Spring Flowers

Aloha Friday # 21

I am really ready for spring. I have big plans for my yard this year and growing both a flower garden and a food garden. The past two years I have not done anything with my flowers because first I was pregnant and just didn’t get out and do anything and then last year Thomas was a baby and I wouldn’t take him outside to work in the gardens (to close to the road). I have two brick flower beds that my husband built that pretty much grow nothing but grass because they have never been filled in and I haven’t planet flowers in them. This year I am going big with my two stone flower beds and I have lots of ideas. I also want to rip off our old wood front porch, move the front door and just use the original concrete porch that is under the extended wood porch. I can then till up this big area in front of the house and make a really nice flower garden their also. So with my focus on the flowers this week and I am starting to collect ideas for flowers, plants and so on.

So my questions to you this week are…..

Do you plant flowers?
What are some of your favorite flowers?
Any recommendations for my spaces? I want some that are nice green and tall as well as lots of color.
What flowers do you recommend for spring, summer and/or fall seasons?
Do you prefer annuals or perennials? In the past I have had tulips and lilies but I always end up with lots of green plant and very few flowers. Can anyone tell me how to change that?
Do you know a good website for ideas and tips?

I guess I am full of questions but this is something I am not very good at and need lots of ideas. I have a history of planting the wrong flowers in the wrong places, watering is one of those things I am awful at and weeds… well lets just say they do a good job taking over my spaces. I swear I grow them better than flowers.

Any answers I can get would be much appreciated. Here is one web site http://d21c.com/Sherry727/seasonal/pgs/SherrysFlowerGarden.html I have found that has been really helpful. Thanks in advance for any advice or tips you throw my way.

Play along at An Island Life for Aloha Friday. In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link at An Island Life. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My Job

In a couple days I will reach my 5 year anniversary with the company I work for. I am blown away that I will be starting my5th year with this company. It is a job I truly do love even though I have days I could just rip my hair out. I work for a small company that is based out of Ontario Canada. Our company is small with a total of almost 30 employees. About 6 years ago our owner hired a friend of his who use to be my boss at another company I worked for. He then hired another guy I use to work for and then they recruited me. I was the third US employee hired to our US office. We started out working in a small room over top of a little store in a downtown area. It was pretty cramped with the three of us and when we added our fourth employee we had to find a bigger place. Today we have a nice office space with 6 personal offices and a warehouse in the back. We have filled all 6 offices and have a total of 7 employees here now.

You are probably wondering what it is I do? I manage all of our companies marketing. I do everything from designing catalogs and advertisements to writing press releases and I am currently working with a web developer to completely overhaul our company website.

I would like to share 5 reasons why I love this company I work for.

1. The people:
All of my co-workers both here in the US and in Canada are the most wonderful bunch of people I know. They are hard works and always eager to help.

2. The understanding of the company
I have never worked anywhere that is as understand to a parents needs than this company. If my kids are sick and I stay home, no big deal. I have worked for the type of employer who thinks the world is ending because you miss a day and they make you feel awful about it. Not here, not this company. Our owner will ask how everyone is doing and he truly means it. If I have an appointment, need to leave early, the kids have a function, again no big deal. I don’t know if this is part of the Canadian culture and how things are their and it has just carried over into our US operation but either way it is a wonderful thing to know that I am trusted and given some flexibility with my job.

3. Maternity leave
This was a bit different for me. I was the first US employee who ended up having a baby. In Canada they take a year off and the government pays for that time off. In the US most companies give 6 weeks and they don’t have to pay a thing. My company gave me 4 months off (ok it’s not a year but who can complain) and they paid me 75% of my pay during my four months off. Again… what a great employer.

4. Flexibility
After returning to work from child number two I became a very stressed out person. I wasn’t managing things well at all. I went to my boss and said I can’t do this, it is just to much. I asked if I could cut my hours back and they said yes. So now I have the best of both worlds, a career I love and I work only 32 hours a week. This gives me more time for my kids, me and getting things done.

5. Vacation time
Coming up on my 5th year with the company and this year I get 16 days of paid vacation. Not to many companies get to this level of vacation after such a short time. Plus we get the week between Christmas and New Year off every year. So it is like another week of vacation. I couldn’t imagine giving up all of this vacation time.

I have also made a few trips to Canada over the past few years and find it such a great place. I haven’t been since 2006 because of baby number 2 and I now have to have a passport. Just yesterday I went and filled out the application for my passport and it is a good possibility that I will be see Canada again before the year ends.

What's five things do you love? Write a blog post and click on the Five Things Thursday image to join the fun.

Wordfull Wednesday, Luke at 2

I am digging out the old photo's today. This was taken when Luke was 2 years old. He loved Thomas the Train so we took him on the Day Out with Thomas train ride. He loved every moment of it. Yes, that is me in the picture also, not a very good photo but I love the picture of Luke in front of the big sign.

Also he is also holding his puppy Ralphy. Ralphy came from France when his dad went for work when Luke was a baby. Ralphy went everywhere when Luke was two. Luke actually started a puppy trend at the daycare he went to. All of a sudden they all had to have puppies.

This week Luke was home sick for two days with strep throat and I saw him sitting on the couch holding Ralphy. It warmed my heart to know he still needs his puppy. (I wish I had gotten a photo.

Go visit Angie at 7 Clown Circus for more great Wordfull Wednesday post.

All Things Boy

When I was pregnant with child number two I really wanted a boy. I had many reasons for this but I really wanted another boy and God blessed me with just that. Now I am really starting to notice that I am living in a house full of boys and questioning why on earth I didn’t want to equal out the balance between boys and girls.

Here are a few of the things I have dealt with this past week that make things in my house all boy.

I will start with dinner the other night. Luke points out to his father that he can fart with his arm pits. He then shows his dad and of course his father chimes in and says I can do that also. Now we are eating dinner and they are making arm pit noises. I am glad Thomas is too young to follow suit with this craziness. I tell them they are gross and Luke points out that girls fart and that includes mommies. (Thanks for that Luke)

For the past couple months we have turned Friday night into family movie night. I have been stuck watching all of the Indiana Jones movies, and now we have moved onto the Star Wars movies. Anyone think my odds are good for a chick flick? LOL….

My son brings home a book from the library each week from school. Last week I had to read all about Viper Snakes. Most of the time it is Dinosaurs or some other gross animal or bug. I told him to bring something cute like puppies that way I can enjoy it also. But no... he likes these books better.

I have this feeling as both my boys get older I am going to face many more of these types of things. I had better suck it up now because the fairytale stories, sugar & spice and all things nice are going to be replaced by all things boy.

Motivate Me Monday

This week was a really good week for me. I worked out really hard and had to really push myself through most of my work outs. I got to laugh both times I did cardio. While I was doing Plymetrics my son Thomas was working out with me. Nothing makes a work out easier than when you are laughing at the one year old trying to jump and squat when you are jumping and squatting.

I also did my Pilates this week. A little story about Pilates, after I had Luke I bought the Windsor Pilates series of DVD’s. At first I couldn’t even roll myself up. It was sad!!! Then I really got into it, and loved it. I got so good at it and I actually got a nice stomach from it (first time in my life). I got so good at it that I actually go really boarded from this work out and eventually quit. Since I have had Thomas I have said I need to do Pilates again. So this week I did and it was sad… really, really sad. I can’t do anything anymore. The stuff that I use to find boring I can’t do at all. If you are familiar with Pilates you understand the V-sit, I use to do this with ease… I can’t do it at all. What makes me more frustrated is I look down and see this lovely belly roll from the baby I had more than a year ago.

This weeks goals:
1. More Pilates… I want that v-sit to be a little easier by the end of this week.
2. I need to start adding some weight training into my routine. So I am going to do one day with a lot of lower body work with the weights, one day focusing on my back and one day focusing on my arms.
3. I am also going to dig out my balance ball and try to use it a little more.
4. Finally, I am not drinking my water the way I use to. This has to be added back in every day.
WISH ME LUCK!!

So what motivates you to exercise? Do you have a goal, something you want to do by a certain date, or you are just doing it for the fun of it (haha)? Play along this week, tell us your goals and let us help motivate you. It always seems easier when you know someone is watching and keep track of how you are doing.