Munchies & A Lil' Bit Of Everything

This Christmas I see a lot of organizations and schools selling raffle tickets, raising funds and creating awareness around town about the season of giving and not just celebration.   Everywhere you turn, there is someone selling a ticket for someone, something and some organization.  I’m just glad that thru’ my networking with other people online and offline – I sell those raffle tickets well for my kids.  Networking is so important these days, everyone worth knowing you have to know – but of course, not all parents are as lucky to know how they can network offline and online.   Of course, these charitable organization cannot make use of  triangle direct like some big companies can – but we all know that knowing the right people – called networking is so important even in our everyday life.

Do you give presents because you want to give presents – or do you give presents only to those you think can help you a long the way?  or do you give presents to those who’ve done good for you or your kids?  Why not give presents to those who needs them?  Are presents our way of networking offline?  Do you give presents to the janitors of your kid’s school?  why do people not think of them?  do you not think that they are important?  This year – I am going to remember the janitors too – because they are worth my time – they cleaned after my kids in school – so they are just as important – you never know when you need them in the future.  I network with just about everyone – well, except the drunks and those who are crooks – but you get my drift right?

So you’ve just passed your online boating exam from BoaterExam.com, and you’re ready for your first boating adventure. The first item on your checklist is safety gear for you and the family. As you may have noticed during your search, all that prep material has taken a rather dry approach to safety equipment.

We’re here to tell you however, that it doesn’t have to be so drab. In fact, numerous options not only meet safety standards but also add a dash of style. Think Jacques Cousteau meets Jean Paul Gauthier… Well, sort of..

Life Jackets & Vests

Image Source: Inhabitat

The number one piece of safety equipment is a personal flotation device (PFD), also referred to as life jacket or life vest. A PFD has to be worn at all times on the boat, but it doesn’t have to be the fashion and comfort problem you’d expect it to be. In fact, today’s high-end PFDs are quite lightweight and flexible, and they come in wide range of style options such as the inflatable belt life jacket (pictured above) designed by Kathleen Westerhout and Dana Ramler. Discreet and sleek, it can even pass off as a regular accessory.

Dress Layered

Image Source: Jem Jigs

Safety always comes first and that means dressing appropriately. Now, that’s sometimes easier said than done. A warm day can suddenly feel quite cold out on the high seas. So the trick is to layer. You can arrive in shorts and a t-shirt, but have something more substantial available in your bag. Also, choose clothing that does not hold water, and have a spare outfit on hand.

Waterproof Bags

Image Source: Overboard

In order to keep those extra clothes dry, you’ll need a waterproof bag. Sport-oriented knapsacks and duffle bags are both good choices, and since you’ll be carrying these on your person to and from the boat, there is a style opportunity! Also, your main bag is a good option to hold most of the personal items you bring.

Waterproof Fanny Packs

Image Source: Coast International

For the small items, the waterproof fanny pack is very useful, and it’s an opportunity to add a splash of colour to your ensemble. You certainly don’t want to bring a purse or something similar on board, so the oft-ridiculed fanny pack is a great choice to store all those small items you want to have accessible.

Boat Shoes

Image Source: Shop my fun sales

Shoes are a crucial aspect of any stylish ensemble, but they are also a very important practical choice. Boat shoes are the most popular option, but many sneakers are often solid choices as well. They key is to choose a shoe that is non-slip and waterproof or at least water-resistant. It’s not a bad idea to have a second pair on hand, and don’t choose anything easily detached from your foot, such as flip-flops.

Hat & Sunglasses

Image Source: Zennioptical

Last but not least, don’t underestimate the value of a good hat and a strong pair of sunglasses. If you’ve never been, you might be surprised at just how bright it can get out on the open water. Without a good pair of sunglasses, you might just find it impossible to get comfortable. As for a hat, baseball caps are solid options, but why not try an extravagant sun hat which will give your face and shoulders more protection.

After all, it can mean the difference between a great day and a too long day that leaves you feeling drained.

Retail therapy makes all woman happy but not the man – so if you are smart – never go shopping with the man or it will only dampen your spirits.  Shop with a happy girlfriend and you will be one happy woman.  I love shopping for jeans and dresses, perfumes, cute stuff and even at my age – I still adore cute stuff.  After signing those credit card bills – I’m definitely satisfied with myself.

The spouse had been working for the same company for about 20 years now and this year he is in charge of ordering the long service award for his subordinates.  They have the 5 years award, the 10 years, the 15 years and then the 25 years.  I suggested  personalized coin instead of the usual acrylic award – that way the employees can just carry it with him – if he wants to show them to his families and friends – instead of leaving them at home  or in the office – where no one can see it and admire it.

I would prefer the personalized coin myself – because it would be a great talking piece for company’s function or going for a company’s convention or anything business related.   And if you are working for a established company like the spouse’s – the price per coin is definitely worth looking into – since you will be ordering more than just 100.  It is a good idea – I hope he brings it up to his boss – and if his boss was as smart as I – I’m sure he would go for the personalized coins too.

So we want to clean the outside of our house on our own – but first we need to buy a pressure washer or borrow one from the in-laws – but we needed a new industrial rubber hose for the pressure washer – because theirs wasn’t working the best.   The other option is to pay someone to come wash our home – for $120 – to do the work and not worry about it.  But if we pay for the industrial rubber hose – the in-laws can continue using it for their own home and cottage – so we will probably end up doing just that.  Why do we need to wash the outside ?  I gave my friend the example from the above photo – you see how dirty the outside look after a year or two and when your home is white on the outside – it gets a lot worst.   So this year, we are replacing the industrial rubber hose and getting the kids to do it – they will have loads of fun and maybe even a soap battle – haha!

I’m not into  wrestling but the spouse and the kids have so much fun watching them – so now the youngest wants to join a wrestling club in town.  Oh well – !  as long as she likes it – and won’t quit after a few weeks – I’m fine with it.   So we sat down and talked about the pros- and cons about joining the wrestling club and also the cost of the lessons and all the accessories that we needed to get her.   But she was adamant – and wants to take it for the summer – so instead of buying the accessories from the club – we found all she needed online and cheaper.  Lucky for us there is the internet – else we would definitely be spending s fortune.   While I still don’t know why she wants to take up wrestling – I’m supportive with her new hobby and hope she likes it a lot.

No we are not crazy about light houses – but you see that yellow chair there?  Yes ! it’s that yellow chair that we are crazy about – why?  and what so special?  it’s a 100 times larger than your normal lawn chair and everyone that we know had taken a picture on the chair except us.  Not that we haven’t tried but everytime we go to the lighthouse for a visit – the chair miraculously is kept away for the season or for renovations.  Yes – us and the chair are just not fated to meet I guess *grown* – so with a live webcam at the lighthouse now – we can see if the chair is there before heading out to the lighthouse in Cape Forchu.

Last week – I put away my  dehumidifier thinking that winter is finally over – but guess what today I had to take my dehumidifier out again because it snowed for days now on intervals.   The children are getting really tired of having to stay home and not being able to get out and have fun.  We had to place a dehumidifier in each room because the moisture that seep into the house because of the cold is just too hard on the kids.  The youngest just starts coughing whenever it gets too cold and wet outside and Mr Winter isn’t helping at all this year.  Lucky for us – we have some good dehumidifier around the entire house but winter started late this year – so I should have expected it to stay longer – instead of putting the dehumidifier away last week – who was i kidding right?

Spring is supposedly to be here but it sure doesn’t feel like it yet – well, it was yesterday but just not today.  Old Mr Winter just can’t make up its mind but that doesn’t mean that the girls don’t want to start wearing spring outfits to school.  So when we were at the mall today, the kids picked up a few things for themselves and since they don’t have uniforms they can wear like friends from Asia and Australia – we spend quite a bit on clothing for all kids during different season.

When you have teenagers at home, you know they want to be as fashionable as their friends and anything less would lead to some drama at home.  So what do we do?  we give them a budget – and also make them clean the house and do the lawn to earn extras for their clothes and make up or whatever else they deem they need.  The older ones do have a part time job during the summer and any free time they get out of school, their grandparents make them work in the garden doing peas and apples.  We don’t believe in handing out “free” money to the kids – they have to earn it, such because we want the kids to value the meaning of money and learn to manage them.

It is March now and the wind is blowing hard and the rain is coming down – it’s coldddddddddddd out there, now this is about the time we should be here a vacation by the sea.  We usually plan our vacation a year ahead because we have a few kids that tag a long with us during their March break.  We take them out of school a few days earlier – to be the March madness we have here but let me share a secret with you – we do vacation homes for our vacation mostly because it’s definitely cheaper than staying in a hotel for a family of 6.  Sometimes, the in-laws come along and for less than a $1000 – you get the most amazing vacation home to your disposal.  Usually we head out to Mrytle Beach or Florida and the North Carolina and we use the Duck vacation rentals starting at $900+ for a week’s rental.  We look forward to this time of the year – every single year – but this year – because we are renovating our home, we can’t spend a lot of time away – so the vacation by the sea with the entire family has to be next year – but trust me – vacation homes are the way to go – well, unless it’s just you and the spouse – now that’s a different story altogether.