face, he laughs. these are the unexpected moments that make no room for moments of resentment because this huge life change was one for the better. i didn't know.

starting early

how to prepare for parenthood

i've found that many of my pre-ben lifestyle choices made becoming a mother an easy transition. here are my tips if you are planning to become a parent in the next few years:

> stay home a lot. then when the baby comes and you have to stay home, it's not so difficult.

> don't sleep too soundly. this will make it easier to wake up so many times in the night. if you already DO sleep soundly - set your alarm for every couple of hours. great practice.

> start wearing sweatshirts and jeans/lulus more often. then when you have a poochy stomach that is difficult to hide in regular clothing, people were used to seeing you in a hoodie pre-baby anyways. they don't think that you're letting yourself go now that you have a kid - you just have always let yourself go.

> only wash your hair every other day. if you start this pre-baby, your natural oils will have time to adjust so once you have a baby and no time to shower everyday, on day two your hair won't look as greasy.

> don't buy any expensive, new shoes if you plan to get pregnant soon. you will be very sad when they no longer fit post-pregnancy.

> add a lot of blogs to your google reader. those bloggers that post 20 times a day may bug you now but when all you do is hang out at home all day, you will come to love those posters! (let me know if you want some recommendations...)

yep - do these things and you will be well prepared. i know i was. (ha)

milestones are overrated...

ben stuck on his stomach.

i have found over the last 5 1/2 months of being a mother, that i'm often thinking of the upcoming milestones that ben is working towards. you know, like 4 months ago, i was wondering when ben was going to start reaching for things instead of just looking at them. and two months ago i was thinking, "roll, ben, roll!" and when the time passes that he "should" have been able to do those things and he's not, i've wondered, "oh no...i hope he's developing okay..." (you cannot laugh at me if you don't have kids) but then he starts reaching. he starts rolling. and of course all is fine.

except now when i sit him on my lap, he grabs stuff on the table so quickly that i sometimes miss and it falls onto the floor. and now when he rolls over, he cries because he doesn't want to be on his stomach but when i flip him over, he immediately rolls back onto his stomach and cries some more. i wonder why i was so looking forward to these milestones and i think to myself, "try to enjoy this stage and don't wonder when your baby is going to start crawling..."

ben falling from a sitting position.

practicing...

so today i practiced having TWO kids. ben's friend elias came over and hung out for the morning and a little bit of the afternoon. elias is 7 months older than ben and it was interesting to watch him and imagine how quickly ben will be there.

in preparation for a crawler, i cleaned my kitchen floor and tried to pick up all things around that i might not want him to pick up. i also cleared all low tables of things breakable/sharp. watching ben rolling around on the floor, sticking his butt up in the air, it made me realize that i should be making these preparations permanent because i'm going to have a crawler on my hands soon.

when kara left and it was just elias and i (ben was sleeping), we mostly just stared at each other for awhile. i was talking to him but he wasn't too sure about me. i started to get a little nervous so i quickly downloaded barenaked ladies' kids cd: snacktime. it definitely broke the tension. and i'd recommend the cd - it's pretty crazy fun.

ben loved having another kid around. he just stared at him without blinking. when elias made noises, ben smiled and made noises. it was hilarious. for a long time they just sat on the floor playing with toys. elias and i did some dancing but ben had never seen his mom dance around like a crazy person so he just stared at me.

all in all, it was quite a success. if ben grows up to be as good as elias, shulba number 2 will be fine. :) but don't worry...that won't be for a very long time.

oh legacy...

great SYTYCD episode tonight. in the words of adam, "i love this show."

favourite dances: jakob and ashleigh's sonja routine & legacy and kathryn's ballroom routine. though legacy's tears at the end? wow. what a guy.

and speaking of sonja - tim's quote of the night: "she's a freak of talent." i love her routines.

is anyone else weirded by the white underwear that the girls sometimes wear under their dresses? like i know it's not their underwear but if it was a colour that went with the dress, it wouldn't be so stand-out when their skirt twirls.

so nigel saying, "oh, not another concept routine." and "i like watching dancing with the stars because it's just dancing." wow. not the usual, "i've invented the greatest show ever." vibe.

who do i predict to go...who knows? these 12 are all pretty great. but predictions: victor and molly.

a ben series: first food