Thursday, July 4, 2013

Pictures

These days blogging has become more of a chore. It can be really hard to keep up with it and feel like I want to make time to do it when I really dont get much of a response from it.

Ive been blogging for 3 + years, and it is very rare that I get a comment or two any post, however Im still seeing that Im having traffic arrive on my blog. So Im torn, continue blogging, and not feel like I get much of a response or even know whose reading, following or out there on the other side of the screen, or just call it quits. Seems like a shame to just call it quits after so long. I really dont know, Im torn. Its like doing a job where theres no encouragement or feedback what so ever.

In the mean time, here are some pictures.

 At the zoo on the merry go round. He loved it. Went on it 6 times, one after the other!!

 My great aunt came from to visit from Whales, our whole family took a trip on the river queen boat. It was a great time to catch up and visit with family.
 The many faces of Judah!
 Eli's 4th birthday!!

 Judah's 1st oreo. He got into them and before we could stop him he had the top & bottom apart, and was digging in!

Judah LOVES black berries. Need I say more?

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Nefarious movie screening


I am planning a movie screening of Nefarious on June 17th. If you would like more information as far as location & time please let me know.

I encourage you to watch the trailer.


Friday, May 24, 2013

3 new posts!! Look below!

Ive posted 3 new posts (4 if you include this one!!) so make sure to read on down below!!

Human Trafficking - Nefarious Merchant of Souls


The Cold Facts of Modern Slavery

Sex trafficking involves the act of recruiting, harboring, transporting, or obtaining a person for a commercial sex act through use of force, fraud, or coercion (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). It is a crime against humanity.
Every year, thousands of women and children fall into the hands of traffickers in their own countries and abroad. Every country in the world is implicated by this injustice, whether as a country of origin, transit, or destination.

More Human Trafficking Statistics

Slavery is still alive and well in our contemporary society.
  • Governments estimate there are 27 million slaves being held worldwide—more than at any point in human history. (U.S. State Department, March 2012)
  • Sexual exploitation makes up 79% of identified forms of human trafficking, including prostitution, forced stripping, massage services, and pornography. (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking, 2009)
  • 88% of these victims are women and children. (UN Office on Drugs and Crime, 2009)
  • After drug trafficking, trafficking in humans ties with the illegal arms industry as the second largest criminal industry in the world today. It is the fastest growing. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011)
  • Most sex trafficking is regional or national and is perpetrated by traffickers who are the same nationality as their victims. (United Nations, Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, 2009)
  • As many as 2 million children are subjected to prostitution in the global commercial sex trade. (U.S. State Department, Trafficking in Persons Report, 2011)
  • At least 15,000 people are trafficking into the United States annually. (U.S. State Department, Trafficking in Persons Report, 2010)
  • Approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims annually are trafficked across international borders worldwide. (U.S. State Department, Trafficking in Persons Report, 2011)
  • Estimates suggest as many as 300,000 children annually are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation. (Richard Estes and Neil Weiner for University of Pennsylvania, 2001)
  • The average age of entry into prostitution in the United States is 13- to 14-years-old. (Sara Ann Friedman for ECPAT-USA, “Who Is There to Help Us?,” 2005)
  • Nationwide there are fewer than thirty safe homes for victims of sex trafficking to receive treatment and services. This severe shortage regularly causes their inappropriate placement in juvenile detention facilities. (Streetlight Tuscon, 2012)




    I recently saw a movie screening of the movie Nefarious - Merchant of Souls. It is a documentary about human trafficking. Ive been hearing alot about human trafficking recently but its been easy to turn my head the other way and think "That doesnt happen here!" Boy was I wrong, and I didnt realize to what degree this is a world issue. It is disgusting and sick!

    Here in Canada Human Trafficking does happen, and it is real!! After speaking to an organization I found out that in Canada the most common form of human trafficking is forced labor (Someone is promised a job, brought to canada, and that job and the working or living conditions is not what they were promised!) and the second most common type of human trafficking is prostitution.

    After seeing this movie Nefarious (click for the synopsis/trailer) I decided I cant turn my head the other way and ignore it. But what is little me supposed to do with such a big issue? Because my sister owns the movie I started planning a movie screening to hold in my basement. What was supposed to start out as a little movie screening has turned into an event at a school in Edmonton with hopefully around 210 people! The event will be held on June 17th,and if you would like more information on the details please email me at: Karlaandandy@hotmail.com I would love to pass the information on to you!

    I do plan on giving more information and links about what we can do to abolish human trafficking, so please keep your eyes open for that! In the mean time, if you have any questions please comment or email me.


    Id love to hear your thoughts, and blogging is always so much more enjoyable when people comment on a post, so please comment away!!

Lia Sophia

Lia sophia has been pretty busy for me over the past few months! Its so awesome being able to make a bit of money, get out of the house for a few hours at a time, make my own schedule, and play with jewelry!

My first month I had the highest sales in the region (which to my understanding is the whole country!!). I brought in over $1500, working less than 20 hours, and received over $800 in free jewelry!

I had always considered doing direct sales, but my biggest issue was that I didnt want to feel like I was soliciting anyone to have a party or buy jewelry! After talking with a few people though Ive realized that as long as Im not pushy most people are okay with hearing about it.

My jewelry collection has sure grown, and I love how lia sophia gives you free jewelry as well as jewelry credits/premiums to expand your kit to bring to shows!

I wanted to put some information up in case anyone was interested in hearing more about the opportunity! Ive felt so blessed getting involved with Lia Sophia.



Top reasons to become a lia sophia Advisor:
 

• JEWELLERY - who doesn’t LOVE jewellery.
• NO TERRITORIES – do business anywhere in Canada
• FLEXIBILITY – work your own hours.

• JOB SECURITY – no layoffs!
• LOW START UP COST - $165.00 plus $4.50 shipping (+ applicable PST – GST)
• NO DELIVERY OR INVENTORY – orders are shipped to the hostess.
• TOP COMMISSIONS – and we mean TOP. Pays up to 5 levels deep. Paid weekly via auto deposit.
• UNLIMITTED INCOME POTENTIAL – opened in Canada in April 2009. Stable US Parent Company, over 40 years in business.
• INCENTIVE AND REWARD PROGRAMS – always something for you!
• 2 CATALOGUES PER YEAR – always something new to share with your customers.
• UP TO DATE STYLES AND TRENDS – EXCLUSIVELY made for ‘lia sophia’. Over 500 items per catalogue.
• UNPARALLED CUSTOMER OFFERS! – buy 2 items (make these your least expensive) & get 4 items at HALF price. (make these your most expensive)
• UNBEATABLE HOSTESS OFFERS! – 20% - 40% in FREE jewellery, 5 (FIVE) – half price items & 4 (FOUR) hostess bonus items for $15.00 unless otherwise stated.
• FIRST CLASS TRAINING – we will train and work with you, as well, you will have access to training on line – ‘lia sophia university’.
• TAX BREAKS – you will enjoy many, as this a home based business.
• LIFE TIME GUARANTEE – everything is completely guaranteed.
• CANADIAN COMPANY – with office in Richmond Hill, Ontario . Stable US Parent Company, over 40 years in business.
• CANADIAN WAREHOUSE – orders shipped UPC – arrival 5 – 8 business days.
• CANADIAN SALES SUPPORT – Head office & Regional sales staff here to help.
• CANADIAN CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM – Great team of helpful reps at our office in Richmond Hill.
• AVERAGE SHOW – while our minimum show is $250.00, our average show is $850.00 – Commission paid at 30%.
•YOU GET TO WEAR YOUR STORE! - you can always be drawing attention to what you are selling.
‘lia sophia’ can CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
LIVE THE DREAM
IT IS ALL UP TO YOU!
SHOW SHARE & WEAR ‘lia sophia’



One of the things I love the most about lia sophia is that its easy to advertise. I have people comment on my jewelry that Im wearing all the time or ask where Ive gotten it from! Its easy to sell!!

 



Pictures

Ive been procrastinating about this post because I dont know where to start. Again, its been too long!!

Life for us has been busy as always! I think I say that every post.

Eli's birthday is coming up soon,and I cant believe he is going to be 4!! He's such a little man, and says the funniest things! Right now he is into Iron Man & Spider Man. Anytime he can run around and play Iron Man or Spider Man. We recently went to a friends house where they had an iron man costume to dress up in. Eli wore it the whole time! Eli also starts pre school in September which is very exciting! It will be weird having him gone in the am's, but I know he'll love it!

Our little Judah is developing quite the personality. It blows me away how kids can be so different from one to the next. When comparing Judah & Eli, they're like night and day! Eli is busy, always busy, he has trouble sitting still and wants to always be doing something! Judah on the other hand is very relaxed. He is happy just to hang out and watch whats going on. He is also a flirt. He loves the attention from others, and is always willing to flash a little smile. The one thing I hear the most about Judah that people always say is "He is such a good baby!! So relaxed and laid back." Which that really describes Judah in one sentence.

Currently, Judah is working on cutting 3 teeth on top. He knows something is changing in his mouth because he's starting smacking his lips in a way he hasnt done before, and he loves smiling so big and putting his head back so you can see his teeth coming in. He has started sleeping through the night over the last month or so, and will sleep a solid 12 hours. This I am enjoying!

A few weeks ago we took the boys to the see the ENT specialist. Judah had come down with another ear infection, and we had to put him back on antibiotics. Eli's ears were looking great Dr.Eksteen said. He said Eli's ears are healing up great and the holes where the tubes were are barely little pin holes! This is a great relief to me, as I was worried they may not close up because the tubes were in for so long! Dr.Eksteen said to see how Judah's ears are over the summer, and we'll go from there. This last infection would've been his 3rd ear infection, and thats generally when they put tubes in. We'll wait it out and see!!

Ive been busy with Lia Sophia, and projects around the house. This week I painted our bedroom on a whim and got rid of the nasty orangy brown color. I did a simple grey and am liking it more than what was there before. I would like to add in some yellow highlights for some color, and am considering sewing a duvet cover for our blanket. I also picked up some chalkboard spray paint and am going to spray Eli's book shelf. Change the color and I think it'll be fun for him. And lastly, I picked up a new coffee table at a garage sale for $21. I've been looking for one for awhile and saw it and knew it was the right one. Ill refinish it because Im not liking the color however it is in great shape, and its solid wood!!

Heres the picture of it!





Ill show you an after once Im done!!

This week my mom and sisters and I had a date night out to a concert... Mumford & Sons. All I have to say is incredible!! It was the best concert of my life, and I cannot believe how awesome they are live! They basically brought a small orchestra and the sound was incredible, even considering it was at Rexall Place! All I have to say is I cant believe I actually got tickets, and am so happy we got to go! It was such a nice night out!! Thanks Mom!!

I have a few things else I want to chat about, but Im going to do another post for those! In the meantime here are some pictures for you guys!!

 Although this isnt a great picture of Eli, I had to put it on to show off his new motor bike. Andy got this bike brand new in the box for $100! He couldnt pass it up, and Eli loves it!!
 My mom went and did a little garage saleing and bought this for Eli, he loves playing astronaut.
 This morning Eli slept in until almost 9am,because he was up so late last night, but when he got up he wanted to hold Judah. They love sitting on the rocking chair together playing.
 Then Judah decided it was time to give kisses!!


Monday, April 8, 2013

Life update

Hey guys! So I'm not going to lie, blogging just doesn't feel like a priority right now.

I have so many other things on the go, on top of my taking care of my family. However that being said I suppose that's by my own doing.

A few updates for you anyway!

Eli: I am so in love with this little boy. He is so funny and smart. The things he remembers and says are just brilliant! He is now fully potty trained. He hasn't worn a pull up at night in over a week. We haven't had one accident and he gets himself up in the middle of the night or morning to go pee, then puts himself back to bed. To say the least Iam so proud of him. I've registered him in a preschool program once a week again, and I do look forward to the break for a few hours. He loves going and is so sociable. He is also registered for preschool for September. He'll be going 3 days a week in the afternoons. Lucky for me my neighbour has her kids registered in the same class and we could car pool! So excited for this!! Last week Eli informed me that he'd like a baby sister. He was sadly disappointed when I told him he wouldn't be having one. Eli's birthday is soon and I canot believe he'll be 4 right away! Where does time go??

Judah:  this little boy is the complete opposite of his brother. Way more relaxed and chilled out. He's happy just to be. He's also even more happy now that he's a crawling machine. He motors around everywhere and is starting to pull himself up on everything. Even the oven he was standing in front of this afternoon looking at his reflection. He is a very happy baby and has taken onto the nickname chuckles because its very rare that he is not smiling when you talk to him or acknowledge him in some way. Judah popped 2 little bottom teeth about 3 weeks ago and since then when he smiles he pushes his tongue out of his mouth. I'm convinced its because there's something new in there. Judah, unlike Eli will prett much eat anything. We started out with puréed foods however we have taken onto more of a baby led weaning approach. This is where we give him whole foods that are very soft. He feeds himself. These days he's love blueberries, cheese, Cheerios, and as of recently banana & egg pancakes. This is just eggs, banana, a small a amount of flower and a bi of baking power mixed in a blender and cooked like pancakes. They are so sweet and he loves them!! I actually even had Eli eating them, so happy to get the protein in him.  Judah has also started to sleep through the night for the most part. This makes for a very happy momma, but why is it that you almost feel more tired when they start to do this?!

This last weekend I was away on the ladies retreat with our church. It was an incredible weekend and a chance to connect with other women, relax, do what I wanted to, and spend some time with The Lord. It was so well needed and I came home feeling rested. I even got to take a nap on Sunday. An uninterrupted nap!!

lia Sophia has been very busy for me. I started thinking that if I could bring in a few hundred bucks a month that'd be great. Well I was shocked she I made over $1500 for the month (working less tha. 20 hours!) and received over $800 in jewelry credits to spend! Can't complain about that! I feel so blessed to be doing this and am loving it. I thought it would be really difficult to do parties and it hasn't been. So awesome to feel like I can contribute financially.

Andy's birthday is this week (April 12th) and then our anniversary to follow. It's an exciting month as my parents also celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. This is year 6 for us. ;) I really can't complain how life has been lately. I'm feeling so happy about the future and content!! So blessed to say the least!

Thanks for reading!!
I'll post some pictures soon!

Friday, March 8, 2013

Eli's Surgery

Well, its all done.

I think it was harder on me than Eli.

I had to call yesterday between 1:00pm-2:30pm to find out what time we had to be at the hospital. I had prayed earlier in the day that we would have an early appointment because I did not want to have to hold Eli off from eating all day! I picked up the phone at 1:02pm, and called to find out our surgery time. The lady on the other end of the line told me we had to be at the hospital for 6:20am. Guess God took my prayer request quite literal, however I wasn't complaining. A 6:20am check in time meant an 8:20am surgery time, and that meant we should be out before lunch time!

We woke up at 5:15, and woke Eli up at 5:50am. That gave us enough time to get him dressed and out the door. My mom came just before 6am, and off we went. Too bad for her, but Judah was already awake and ready to go. He's been waking up earlier and earlier.

All week I wanted to tell Eli that we had a dr appointment, but I held off, and didnt tell him. I even considered telling him last night about his appointment but again decided not to.

This am when he woke up he was happy, and ready to go for the day! The whole drive to the hospital he wouldn't stop talking. He couldn't believe he was up and it was morning but the sun wasnt up yet!! We got to the hospital and checked in. We then went into the back to get changed into some nice p.js, weigh him, measure him, take some vitals, and get some nice little band aids with some numbing cream on his hands. He hated the bandaids on his hands the most and wanted them off, but at no point did he ever throw a fit or start crying about it.

Between the time that he was changed and prepped, and the actual surgery was about an hour or so, so we had time to hang out and wait. He did really good waiting. I made a last minute decision to throw the Ipad into the bag in case he wanted to play games. This was a good choice! It kept him busy and happy. And the times where he wasnt playing with it, we read books or watched barney on the tv there.

They called Eli's name and took us into the waiting room that you wait right before surgery. I remember this from the first time around.


He was 13 months old in those pictures when the tubes were put in!! Would you believe that table and rocking chair are still in that little room?

At this point I was feeling anxious, and nervous. We explained to Eli that mommy and daddy would be close by. The dr would come and get him soon, but only either mommy or daddy could take him in. He said he wanted both, and then decided daddy was the guy to do it. I was a tad relieved because I wasnt sure I could handle the upset of holding him down with the mask to his face. I also didnt want them to have to do a line in his hand. This was one of the things I was most anxious about.

Sitting in that waiting room was the moments I had been dreading all week, playing over in my head, thinking about the worst or best situations. Then the nurse came in and told them they were ready. Andy got suited up, held Eli's hand and off they went. I cried.

2 minutes later Andy came back in looking a little emotional, and that was that.

Eli didn't cry, or throw a tantrum, or get upset. He was a bit nervous Andy said, but he did great. I couldn't believe it.

We waited 45 minutes, and then heard screaming from a child down the hall. We thought it was Eli. Thats how he woke up the first time around, screaming his head off. Then our buzzer went for us to come in.

I almost ran in to find my baby, expecting to see him screaming and crying, and when I found his room he was calming sitting on the bed, covered up just hanging out. He was a bit out of it at first, and very quiet but he wasnt upset at all!

The nurse said when he woke up this was their conversation.
"Hi, Eli. How are you?"
"Good."
"Did your mommy or daddy bring you today?"
"Both"
"Both? Good!! Do you want to go find them?"
"Yah!"
And then they paged us. He had already had a popsicle and was having some apple juice!

We were gone before 10am. He was running through the halls on the way to the parking lot, and wanted us to hold his hand and do 1, 2, 3, jump with him.

After we went and grabbed some breakfast at McDonalds and he ran and played. No side affects or anything. You would never have known he had surgery this am.

If you had told me how well he was going to do, and that I was going to cry more than him I wouldn't have believed you!! Iam such a proud momma!! He was so brave!!

Before Surgery

 After Surgery having some apple juice
 This is him on the drive home, happy as could be!!
 Still waking up