Monday, May 31, 2010

best shot monday

an ongoing weekly post...my favourite picture of the previous week.

guest photographer: the lovely judy macd

(and actually...this was taken last sunday but not yet processed in time for last week's best shot monday)

Sunday, May 30, 2010

gratitude sunday

an ongoing post...

this week i'm thankful for:

> pink dogwoods

> our fantastic daycare option for ben

> friends i can call for impromptu babysitting

> mud pie

> free tupperware

> evicted tenants - phew

> a baby with a sense of humour

> baby love

Saturday, May 29, 2010

sunscreen

i'm a HUGE sunscreen girl. if it's sunny out, i don't leave the house without it...well, i try not to. not being one who often takes into account the long term consequences of things, i hate to say that it's less about protecting myself from skin cancer and more about not getting weird tan/burn lines. however, with ben being desperate to get outside all the time, i bought myself some baby sunblock and have slathered it on him on those various hot, sunny days we've had. but today, i read this article on the harmfulness of sunscreen. oh brother. now what? i'm contemplating buying some of the recommended brands on amazon...

Friday, May 28, 2010

LOST

i wasn't sure how i felt about the ending of LOST. i felt confused. i was wondering things like, "so what was widmore doing on the island?" and "so what's the deal with desmond?" etc etc. but i assumed that my confusion was just lack of deeper thinking and such. then i read this article and felt a little better. though my feelings on the end are still a little unsettled.

hilarious

babies in jean diapers...

the negativity

going to tupperware parties as often as i have this week, exposes you a lot of different kinds of people. i have stories to share after every party but i keep them to myself because who knows who's reading this blog. ha. but one personality that i come across every so often is the negative person. they are downers. but what i've learned is that this is just who they are. they don't realize that everything they say sounds annoyed. i'm not sure where i'm going with this except to say that meeting these people is starting to make me more aware of the comments i'm making. i can lean towards the negative. but when i hear myself saying a couple negative comments in a row, i consciously think "ok, no more". i don't want to fall into the pit of negativity - i've heard it's slippery around that pit.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

huh?

i bought some little apple sauce cups (you know the kind) and this morning, i looked at the ingredients. the ingredients are "just apples". yes. that's what it says. just apples in quotation marks. so what's REALLY in the applesauce?

Monday, May 24, 2010

first time making...

two boiling pots
only three ingredients
potato salad

best shot monday

my favourite photo of the previous week:


gratitude sunday

an ongoing weekly post...

this week i am thankful for...

> LOST finally being over - no more speculating

> ben's first steps

> a tupperware goal met

> more birthday cake

> our backyard and all it's potential

> the knowledge that tomorrow is a new day

Saturday, May 22, 2010

currently reading

pre-baby, weekend mornings often left me reading for hours in bed. now, the only time i read is before i go to sleep which is about 10 minutes max. for reading because i'm so tired, i'd rather just sleep. this means, it takes me forever to get through a book. however, my goal of one book a month has been working out so far.

in april, i saw Nanny Returns sitting on the library shelf so i checked it out. this is the sequel of the Nanny Diaries, a book that i loved (and movie i did not love). Even though I knew the fact that having not heard that Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus had even written a sequel was a sign it would not be good AND knowing that i had not liked any other of this duo's, i chose it as my april book.
feature photo

i couldn't finish it. it was too lame. has anyone read it? am i just done with chick-lit and didn't like it or is it just not very good?

since i loved Eat, Love, Pray by elizabeth gilbert, searched all her books at fvrl and requested one called, The Last American Man. it sounded chick-lit-y. but the cover looked like this:
as it turns out, it's the opposite of chick-lit. it's the biography of a guy named eustace conway. well, this is totally my kind of book. i love biographies and autobiographies about super random people. (no, i'm serious - one of my favs: Swimming to Antarctica. request it at your library) here's the first paragraph of the Last American Man:

"by the time eustace conway was 7 years old, he could throw a knife accurately enough to nail a chipmunk to a tree. when he turned 12, he went out into the woods, alone and empty=handed, built himself a shelter, and survived off the land for a week. when he turned 17, he moved out of his family's house altogether and headed into the mountains, where he lived in a teepee of his own design, made fire by rubbing two sticks together, bathed in icy streams, and dressed in the skins of the animals he had hunted and eater. this move occurred in 1977, by the way. which was the same year Star Wars was released."

i totally loved the sound of it. upon reading further, it's a little more report-like than i would have guessed from elizabeth gilbert (based on that ONE book i read of hers...haha) with lots of historical facts about what the "american man" is and such. but it's keeping my interest just the same.

but then, elizabeth gilbert's Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage came in to my library (upon my request) and it's only a two loaner with plenty of holds on it so it won't be renewable. i had to stop her other book and begin this one. so far, very interesting history of marriage from her perspective and that's about as far as i've gotten.

so april was a bit of a dud but i'm working on getting two books done this month!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

outside is just more fun

on these rainy days, ben is very frustrated by the closed deck door. sometimes he stands at the door trying to stick his fingers in the crack to pry it open and shouting babyisms. today, during a rain break, ben was happy to spend some time on the grass.

and then he discovered what is sure to be a favourite part in the backyard - the rocks.


then the black clouds came in and it started to rain - we had to come inside. ben was not happy about it.

i'm hoping for a sunny day tomorrow...i think ben is too.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

btw...big sales on at tupperware...

sometimes the sales are too good to resist the advertisement over here on this blog! order is going in on friday...email me at rebeccashulba@gmail.com if there's something here you want.

super cereal storers 2 for 1 - $25 for TWO!

the little kid's pitcher and cup set (not available in the catalog) - $16

there's also a 50% off modular mate deal on for which i have no picture but just a description over at my Tupperware You Are blog.

if you spend $40, these 3 items are on sale to you:

round container - $17

set of mini stuffables (except they're a very pretty blue, not green) - $20.50


set of 3 "fresh n cool" which are containers for your fridge - they can fit in the door and hold whatever you want. (except they come in a very pretty green, not blue) - $18

aaaand, last but not least, if you spend $60, you can get this:
the serving center for only $24.50!

Monday, May 17, 2010

monday morning haiku

i think we need more haiku in our lives. did you know that for one of my education classes, for my final project, i chose to write 15 - 20 haiku and present them in a powerpoint? yep.

sky is white with clouds
i look out my window and
wonder, "will it rain?"

best shot monday

my favourite photo of the previous week...

Sunday, May 16, 2010

gratitude sunday

an on-going weekly post...

this week, i am thankful for:

> my mom

> another year

> birthday cake

> tim

> sunshine

> sunscreen

> mocha almond fudge light ice cream

> joe clothing at superstore

> discovering $2 new releases at safeway

> baby kisses

> faithful friends

> facebook messenger

Saturday, May 15, 2010

a haiku for you


sun blazes outside
i am shivering inside
mocha fudge ice cream

new favourite blog right now...


Dear Steering Wheel

and yes...i temporarily forgot about gratitude sundays. feel free to remind me when i forget. i have not yet started a list...but it will be back tomorrow.

Friday, May 14, 2010

independent play

staying at home all day with my little one makes me feel like i should be with him at all times when he's awake. it's my job, right? but sometimes when he's playing on his own in the living room or on the deck, i leave him to play by himself. i feel a little guilty about it.

then i read an article about independent play and how it's important for kids to learn to play on their own. parents should help develop this in their children by giving them space when they go off to play by themselves. well that totally makes sense. it was a "duh" moment where i asked myself, "why did i think i needed to be with him constantly again?"

now when he plays on his own (like right now, he's carrying a metal spoon around and banging it on as many things as he can find), i don't feel like a bad mother to be blogging...i'm a fantastic mother. haha. (i know there's a balance to this - don't worry.) but seriously, independent play is a good thing to know about.


the frustration of pedicured feet

they're so pretty. so you wear sandals. but in sandals, your feet immediately get all dry, calloused skin around the heels and your big toe. and you wish you'd just worn socks and shoes so as not to mess up your pedicured feet. :) this is why winter pedicures are the best.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

in celebration of 28 years...

tim got up with ben and i slept a little longer. tim booked me a pedicure at 10:30am and while i went to the spa, he grocery shopped for our picnic. then we went to derby reach in fort langley to have our picnic where tim proposed 6 years ago in may.

ben was very helpful at getting the food out of the cooler.

and he was pretty pumped about getting to chew on this slice of red pepper.



not loving being in the stroller for the walk though...

we let him push for awhile...watch the video here


then i got my free birthday drink at starbucks on our way to white rock for dinner with my family. where they spoiled me some more with food and gifts.

a fantastic birthday.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

too good to be true?

doesn't this seem like a cool dress? am i being tricked by photography and a person who knows how to make it work? it seems like such a great option...inspect it yourself and let me know what you think. is it worth the $145? (no...i'm not buying it either way at this but i COULD add it to my fav. sellers)

Coda wrap dress- grey dot

the library

as you long time readers know, i love the library. naturally, i've been excited for ben to be old enough to spend some time reading in the library. but until then, i've been satisfied with quick trips to the board book section. usually these quick trips consist of me reading board books and ben banging on the metal shelves and pulling books off those shelves. thankfully the board book section is well hidden away from stern, librarian looks...

the other day, i brought my camera along but there was another mother nearby so i didn't take too many pictures of my unruly child.
pulling the books

"whaat?"

Monday, May 10, 2010

motherhood

i've been a mother now for almost 11 months. and in celebrating my first mother's day yesterday, here are a handful of thoughts on my first year being a mom.

on one hand, it's a steep learning curve but on the other hand, you think no one is a better mother to your kid than you. the day to day isn't so mundane when your baby starts to gaze at new things in wonder and when you start seeing the world through those eyes, it's all much more exciting. you can't believe you still don't fit into your old clothes. every so often, you're hit in the face with what it means to sacrifice your own wants for your baby and that stings. you shed a few tears about it but then your baby wakes up from his nap with a smile and your own silly want has been forgotten. you learn to get more done during nap time. you can talk about kids 24/7 but you still also like to talk about other things. every moment out of the house alone is a mixture of "thank goodness i'm out of there" and "i wish i was back at home". you think about all the possible ways you could make money without needing childcare. you forget what it was like to be pregnant. you get funny ideas about how you and your spouse should be sharing all responsibilities and force him to bathe the baby even though it doesn't seem to work out well and then after awhile the thought occurs to you, "what if i was only one who bathed the baby? what would be wrong with that?" because you and your spouse each have your own strengths. you learn facts that make your feel better, like: babies have, on average, 11 colds a year. you can't believe you've been so blessed to have such an amazing baby and you can't wait for all the years to come.

best shot monday

i am copying a favourite blogger: a new tradition that i am starting today is posting my best/favourite photo of the previous week. i will be joining this group of bloggers on Tracey Clark's blog.

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

typewriter

remember those? how fun does this sound? i want one for ben a few years from now...soule mama is the best!

Type (5)

free printable card

i love this blog. and this card. and that it's free. i wish i had a good printer. or a printer at all. haha.

forgetful

i'm forgetful. it's not a good sign at this young age but anyone who has worked with me will tell you that it's true. i often forgot my day for chapel, devotions, kids' birthdays, special days i'd planned, etc. etc. i never forgot when it was my snack day (or lunch day at ACS) though (though it was often forgotten until the morning of and i'd have to stop at the store on the way to work) - the reprecussions of that would be too great. in fact, if i have ever remembered your birthday (pre facebook) or a dinner date we had, consider yourself special.

my first principal was also forgetful but he kept a list in his pocket at all times. throughout the day, when he told someone he'd call them back or he thought of something he wanted to tell someone else, he wrote it on the list. in and out of his shirt pocket it would go all day. it meant that he was not a forgetful person because he checked that list all the time. i'd think to myself, "i should really have a list." but i never got around to making one.

this morning i forgot that i was meeting someone for coffee. i thought about it all week and then this morning when i woke up, i thought, "there was something happening today...what was that?". and i didn't think of it until i was an hour late. sigh. if only i had a list. but chances are...i'd forget it somewhere.

Sunday, May 02, 2010

hanson?

yesterday i was at the gym taking a "no sweat" class. one hour, you do strength exercises to music. at the end, all your muscles hurt. they keep the no sweat routine the same for 6 weeks no matter what gym you go to (if it's called no sweat, it's the same class) and it's the same music for those 6 weeks. then they change it. new moves, new music.

well, i have been taking this class off and on for the last couple years and love what a great workout it is, especially when you go consistently. yesterday was a new routine though and it felt like it was ALL ARMS. i have very weak arms/shoulders. i can squat and lunge with the best of them but tricep dips, push ups, and shoulder presses? i'm dying with my piddly 5lb weights.

are you thinking, "where is this going? why isn't this on the life on points blog, rebecca?" well, that's because the music to this new-to-me routine yesterday was hilarious. who's bed have your boots been under?, mr. jones by AQUA (yes, aqua), a grease medley AND...mmm-bop by hanson. and you know, i couldn't help but hum along to hanson and giggle while i did my chest flies. but man, what a flashback.

THEN, on facebook tonight, what happens to appear on my sidebar ads? HANSON in concert at the commodore on september 25th! they're STILL performing? who is their audience? then i thought, that would be funny...maybe i'll go. clicked on the ad only to find out that tickets BEFORE taxes are $46.50! whaat?! who is paying that? i'm intrigued. obviously intrigued enough to share this lengthy non-story.
Hanson Tickets

but i don't think i'll be going. unless sharelle wins me some tickets.