Awesome Activities at Your Library

During the summer I try not to over schedule or have set committed activities. You never know what the weather will be like or what will be coming up last minute (you can't always plan a beach day), so it is nice to have your days free, thus making everyday a kind of adventure.

With that in mind there is still one constant that we have and that is our library. We go at least once a week, sometimes more, to get books, movies, and listen to stories or do other activities. This year at our local library, and probably most libraries across the country, they have a summer reading club. Each child is given a passport to write down all the books they read. Each time they go to the library they show the passport and they tell about one of the stories they read and they are given stickers, ballots to win weekly and the grand prizes, and other little prizes (like a coupon for free ice cream). The kids are excited to share what they are reading about and are excited to choose new books.

kids reading during the first warm day this spring

Along with the reading portion, the library hosts different activities. There is the usually story time and craft time but there are some other fun options. At our library for instance, they are doing lego building, robot programming, learning about animals and their habitats, making LED jewelry, marshmallow catapults, make your own lip balm and more. And the best thing about these programs is that they are absolutely positutley FREE! Isn't that amazing?!?! (For info at what is happening at Waterloo Public Library reading club click here) I can't wait to go to some of the programs, mostly because I want to learn about them too, hopefully my kids do too! By the end of the summer the librarians and other staff at the branch we go to usually know our names very well. It is always nice when the kids go into the library and the staff welcome them by name. It makes it a special place for them and they are excited to go.

For more information about summer reading clubs or to see if your local library is doing it check out this website (for Canadian libraries only, though it has some cool activities to do and gives you some book ideas). If your library isn't doing this, ask them if they will. Be an advocate for your kids and community. Libraries are to serve the community and are not just about books anymore. It is truly is a learning centre.

So happy reading, and happy exploring you local library. If you don't know what to read, head on over to my other blog. There should be something that piques your interest. What free things are available in your community for your kids to do?

The Junk - Hosting a Yard Sale

A few weeks ago we had a yard sale. We had collected enough stuff from around the house that we decided it was time to see if we could make some cash. Even some friends of ours donated some items that they didn't want and told us we could keep what we made. Now if that isn't a friend I don't know what is. The weather was rather chilly for June so that might have prevented some people from coming out but on the whole it was a successful day with a steady stream of people, at the end of the day we were $170 richer. That was enough to pay the piano movers to move in a piano the aforementioned friends were giving us (for FREE!). I am sad that my friends were giving their stuff away, because they are moving across the country and we won't get to see them as much. But, I'm happy I was able to sell their stuff! :)

So after slogging through my first (personal) yard sale these are the tips I have.

Tip #1 Set Up Early

Even though we had advertised that we were not going to start our yardsale until 8:00, we made our first sale at 7:50.

My husband and I woke up around 6:00ish and started moving tables out to the drive way getting the stuff out of the boxes and made sure we had good flow and placement of items.

Before the actual day we moved all the stuff we were going to sell into the garage and priced it all. That way all we had to do was open our garage door and move the stuff right out. That little bit of pre-gathering of all stuff for sale helped save us some time and hassle.

So setting up early on the day of is important but so is getting everything ready before hand. It takes an hour or two of time commitment but it is worth it.

me putting the finishing touches on

Tip #2 Price Everything 

While this may sound like a daunting task, especially if you have a lot, just trust me on this. While you may have a sign on the table saying "all books 25 cents" you will be amazed how many people will still come up and ask how much it is. So just hunker down and put a price on it.


For our yard sale I did not go out and buy special stickers or labels. I used a marker and painters tape. I have a lot of painters tape and it is easy to remove off the item once it is sold, so there won't be any residual stickiness.

And know that the price on the item may not be the actual price. While most people, in my experience, wont negotiate some will. So have this be your top price and leave some wiggle room for those who want to negotiate.

The only time that I wouldn't put a price on stuff is if you are having a charity yard sale. I have learned when you are raising money for charity just say "by donation". When they know of the cause they will usually feel more generous and give more then what you would get if you actually had a price on items. Yes, you will get some cheapskates, but they are few and far between and are more than made up for by others. Two months ago my friends and I had a charity yard sale to raise money for our friend's daughter who has a brain tumor and needed financial assistance. By saying by donation we were able to raise over $1000. Not to bad for a yard sale.

Tip #3 Be Ready to Negotiate

Before you start your yard sale you need to decide why you are having it. Are you having it to get rich or are you having it to get rid of junk. If you are having it to get rich you are probably better off to sell some of the bigger items on free sites like kijiji or craig's list or whatever may be in your area. People who go to yard sales are looking for rock bottom prices, at least I am when I go yard saling.

If things are priced too high people will not buy and you won't make any money. Also if you are looking to get rich you probably won't be willing to negotiate and that could mean not as many sales.

If your goal is to get rid of stuff and the extra cash is a bonus be willing to negotiate. At our yard sale I did not try to play hardball. If they offered a price I took it. Most people are reasonable and if they offer a different price than listed it is usually not too far off. Also if people wanted to buy a lot of stuff I would round down to the nearest dollar, or made it a nice round number thus helping the change situation.

To go along with negotiation, at the end of the day make everything 50% off. We did this with an hour to go. This did help motivate some people who were sitting on the fence. This is a great tactic if your goal is to get rid of the stuff. And believe me getting rid of the junk is great!

Tip #4 Make Sure You Have Enough Change

This is the trickiest bit about the yard sale. How much change is too much or too little. You don't want to run out, but then you don't want to be taking it all back to the bank either. We had $160 in change and that seemed to work out perfectly. We had $50 worth of $5,  $50 worth of twoonies (Canada's two dollar coin) $50 worth or loonies (Canada's one dollar coin) and $10 worth of quarters. We had lots of change and we didn't have to run to the bank to get more.

Most people who are seasoned yard salers will make sure they have small bills already so you won't be dealing with too many big bills and so that amount of change be excesive. But I was sure glad I had a lot of change when someone only had a $50 on them and the item they were buying was only $4.

Tip #5 Keep Signs Simple

You can buy signs, but I find them hard to read at times, especially when I am in my car driving by. I made my own signs by using bright pink bristol board (I think it is called poster board to those who are not up with Canadian lingo) and garden shepherd hooks that I got at the dollar store. Using my word processor I made big letters and then cut them out and then made an arrow and cut it out. If you have a cricut machine or something similar you can just use that. I then glued the letters onto my boards and then taped the boards onto the shepherds hooks.

These signs were easy to see were at a higher visual plane than other signs making it easier for potential customers to turn down the street and were cheaper to make than buying actual signs.

I kept the words simple. It simply said "YARD SALE" and then had the arrow pointing the appropriate way to our house. We had them at the main streets and where turns needed to be made. The uniform colour and printing made sure people knew where we were.

I even had matching duct tape on hand, what luck!

Tip #6 Decide What to Do with the Leftovers

No matter how much you might want to think everyone is going to want your junk, you will have things leftover. Decide what you are going to do with it. For us, somethings we were on the fence about. Those we decided to keep. Those items were mainly things that were our kids. Everything else we decided to get rid of. Most of the items went to a secondhand store. Other things like furniture and baby items we put up on kijiji.

If it is important for you to just get rid of the junk put the items directly in your car and take it to a donation centre. Otherwise those items will migrate back into your house negating all the hard work you did to make your house simplified.

Tip #7 Involve Your Kids

Involve your kids in not only contributing some of their stuff to the yard sale, but figure out what they can do to help. My kids are pretty young still, (my oldest is seven). Money is still a weird concept for them especially when making and understanding change. But, I also needed to give them something to do so they wouldn't be watching The Winx Club on YouTube all day. So, we let them have a lemonade stand. They loved it. They drank most of the lemonade themselves but they felt a part of what was going on. They probably would have made more if 1) it was warmer that day and 2) if they weren't distracted by other things and kept abandoning their posts, but when they were their they were quite the entrepreneurs. (People thought they were so cute they would give them money without taking the lemonade. I wished that worked for me!)

the girls at their lemonade stand. it was so chilly we had to find the winter coats

Tip #8 Have Fun

Make this a good experience. Put some fun tunes on, smile and enjoy the time in the sun. There are so many ideas you could do to make this a fun morning; have a friendly competition with your spouse, every hour do a sale, have a special item that if bought they buyer gets to pick another one for free, have your neighbourhood involved etc. You are only limited by your imagination. Think outside the box and have fun!

Strawberry Jam

This past Saturday I had the most productive Saturday ever. It was amazing how things just seemed to work out that my family and I were able to accomplish what we set out do do. We went to the farmers market, took things to donate at the secondhand store and even got free pizza for lunch! I capped the day off by making three batches of strawberry jam. I did it once the kids were in bed. It was a bit of a late night, but it is much easier to do canning when they are not underfoot.

fresh Ontario strawberries getting ready to become jam

I made jam for the first time last year. It was so nice to have jars ready as gifts, and we didn't have to buy any jam. I had made a years supply! It was so nice in the middle of our cold winter to open up a new jar of jam and get a faint whiff of June. It was so yummy and sweet.

one out of many freshly made jars of strawberry jam

The nice thing about jam is that it is fairly easy to make, yet when you give it so someone they are always impressed. All you have to do is buy the box of pectin and follow the recipe. If you follow it exactly, your jam should work out. I love it when my jam bubbles and gels. I then like using my canning tongs to put my jars in the big canner and then taking them out again. There is no more satisfying sound then the little pop of you lids forming a vacuum seal. Music to my ears.

I think this year I might try my hand at making relish. My mom has the best yellow relish recipe. I usually steal a jar or two of it from her cupboards when we go to visit. I think it is time to stop my thievery and make my own.

While jam and relish may be simple things to make, I get so much pleasure in knowing that I made this for my family and friends. When you put work into something and it helps others, you can't help but feel good. I love seeing my jars lined up and I think to myself wow, look what I accomplished today. Creating, whether it is preserves, or knitted dishclothes, or bread, or a tidy room, makes you feel great. It is nice to create and look on your works and feel a sense of happiness and accomplishment.

What are you going to create today, this week, this month, this year? Are there any canning foods that you enjoy making?

Talent Auction

It is amazing the different talents people have. Each person is so unique with their abilities. My sister can play the song "The Rose" on the piano, right hand doing the chords, the melody being played by her nose. "The Rose" with her nose, that's pretty amazing if I do say so myself.

When we think of talents often we think of things that we have created. Dishcloths that we knit, aprons we sew, paintings we paint, chairs we build and so much more. These talents are great and amazing, but, they are not the only ones. Some people have a talent of just being able to relax and stay calm. Some people have the talent at being able to clean up messes that kids make (I'm thinking bodily ones but don't want to go into too much detail, you know what I mean). Some people are talented at discovering the community in which they live and all the cool niche things to do. Others are good at smelling out good deals. These are talents that people don't often think about.

Last week the ladies at my church had a talent auction. It had to be something that people could take home that night so it made us think outside the box. While a lot of items were things that we created, there were some that were outside the box. Some one brought a relaxation kit, with tips/things that could be used to relax. Another person brought their favourite bodywash that helped their skin feel great. Some one brought books that they liked to read. Some of the more traditional talents were knitted dishcloths, homemade jam, caramel-chocolate covered apples, paintings, plants from people's garden, homemade bread, a homemade library bag. It was neat to see what people were interested in.

This is what I brought

Talent auctions are a great way to share your talent without seeming too boastful. When we have talents we should be using them to help others. This auction did that. Some people make great bread, some don't, the talent auction gave people a chance to figure out who was good at a talent they wanted help with and at a later date perhaps ask that person for help in developing that talent.

Getting ready for the auction I was able to start to develop new talents of my own. I made the label using an online photo editor . I had done a little bit with the editor before, mostly putting on the watermark on my latest blog photos, but I am nowhere near a pro. But, it was fun figuring it out and I look forward to playing around with it more. I was also able to give people my blog url. Once again, I am nowhere near a pro blogger, but it is something I am enjoying doing, finding my voice and finding out what I want to say.

We did not use money to buy with. At the beginning of the event each person was given a questionnaire to fill out. The questionnaire had yes or no questions and points associated with them. After you answered all the questions you tallied up your points and that is what you had to work with. You could do something similar for your own auction or you could always make it a fundraising event for a charity if you wanted to use real money.

It doesn't have to be a church group who does this. You could get your friends or neighbours together and have a talent auction. It is exciting to get a chance to get others better and see what they like doing and are proud of. It is fun to share and it is fun to be inspired.

What talents would you take to a talent auction? What new talents are you beginning to develop?

A Difference of Opinions Does Not a Stupid Person Make

Yesterday was election day in Ontario. Despite only have 51% voter turn out, it was still higher than previous elections. We went from having a minority Liberal government to a majority, much to everyone's surprise. (The polls leading up to election day showed a very tight race.)

Today I went onto facebook. I had a couple of messages to deal with, but I inevitably started reading the news feed. There were some posts about the election, many voicing their sadness that the conservatives did not win or at least do better. (I seem to have a lot of conservative friends on facebook, or maybe they were the only ones who wanted/needed to post something.)

There was one post and resulting comments that really made me pause to reflect and stirred me into writing this post. (Don't worry, I am not making this a political blog.) The post basically said, and I paraphrase, that they were shocked that the Progressive Conservative party did not win, they thought they should move from Ontario because of it, and then, in later comments, more than one person said or agreed that whoever did not vote conservative were stupid, and that basically every person in the province was stupid because they didn't vote the way these particular people wanted.

Now, irregardless on how I feel about who won or lost the election, I take great insult to the way that this frustration was being taken out. We live in a world where people are different. They have different educations, ways of thinking, life experiences, talents and skills, etc. I love to read, I do not consider those who don't read to be stupid. I love Ikea, do I tell someone who doesn't that they are stupid? I think we all should recycle and compost. Do I tell someone they are stupid if they don't do those things right now?

By calling those who disagree with you or do something that you do not agree with stupid who are ultimately shutting down any exchange of ideas. Great ideas and good policy does not come from one person shutting down everyone else. It comes from a collaboration of many people. All bring to the table their collective knowledge and life history. The ideas bounce back and forth and get refined and polished. If those around the table were calling others names or calling them stupid, the dialogue would shut down fairly quickly, and not much positive change would happen.

When someone disagrees with me, I try, not always successfully, to understand where they are coming from and why they might think like that. Once that understanding is there we can discuss our views, why they are different and then come to a consensus, a way we can work together and move forward being the best we can be.

In the media and news we only see question period when our politicians are yelling at each other and acting divisive. I think that makes us feel we need to be divisive when talking about politics or elections. Behind the scenes, the politicians talk with each other, they work on committees together, and while the governing party has the ultimate say, they do hear what the other parties have to say too.

We need to listen to others and not just say that they are stupid. That is too simplistic a reaction for a complex issue such as voting. Usually a lot of thought and inner turmoil goes into whom we decide to vote for. It is not just a simple thing. When I cast my ballot I was still battling back and forth between who I would vote for. I stood with my pencil poised for about twenty seconds. If after this inner debate I voted for someone who others thought I shouldn't, should I be labeled stupid for that? I don't think so. It was a hard decision. I did not make it lightly. That is not so say that we can't be shocked or gobsmacked when things don't go our way or when people do things differently. Sometimes we have to acknowledge to ourself, "wow, that's not what I would do or act" or say "I wonder why they would have done that, that's kind of weird." But then you move on from it, you don't think that person is stupid, just different. You can either adopt their practice or not.

As for the other comment of saying they were going to move to a different province, that seems a bit over-the-top. Politicians come and go. Political climates change. In Ontario we have had conservative governments, liberal governments, and more socialist governments. and that was only in the past twenty years. Should we move every time the political climate changes? There is no guarantee that a province that has been conservative for a while won't all of the sudden change. Look at the last federal elections. Yes, the Conservatives won and formed the government, but I don't think any one saw the NDP becoming the official opposition. That was a shocker. So, moving really isn't going to do much. If you have a legitimate concern about the government, call your local representative, no matter what party they belong to. They are there to work for you. Voice your concerns. Be an advocate. Sitting back and calling people stupid and saying you will move, when let's face it, in reality that is most likely not going to happen (you need to make sure you have employment, someone needs to buy your house, you need to pack), will not bring about change, the change you think that this province/country needs/deserves.

Sorry for this rant, but I just could not believe the juvenile thinking that these people were expressing. Their lack of showing respect to others was astounding. It is fine to be upset and voice your frustration and concern, but do not blankly label people as one thing. Do not shutdown an opportunity for dialogue. And do not make idle, over-the-top threats/remarks. If you want to make Ontario a great place to live, demonstrate it through your actions and your words. No one wants to feel belittled or that their thoughts are silly. You capture more flies with honey than vinegar. Remember that when you are trying to persuade others that your way of thinking might be the best option. Here's hoping for more open dialogue opportunities in the future.

Mushroom Fajitas. Yumyum!

As I plan out my menus I try to have meals where meat isn't the main item, or is not the biggest portion. Don't get me wrong, when I find out that they have discovered a way we can be healthy and get all our nutrients by being a carnivore, I am there. (To me nothing is better than a steak that still has a whisper of a moo.) But, that hasn't happened yet, and so I am all for being an omnivore to the max. Not only is being minimal with meat healthy for our bodies, it is healthy for our wallets too.

The other day I wanted fajitas but chicken and beef were both not on sale, but mushrooms were. I decided that I would use them instead of chicken. And my kids didn't even notice that much of a difference. The child who will try anything ate three helpings. The child who says everything I make is disgusting, well she said the same thing with these. So that means, to me at least, this is a winning recipe.

Oh, the mushrooms. Those fungi of the forest... or the manure pile... they are pretty awesome. In this recipe I used plain old white mushrooms. In the past I have used portebello. Portebello mushrooms have a nice meaty texture. You could use them as a hamburger substitute even. For this recipe you can really use whatever mushrooms you want.

So here it is.

2 tbsp canola oil
200g of mushrooms (I bought a big package that was like 450g and I think I used about half. Basically use as many as you want)
1 medium sized onion
1 pepper (I usually use red or orange or yellow peppers. I don't like the taste of green peppers when they are cooked and the colour of the other peppers give a nice pop.)
2/3 cup water
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp garlic powder (or one clove fresh)

Put canola oil in a large skillet and put on medium heat. Slice up the mushrooms, onion, and pepper and then add to mixture. Cook until onions are done and the peppers are starting to get soft, but are still a bit crunchy. Add seasonings and water. Stir and simmer until water is basically evaporated.

Serve on a tortilla wrap (This one is store bought. I have making my own on my bucket list.) top with sour cream, avacado, cheese, salsa, tomatoes, lettuce, whatever you want really. Enjoy!

As a variation, this time I added some shredded carrot to it. It was really good. I think I might do it from now on!

I Love This Time of Year

If I had to pick anytime of year that I absolutely loved more than any other, this would be it. It is warm but not sweltering. It is not humid, and even when it is it is bearable. The leaves are out in full and the flowers just explode out.

In our backyard there is a beautiful poppy patch. When I first moved in I knew there were poppies, but I didn't realize how much they can spread! Last week I saw all the poppy buds, and then a couple of days ago there were two flowers. That made me happy. I love poppies. Today I looked out from my dining room and this is what I saw!

Isn't that super exciting and beautiful. I love the bright orangy red colour. A house down the street has pink poppies in the front yard. I am tempted to go and get some seeds from their plants to add variety.

Also spread throughout our backyard and some in the front are these beautiful irises. They aren't the typical irises with the broad leaves. I love how fine their leaves are. Last year almost ripped them out because I thought they were day lilies. (We have so many daylilies in our yard and they are so tightly bunched, I need to thin them.) I am super glad I didn't.

I forgot to take pictures last year of what the gardens look like and what plants come in different seasons. This year I am going to be diligent so that way I know what I want to keep and what needs to go for next year. That's the thing with inheriting someone else's garden. You don't know what they have put in for different seasons, what are weeds and what aren't. This will be our second summer fully moved in to our house, so this is the year to keep track and figure it out for next year.

In the back corner of our yard we have what we have termed, The Meadow. It is a beautiful sea of forget-me-nots. My middle child loves to pick flowers and she was so excited to see all these beautiful  flowers free for the picking. My husband doesn't have the heart to mow them down yet as the kids are having such fun. I hope our neighbours don't mind as they do spread.

can you see the kids hiding in the flowers?

Next year at this time I will have my vegetable garden planted. We weren't in a position this year to get it done. We are concentrating mostly on getting the inside de-cluttered and so the garden needs to wait. There are only so many hours in the day and so much energy to be had. But, I am excited about establishing a nice veggie garden. I know my kids will be excited too. At least we have an awesome farmers market just up the street. I will be going there soon to get strawberries to make strawberry jam. Last year I made enough jam to last us the whole year, and give away some as gifts. Nothing is better then strawberry jam, especially freshly made. Yummers!

This time of the year is awesome. There are so many beautiful things to see and look forward to. What do you love most about this season?