Canadian Tire Helping Kids Get in the Game

If you're someone like me, you probably understand what it's like to not be able to afford to put your child into sports programs.  So if you're someone like me, you appreciate those that do help and provide that opportunity for our children that we can't.  Like those at Canadian Tire with their Jumpstart program.  

Did you know that Canadian Tire helps support children with special needs get into things like Therapeutic Riding?  As a parent of a special needs kid, I am truly grateful they do. 

During the entire month of May, Canadian Tire customers are encouraged to donate $2.00 towards the program and in return they receive a red ball - the national symbol for child's play.  

On May 25th, the fifth annual Jumpstart Day will take place at Canadian Tire Stores across Canada.  The day-long fundraising event is in celebration of Jumpstart's May Red Ball campaign.  Donations to Jumpstart help the one three Canadian families who cannot afford to enrol their children in organized sports and recreation.  All funds raised through the May Red Ball campaign and on Jumpstart Day stay within the local community to help local children.  Your donation could be helping your neighbour's children, the kids you see walking to school every day, helping kids feel involved and connected with their peers and not left out. 

Customers can help celebrate Jumpstart through the following activities at select stores throughout Canada.  

• Visit Canadian Tire Retail, Mark’s, Sport Chek, Atmosphere and Canadian Tire Gas+ locations across the country to make a $2 donation to Jumpstart in exchange for a red ball.
• Make a donation and be treated to a Go Clean waterless car wash at select Canadian Tire locations and help attempt to set a Guinness World Record
• Visit Pita Pit throughout the remainder of the month of May to make a $2 donation in exchange for a red ball and a coupon for $1 off the next purchase.
• Take part in the Buffalo Wild Wing, “Eat Wings Raise Funds” event happening Wednesday’s in May at locations across Canada.  Bring in a coupon from the restaurants’ website and Buffalo Wild Wings will make a donation to Jumpstart.

Canadian Tire invites residents across Canada to get involved and make a difference.

WHAT:                 Jumpstart Day celebrations taking place at various locations across Canada

WHEN:                 Saturday, May 25, 2013

                               

WHERE:               Lower Mainland locations hosting events are: 

2290 CAMBIE ST, VANCOUVER
1350 MAIN STREET, NORTH VANCOUVER
3059-152 STREET, WHITE ROCK
11388 STEVESTON HWY, SOUTH RICHMOND
2125 HAWKINS STREET, PORT COQUITLAM
11969 - 200TH STREET, MAPLE RIDGE
7200 MARKET CROSSING BURNABY
7560 VEDDER ROAD, CHILLIWAK

Moving Again?

I can't believe that just three short years from our last move that we're actually considering moving again.  Well, we are. Crazy, I know.  We've just about exhausted ourselves mentally and physically for the past few weeks trying to get our house in ship shape to even list.  It's amazing how many small things you let slide and how much clutter starts to take over our lives.

Well, I've been putting some of organizational expert Barbara Reich's rules in to play as I go through each cupboard and closet sorting and purging my way along.  It's a win win for me, my house is getting cleaner and I am donating some good items to the garage sale our school is holding as a fundraiser at the end of the month.

Still, I can only hope this house selling process isn't as painful as the last process.  It took us almost three years to sell our last house. THREE YEARS.  Mainly because it was a large expensive house in an area where only seniors could afford to buy it but don't want a house that big.

I still can recall the nightmare of trying to raise three small children in a house that was for sale literally the first 2.5 years of my son's life.  One showing we were just about to go out the door when my son picked that moment to throw up all over the floor.  We were frantically cleaning the floor, consoling the baby and ended up driving around in the van for an hour with a sick child and puke bucket only to come home and find out that the realtor never showed up.  I could have sat down and cried. I think I did.

It's amazing how much your family life can change in just three years.  We went from having toddlers running around to all three in school full time.  They may have been busy and active when they were little but they are even more busier and active and louder now.  Which is why we need more space.  Given that my oldest daughter has some OCD issues along with everything else, room sharing is no longer even an option. We all need our own space, something that I think is going to be even more important as they get older.  We picked this house based on what we thought we needed three years ago but unfortunately it no longer meets those needs.  Which is a shame really because I like my house.  If we could add on without adding on to our mortgage I would stay without question.

Then there's my husband who really wasn't sure about listing at all and kept hemming and hawing about the whole thing and then bam he sees a house this morning that he likes and all doubts are gone and he wants to buy it, like now.

Crazy.

My house is clean though.  Scary clean.

Zeemaid

Summer Traveling Tips with Barbara Reich

The summer traveling season is right around the corner.  Whether you’re traveling an hour by car to see the grandparents or hopping a plane to go halfway around the world, these tips will help you and your family get organized before you leave so you can enjoy your trip!  Happy organized traveling!

1. For airline travel, employ “the rule of fractions”. If there are four people in your family, pack a fourth of each person’s clothing in each piece of luggage.  If luggage is lost or stolen, everyone will have enough to wear until it’s found. 

2. Plan your wardrobe around three pairs of shoes (think metallic).  If you can pack one pair of shoes for all of your night time outfits, one pair of shoes for your day time wear, and one pair of sneakers, you have simplified and lightened your load.

3. Consider traveling with pop-up laundry hampers for your whites and colors.  Your hotel room will look much neater, and at the end of the vacation, pack the dirty laundry and fold up the hampers. 

4. Don’t be the only one not taking advantage of the “2 for 1 special”.  Do your research ahead of time.  Often there are coupons and discounts available for popular attractions and venues that can be found through a simple online search.

5. Charge cameras before you leave home, make sure you know how to operate them, and that they are working properly. Bring extra batteries and memory cards if needed.

6. Put a piece of hotel stationery in your children’s pockets.  Even older children and older travellers may forget where they’re staying if they get lost, particularly in a foreign country.

7. For longer trips, ship toiletries to your destination one week in advance through an online drugstore such as drugstore.com.  If you order enough, you may even qualify for free shipping.  You’d be surprised how much sunblock, diapers, and shampoo can weigh.

8. Bring a jump rope.  You can always find a corner of the airport to let your child get rid of excess energy before boarding the plane. Or they can use at a rest stop to stretch their legs.  And, you can use it to exercise if you can’t get to a gym.

Barbara Reich is a professional organizer who lives in NYC with her husband, thirteen year old twins and puppy. She takes a tough love approach to help everyone turn organization from a chore to a lifestyle. Her book, “Secrets of an Organized Mom,” is currently on shelves.  Find out more about Barbara at facebook.com/ResourcefulConsultants or @BarbaraReich

How Much Can You Bear?

They say that God never gives us more than we can bear but then I wonder why it was that he gave me a child that I couldn’t parent.  Not because of her, because of me.  I don’t have the patience or the skills to deal with her.  She makes me so incredibly frustrated to the point that I want to hit her.  I have to walk away. 

My husband isn’t much better.  He walks around with a frown on his face because he thinks I should just stop talking and wants the yelling to stop.  Yet, I hear him do all the same things when I’m out of the room and he will add in a few choice four letter words to boot. 

If I so much as grab her arm she cries abuse.  If I say something and mix my words up, she’s on it like a hawk.  If I say something that gets her really upset and I see that it upsets or was more important to her than I thought, I will try to come up with a compromise but she holds fast to what I first said. 

She hits her brother and than has a complete hissy because he marks up her shirt with lip balm.  Her uniform shirt that costs like $28.00.  The lip balm is the colour of grapefruit.  Over and over it’s how much she hates her brother and refuses to acknowledge that she prompted the retaliation by bugging him. I ask her to put her shoes on it’s a five minute rant about how I don’t need to tell her over and over again, why do I do that, can’t you see what I’m doing, I can only do one thing at a time, you tell me to do everything, what I’m supposed to stop putting my jacket on to put my shoes on and on and on and on it goes till I want to scream. 

I had to listen to her rant about how she can’t find her school fleece and come quickly to the deduction that her sister must have worn it and that she must have lost it at school and that’s why E can’t find it.  It’s only after her father says he’s leaving with or without her and walks out the door that she finally goes outside.  I walk over to the coat rack and in two seconds I had found the jacket, under another jacket to be sure but there just the same.

When she’s like this, I can do no right and every resolve at being patient quickly dissolves under the constant barragement of temper from her. I am not the mom I want to be.  I want to scream, I want to run away.  I am so tired.  Instead, I cry after they are all out the door. 

Then I watched this video about a lovely girl named Rosie and I am reminded of all the special things that my E is.  That she is so much more than the temper and the impatience and the irritation.  I am especially reminded from this video that I need to hold onto all the wonderful things my daughter is and celebrate those things with her. I need to figure out what helps her to calm down and how to moderate my language so that she doesn’t feel like she’s been bossed to death or attacked.

Like I said, it’s really not about her.

It’s about me finding a way to parent this child without making things worse.  Finding a way to get a handle on her and how to navigate through these tricky morning situations.  Patience alone isn’t going to cut it but if the good Lord could send an extra measure my way, I would appreciate it.

Zeemaid

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