5 Things to throw out TODAY

'Tis the season to purge the cupboards and closets and start fresh.

You really should throw out these 5 things, and never look back.

1. Spices that are older than THE Spice Girls comeback album. Ok, that's any herbs or spices more than 2 years old... they gotta go.

2. Makeup. If  it's more than 6 months old it has to go, especially mascara and anything that goes near your precious eyes.

3. Sauces. If you used it to BBQ last summer and not since, time to toss. Check your expiry dates on everything in your fridge, if it says 2013, it's done.

4. Pillows. If you've been breathing into it and drooling on it for more than a year, buh bye.

5. Toothbrush and toothpaste. If it's 60 days old, or you've recently had a cold, you need a new one.

Why... why are these things on the New Year's Hit List? 

One word. BACTERIA. 

It's a new year, start fresh. Please.

5 Things you can donate today that WILL make a difference.

If you are frustrated, like I am, at bureaucracy and organizational monsters that eat 80% of your cash donation and barely let anything trickle down to the intended source, then please consider my words.


5 Things that you can donate today that WILL make a difference in your own community: 

1. Pet food, blankets/towels to your humane society, rescue organizations and any organization dedicated to helping pets find homes. These are grass roots, local initiatives that are using consumables (pet food, litter) every day of the year. www.manitobamutts.org  http://www.fundsfurfriends.com/ http://www.earthdogterrierrescue.com/ http://www.brandonhumanesociety.ca http://www.darcysarc.ca/

2. Craft supplies, sewing supplies, magazines, mitts, boots & toques to your local school or daycare.  The home/school co-ordinator, secretary, or parent council members will use these consumables where they are most needed. These items will benefit kids. Who hasn't lost a mitt and needed a spare?

3. Fancy clothes - for lack of a better word: your suits and skirts, dressy jackets, ties and anything a person might wear to a job interview or personal celebration. You can donate these items anywhere. Whether it's Value Village, a women's shelter, or even a soup kitchen. People need decent clothes for job interviews. This is a genuine way to help.  And all people deserve to feel special or even
"appropriate" at their family birthdays, anniversaries, graduations etc. Have you ever skipped an event because you didn't want to be embarrassed by not fitting in?

4. Canned goods - it's important to keep emergency and long term supplies in our soup kitchens all year round.

5. Personal toiletries like toothbrushes, shampoo, tampons, socks, underwear, polysporin, bandaids, a comb, deodorant. Or coupons for these and similar items. These items can go along way to making a person feel "human" or presentable. Whether it's Siloam Mission, the Salvation Army, a church, a clinic or other place of your choosing, it will help. You may take these items for granted, but a person stretching their food budget or trying to keep a roof over their heads, may consider these luxury items.

If you can help people and/or animals in your own community, please do. 

Best of 2013

I shudder to think about writing this year in review. I pretty much hated this year and frankly, I can't wait for it to end and get a fresh start with 2014.  This is simply my raw, generalized opinion of the year as a whole. However, when I pause to consider events and activities as individual moments, there were some pretty good times. I'll try to focus on those.

So, in no particular order... my best memories of 2013: 

Best meal:  A crepe in a casino! I was absolutely sober, and it was mid-day, but damn that crepe from the Aria Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas was amazing! The raspberries were so fresh and flavourful you'd think they were photoshopped in your mouth! Karen & I had incredible meals that whole trip.

Where I should have sat to see the concert.  

Where I got to sit instead! 

Rod Stewart 12 feet away & singing my song! 

Best compliment: A concert usher, at Caesar's Palace said to me "you're too pretty to sit in the back row. Here, take these tickets and sit up front."  And that's how we saw the Rod Stewart concert from the good seats! Seriously, an unbelievably lucky moment.

Best song: Well, you see, Rod Stewart kinda sang "Some Guys Have All The Luck" to me, at the above mentioned concert. He was looking at me, winked, and was belting out his signature hit. So, yeah, that ROCKED!

Best bliss: Late January, on a heated patio, in Newport Beach California, I was sipping a raspberry lemon drop martini while the music of Simply Red quietly played in the background. My 7 year old son  was exhausted and completely enthralled with the events of the day. He drifted asleep next to me, telling me how much he loved being my travel buddy and just hanging out with me.

Best scream: I rode a roller coaster. It was California Screamin' at Disneyland, and boy did I scream!  And since I've spent a lifetime avoiding these types of rides and saying "I don't do roller coasters" it was a pretty big deal. I'm glad I did it. It's good to face your fears.

Best "why the hell not" moment:  I let my awesome hair dresser dip dye the ends of my blonde hair bright pink. What a great conversation starter and fun two weeks! It washed out and didn't stain my blonde hair. No harm at all.

Best silver lining. My 3 year old truck was damaged beyond your imagination during a routine oil change. The Titan needed a new transmission and a re-build on its engine. That was absolutely unbelievable and caused WEEKS of grief. During this time every man in my life and those associated with the issue talked down to me and did their best to make me feel like a stupid girl in a man's world. I hated that! Ultimately, the insurance of the dealership that destroyed my truck paid for all repairs, and in the end, I traded in the old truck for a brand new Titan. Of course there was 100% disclosure on the trade in. So, my "silver lining" in this experience was getting my first brand new vehicle ever. And it's silver. And I like it alot. Of course, I have to pay for it, and had to renegotiate my loan during this ordeal, but the dealership that sold me the new Titan was fantastic and really had my back in the process. Friends for life!

Best upgrade: $50 and a little Canadian charm got me upgraded from the basic room (read "cheapest room at the hotel") to the Bellagio Suite at the Bellagio Hotel in Vegas. The suite had 3 bathrooms, a living room, a dining room and just total overall awesomeness.  The robes were so awesome, I had to buy one! That robe makes me feel like a princess every time I put it on.

Best history experience:  Touching the space shuttle Adventure, as it was on display at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston Texas. Everything in that NASA museum was an incredible glimpse into history.... history that has pretty much happened in my parents' lifetime. That was cool. Really cool.

Best kid moment: When my little one took my hand and said "let's do this" and led me on stage to sing karaoke on our Disney cruise. We sang "our" song and did a heck of a job on it! I'd never ever sung karaoke before. That was another fear and check on the bucket list accomplished this year.

Best instant party: My son's hockey team won the championship and he hollers "free ice cream" in the locker room and invites everyone back to our diner for a celebration. Since it was only 9AM, I suggested we do pancakes instead. So, on about 20 minutes notice (about the time it takes the team to change out of their gear) we whipped up a championship pancake breakfast with bacon, yogurt, fruit and juice. Finally... having a restaurant comes in handy!

Best golf games: I golfed with my boys 3 times this year. That was fun. They are growing up so fast!

Us photo-bombing someone's cheesy
Vegas wedding pic! LOL

Best spontaneous trip: Vegas with Shelby! I think she casually asked over the counter at work, on a Thursday, and that very Monday we were on a plane. I really needed that escape. Gosh we had laughs! Even better than our "great" Grand Forks adventure of 2010.

Best work moment: Hosting a charity milkshake event to raise money for a family whose dad is stricken with cancer. I have never seen a community come together like that day. And the staff were unbelievable! We accomplished more that day than we'd dreamt of. We put $2000 in the hands of a good family, for all the right reasons. That is my most proud teamwork moment for certain, maybe ever.  Thinking about that day brings a tear to my eye.

Reflecting back on a year is a good thing. I'm breathing better now for having reminisced and really thought about the individual events and moments. It's hard to grasp why I say I hated this year so much when it was, indeed, filled with much laughter and the company of friends. My loved ones are healthy and still with us. My children continue to grow and pursue their passions. I continue to travel and surprise myself with courage and strength. I've even had some fun writing about my travels. So... what do I really have to complain about? Not a damn thing.

Cheers! Here's to 2014. May our lives be blessed with good health, good friends and great adventures!

A Few Things I'm Proud Of in a Life Without Regrets

Should I perish in some tragic accident, I shall rest peacefully knowing that I showed my kids how to live fully, and value their family and community.

I will never regret letting my toddlers eat off the good china. If we had company for dinner, it was a special occasion! We all celebrated together, even if the neighbours were just coming over for stew. No piece was ever damaged and the kids always loved having "fancy dinners."

I will never regret showing my children the lessons of charity. To give, to share and to honour your community is a critical citizenship lesson, in my humble opinion. Seeing my kids deliver Christmas Hampers, or even donate their old hockey sticks to the community centre, always makes me swell with pride.

I will never regret the time and money spent travelling with my children. Seeing the world and sharing the experiences brought us closer and gave us some amazing memories.

I will never regret baking cookies at midnight or hosting spontaneous dance parties. Even if it meant blasting the routine of bedtime or leaving a messy kitchen, it was so worth it. Family dance parties and kitchen limbo contests... well, that's some fun stuff.

I will never regret giving the kids a little spending money of their own, and showing them how to earn more. Chores are not evil. Helping to look after yourself, your home and your family is essential information. And hard work should be rewarded. Perhaps someday my kids will be employers and perhaps this lesson will resonate deeply.

I will never regret having animals in our house and in our lives. The doggie "siblings" were some of the first friends the kids had and they taught them so much about empathy, respect, responsibility, kindness, love and even health.  Some people say dogs are too much work. Well, for me, they complete a family. My house doesn't feel right without a dog.

I will never regret any money spent with their safety in mind. Whether it's a high end piece of hockey equipment or snow tires to take them to games safely, it's worth every penny. Insurance, bike helmets, seat belts and more were always in the budget. Keeping my kids safe, is, of course, priceless.

I will never regret any time spent writing. Whether it is in their journals, baby books, blogging here or even "I love you" notes in their lunches it will help them know who their mother is. And one thing they will know for certain, through my actions and words, is how much I love and cherish them.

5 Reasons Why I'm Not Afraid to Fail

1. I've done it enough. I'm starting to get good at it.... failing, that is.  The hard part used to be getting back up and dusting yourself off. But once that's mastered, there's really no stopping you. 

2. No one gives a crap anyway. Seriously. Movie stars and politicians are the ones who are grabbing headlines. And while it used to be "15 minutes of fame" whatever your blunder, it's history in milliseconds with today's social media. 

3. Fail isn't a catastrophe anymore, it's a hashtag. Baked cookies... dropped them on the floor! #fail 

4. Life without risks isn't living.  I couldn't live in a bubble. I would never want that for my children either. Bubble wrap is for wine glasses and Grandma's Christmas ornaments, not people. 

5. If it's not illegal or immoral, don't sweat it. If you want to lie about your weight or going over the Secret Santa gift exchange budget, that's ok too in my books. 

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“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow.” ― Mary Anne Radmacher.