Undecided.

I can't decide if 2007 has so far been a good year, or a bad one.

In January Frank was in the hospital with heart problems. But - the good part was he turned out to be ok.

Last week Allan was in the hospital on IV antibiotics. He has an infection that while very painful, could have been a lot worse.

This week Allan's Grandma had a stroke and is in the hospital, but it was mild and she will be okay.

So - a lot of health scares (bad) but everyone is okay (good) ...

Lets just hope there aren't any more!!

Updates ...

Allan is ---><---- close to being finished with his classes. His last Studio class is at the end of the month, his final assignment is due in April. Then he has to finish his Thesis. (Start his thesis??) After that he (we) are FINISHED with University and after 7 long years he will have his Masters of Landscape Architecture! He will be presenting his Thesis at the beginning of December.

I am doing well. Work is going very well, but I am starting to put a lot of thought into finding somethig during the day. Madison starts Grade 1 in the fall and if I'm working evenings I will never see her, which obviously is not an option!

I have started running again in preperation for the Vancouver Sun Run in April. I love running!! I have also started going to Hot Yoga - it's a lot of fun.

Madison is still in love with her teacher and having a lot of fun in Kindergarten. She has started reading and loves it. She reads me a book every day - she's going to be a strong reader, I can tell. She often sits with a book and reads it to herself. I have always loved reading, so I'm glad to have passed it on to her.

She's still very involved in dance, her annual recital is the first Saturday in June and tickets go on sale in April, if you want to come - let me know!

Madison will also be starting soccer again this year, registration was today but bad Mommy missed it - so I'll have to call and get her in on Monday.

Annika is growing like a weed and doing great. She is currently potty training - and it's going fairly well. She also talks non stop. I always call from work and talk to Madison each evening and now Annika will have conversations with me as well.

That's all from the Rosnes house ... hope you're doing well!

Free Starbucks

If you can tear yourself away from that chance to "Rrrroll up the rim, and win!!", head to your local Starbucks on March 15th! Between 10:00am and 12:00pm, Starbucks will be holding it's 2nd Annual Coffee Break. All company-operated and licensed Starbucks stores in U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Greater China will be giving away a Tall coffee to anyone who stops in!

Last year I tried the Starbucks in Portage Place and they said they weren't participating in this promo - so you might want to call ahead!

Snow!

It's March 2nd and we are burried under a mountain of snow. Blech!!

Happy Saint David's Day!

Yes, the hat is a little small, but Happy Saint David's Day none the less. :)

Canadian Moms

Are you a Canadian Mom or Mom-to-be??

If so, I've found a new message forum and it's a great place to meet other moms in your area!!

It's fairly new, but growing steadily. There is a $20.00/year membership fee (peanuts really, when you consider the sanity you'll save having other moms to talk to!) but right now, if you register and have 20 posts in the general message boards (free to everyone) you can apply for a free 12 month membership!!

Please, when you register, use me as a referral so I can hopefully win an 12mth free membership too!! My username over there is mygems.

www.canadianmomscommunity.com is the website, the link to the free membership thread is here, http://www.canadianmomscommunity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=204 .

Bud, Spud and Steak

For the Vancouver Sun Run Fundraiser, we are holding a Bud, Spud and Steak night at the O.C. on Pembina Highway.

What is a Bud, Spud and Steak night you ask??

You pay $15.00 and you get a Bud (beer, shot or non alcoholic drink), Spud (baked or french) and Steak (or chicken breast) and the chance to win great prizes!!

If you're interested in coming out - let me know!! I would be happy to reserve a ticket for you!!

The date is Saturday, March 31st.

Daniel Cook

If your kids like Daniel Cook, this is your lucky day! Complete this survey for a free DVD!!

If you don't have kids and have no clue who Daniel Cook is, consider yourself even luckier. :P

http://www.homebasics.ca/ViewContest.asp?contestId=132

Apple iPhone

Like me, you might be anxiously awaiting the release of the iPhone. And like me, you might live in Canada and have a Telus plan which guarantees you'll be waiting a *long* time!!

If you want to download the iPhone ringer while you wait for the real thing, here it is.

http://smartcanuck.ca/iphone/iPhoneRing.mp3

"Your face is softer than a baby's bum!"

I have dry skin.

All of my life my skin has been really good to me, until now. I don't know if it's getting older or if it's this harsh Manitoba winter, or a bit of both.

My legs are dry, my face is dry, my scalp is dry ....

Thank God for lush!! Dream cream has kept my skin soft and moisturized. When I feel extra dry I soak in a Butterball bath.

However - the skin on my face has been dry and flaky and no matter what I do, it doesn't go away. Yesterday I went to Lush and asked the experts for advice. They recommended Ocean Salt, a facial exfoliator.

I bought it, brought it home and tried it right away.

First warning - do not lick! However tempted you may be (and you will be tempted) do not ingest!! Do not use it as a rimmer for your margaritas either. YUMM!! This stuff smells delish! Just like a lime margarita!!

I put some on my fingertips and massaged on my face. After rinsing my skin was glowing. The flakes were gone, my skin was so soft.

When Anita came over I told her to feel my forehead (good thing we're best friends!) and she exclaimed "Whoa, Josh's bum isn't even this soft!!" (Josh is Anita's 18 month old son!) So there you have it folks, use Ocean Salt from Lush and your face will be softer than a baby's bum!!

Winnipeg Baby and Kids Show

Today we went to the Winnipeg Baby and Kids Show at the Convention Center. We had a lot of fun, and if your child loves Backyardigans I would definitely recommend it!!

The admission was $12.00 per adult and $6.50 for children ages 3-12. (2 and under were free!)

There were all sorts of booths set up, sort of like a trade show. These booths advertised different baby & children's stores, services, etc. in and around Winnipeg. I discovered a few new businesses that I didn't know about - so that was really nice.

Crock A Doodle Does home pottery parties. You can do this for yourself, a family event, a girl's night out or even a birthday party!! I had heard of the company before but didn't know much about it. I am intrigued with their Birthday Party Package. For $15 per child you get to have them come out, they supply EVERYTHING (product, paint, supplies, etc.) and they help with the party. Then they clean everything up and take the peices to have them fired. You receive them back about a week later. What a neat idea!!

E Children I knew of E Children, but I've never been in the store and was really impressed with some of the items they carry. They have a sign that says "Sisters are for sharing secrets" that was just beautiful, I want to go and get it for the girls' room!

Tiber River Naturals A store that sells bath type products, but they also do manicures, pedicures, etc. The coolest thing is that they host birthday parties!! You can have a manicure or pedicure party, where the children get manicures, nail art, to make and take home lip balm, do some crafts, have a snack and cake!! What a great idea!! Madison would *love* this and I think this is what we'll do for her 6th Birthday!!

Epicure was there, and of course I know Epicure (going to a chocolate party tonight!!) but I always love samples!!

My only complaint was that there were too many RESP type stands. One okay, but do we really need to see one on every corner??

I entered at least 2 dozen draws - so hopefully we'll win something LOL!!

Oh yes - so back to the Backyardigans show!! It was fantastic and worth the admission for that alone. We had front row seats and Annika was in awe!! At first she was a little freaked by the huge characters (Mommy, I don't like Pablo anymore was what she said!) but once the familiar songs came on she had a blast doing the Yeddi Stomp with Pablo, Uniqua and Tyrone!! It was a long show (at least 30 minutes) and really entertaining.

The show is on tomorrow as well - so if you have nothing planned, I would recommend taking a peek!

New Baby!

There is going to be a new baby in our family come September!! (No, not our immediate family!!)

Allan's sister, Jennifer, just told us that she is pregnant and expecting in late September.

Congratulations Jenn and Matt!

Dance Class - Videos!!

Madison dancing


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Annika dancing


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Dance Class - Click any image to see full size!

Videos coming soon!!

Wii Party

Here are some more pictures from the Wii party ...

Wii Party

Wii had a wii party last night. (Clever, aren't I?)



Here is a video of Allan and Dan boxing.



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Update

My step-dad is going to be okay. His stress tests went well and his heart is just fine.

Thanks for the good thoughts!

Good thoughts please!!

My step-dad was in the hospital Monday night until early Tuesday morning because of chest pains. He is back in today for testing. Please send some positive vibes that nothing major is wrong and whatever it is, can be fixed by diet and exercise. (And a little less salt!)

Thanks!

First Win of 2007!!

I received my first win of 2007 yesterday!! I won two tickets to see the movie Stomp the Yard.

In 2006 my total value of prizes that I won was $2905.00. I hope to double that in 2007 - which is possible since I didn't even start contesting until July 2006!

My dream contest win is either a large money prize or a trip to Disney! Wish me luck.

NeoWORX

I found a cool new counter that will record the visits to our blog and record what country each visitor is from. How neat is that?

To get your own, visit www.neworx.com

Happy New Year!!

Well 2006 has come and gone! Overall, it really was a good year. Lots of memorable events happened in our family and I hope 2007 brings just as many good times.

We're home from Regina and we had a wonderful visit. Never long enough, but still fun. I can't wait to go back and maybe next time we won't have such a long drive home.

We didn't get to see everyone we hoped because a winter storm warning arrived on the day we hoped to go to Moose Jaw - but we did see a lot of family and friends. I enjoyed a Girl's Night out at J.D.'s and can't wait to do that again. ;)

New Year's Resolutions ..

First - and I say this every year - I want to lose weight. I am going to get back on track with the weight loss and work harder at it. I hope to do the Vancouver Sun Run in April with a co-worker but I need to get in shape first!!

Second - save up our money for a down payment on a house. Because we've already owned a home in Regina, we don't qualify for 0% down. We need at LEAST 5% and more liekly 10% as we want to build. This is going to be HARD but I know we can do it. So this is the year of cutting back and saving.

What are your New Year's Resolutions??? Whatever they are - good luck!!

Now - I'm off to finish unpacking and go to bed. I have to work tomorrow, and after 2 weeks off it is not going to be easy!

Sarah