Post Holiday Decompression!

Welcome to 2012!!! Thanks to all my loyal followers!  I appreciate you reading and commenting on my blog through out the past year.  I hope that you are enjoying the story of our life! 

As the first blog entry of 2012, I'm going to use this time to decompress from the past few weeks of HOLIDAY MERRIMENT, and catch you all up on how the RUSSELL'S Celebrated this year. 

We both had the opportunity this year to have the week between Christmas and New years off from work.  And it was AWESOME!!!

 

Our Christmas started the week prior to Christmas when we headed down to My parents house near Airdrie to see my side of the family.  We had a really nice time visiting with my parents and my brother and his family.   It was a pretty nice uneventful weekend and we had nice time relaxing and visiting.

Craft time with Grammy... Gingerbread house construction.  This is a FOAM craft as William's allergies prevented me from buying a real Gingerbread house kit.  This kit was super fun and easy!  William loved it and did a GREAT job decorating it!

Present opening time!  Thanks to everyone who got William a gift!  They were great!  He loves playing with his new toys and especially the PLAY DOUGH!

Grandpa and Grammy with the Kids!  Cant believe all the kids are smiling!  If only my Dad's eyes weren't closed!

William and Mac, horsing around!

Airdrie Festival of Lights.  This is a PRESTON family tradition.  Every year we go together for a walk around.  Its a little disappointing this year as they haven't been able to add much to the light displays over the past few years.  Its a great family friendly activity that is all volunteer and I hope that they can continue to grow this Festival!

After a quick week at work, we prepared for Christmas with Clayton's side of the Family. 

Busy Busy!

Thanks Grammy and Grandpa... Ya he's Great... (Insert Eye Roll here).  Who doesn't Need a 7 ft Frosty on there back deck! And yes William LOVES LOVE LOVES him.

   We had Clayton's brother, one of his sisters with her husband and Clay's parents here for Christmas this year.  Christmas eve we headed out to Baba's house for dinner.  Then everyone came back to our place.

Cookies William decorated for Santa, along with a letter for Santa...  I think it said "DEAR SANTA"  and that was about it ;)

Tradition prevails!  Our Christmas Eve in front of the Tree Shot.

Christmas morning.  SANTA CAME!!! oh man did he ever!!!  It took about 12hrs for William to finish opening his gifts!  But in all fairness he was not feeling well.  He slept most of the afternoon and finally perked up in the evening and finished his gifts around 8pm.

Quick costume change first thing thanks to a leaky diaper!

SANTA DID COME!!

In the mists of the chaos

Baba, Gedo, Anna and Nadia joined us for Dinner.  Thanks to everyone who brought a dish.  Here is the dinner spread.  Not bad for my 2nd ever Christmas Dinner!

The Table... Not too fancy but not too bad either!

Don't worry Clay there is PLENTY of FOOD! 

My FAVORITE picture of Gedo EVER!  HE HE

Christmas was great.  Everyone left boxing day, and we got a whole week of NOTHING as a family!  Much of it was in front of our new 47" TV that was purchased Boxing day.

 I do have to admit its pretty nice... A huge upgrade from our 27" old style TV, Which I did manage to sell, however it took 2 of us to move it upstairs and out of the house!  MAN that thing was HEAVY!!!

New Years found our trifecta in JASPER.  We had never been before, so we mostly just looked around.  Its beautiful!  We tobogganed and went swimming at the hotel a couple times.  New Years Eve we went to a "fancy" restaurant, where Clayton chased William around and found him under a table of 6 people hiding... Thankfully most people find William Cute and are pretty understanding when his spirited personality shines through.  We were in bed by 1000pm and couldn't quite convince William it was New Years,  according to him it was too "Snowy and Cold" to be a New year.

Little Traffic detour on our way in to Jasper

This picture turned out creepy, but its the toboggan hill.

Jasper Lodge... So nice!!! And I would totally recommend Jasper if you have to take your dog.  Very pet Friendly!  As you can See Tessa got to chill out inside the Lodge in front of the Christmas tree.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

All dressed up and No where to go.   Slightly disappointing but that didn't stop us from donning our good clothes. :)

Well that was our last few weeks.  We have removed all the decorations from the house and they are all safely packed away for another year.  William has asked everyday for the past 1.5 weeks where Frosty is... remember my Halloween hell?  Well now its FROSTY hell!  I'm trying to explain to him that it will be next year when all the decorations come out again, but the concept of time is tricky for an almost 3 year old.

 Time to pack up!

****Its been a little over a week since the Christmas stuff was taken down.  I have not yet put out the "regular" house decor stuff that I usually have out through out the year.  I love this time of year, because my house is so bare.  But I love the contrast after having the clutter-y glow of Christmas stuff up for a month!  I think I will start putting stuff back up this week.  Do you enjoy the bare look your house has after Christmas?****

"STAYCATION"

We work so hard to build a comfortable home but rarely take the time to enjoy it. Between work, family, activities and other responsibilities we tend to want to escape the confines of our day to day lives by taking a vacation. However, often when you return your frazzled and feel like you need a 'vacation from your vacation'. 

"Staycation" is a relatively new concept that gained popularity during the recession when money to travel and take "vacation" was scarce.  The basic definition of a "Staycation" is a period of time where a person stays home, relaxes and enjoys local attractions or other activities to relieve them of their daily routines.  Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary added the term officially in 2009.

By scheduling time for a staycation you can enjoy the escape from your day to day routine in the comfort of your own home. Whats even better is that you can customize it to fit your own needs.   This summer we have had lots of great times. We have camped, done road trips, enjoyed the sun, the rain and have had fun times with friends and family. An opportunity arose a few weeks ago where I had 10 consecutive days off work. I decided to take the time and experiment with the concept of the Staycation!  Being the 'type A' person that I am, I felt there was not better way to spend my time at home then to organize, clean and implement several little projects that I had been thinking about.  Now I know many of you may not think organizing and projects make for a relaxing time, and that is the beauty of a "staycation" you can do what ever YOU want to do!
Initially the first couple days we were camping as it was the long weekend.  We arrived home on Monday and I began to think about what i wanted to do with my time.  So like any "type A" personality, I started a list :)   I knew sitting around all the time would drive me crazy, so my list expanded and as fast as I was crossing off a task I was adding a new one.

In a burst of energy 3days in to my "staycation" I decided to take on a task that I have been putting off due to the craziness of summer.  I decided to POTTY TRAIN WILLIAM!  The day before I set out a potty in every bathroom, with survival activities.  Clayton and I watched the completely unhelpful Pampers Pull up "I'm a Big kid now" DVD and googled 'How to potty train'.  So we woke up on day 1 completely clueless and pulled the diaper off!

Potty training forced me to stay home which allowed me to cross off lots of my "Staycation" tasks; the inspiration for many came from this blog that I absolutely love! http://orgjunkie.com/blog  She has such great ideas and has inspired me to continue to organize my life and learn how to 'simplify' to allow myself to focus on the family motto "ENJOY THE JOURNEY"(http://lyntonrussell.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-new-years.html).

MY TO DO LIST:

1-Organize my Fridge

CHECK!

2-Organize and Clean my Pantry

Half way there!  Check out How to get Organized by I'm an Organizing Junkie @ http://orgjunkie.com/2007/06/how-to-get-organized-follow-these-process-steps.html  to learn about the organizing 'PROCESS'!  Something that I actually already did but never really broke it down in to steps before.

CHECK!

3-Organize my Bathroom Vanity.

CHECK!  Containerize! Another I'm an Organizing Junkie concept that helps develop limits.

4-Contain and organize my Recipes

CHECK!  This is a work in progress!  It looks much much better!  However I am still trying to prefect the whole, meal planning/cooking thing!

5-Implement the "HIGH 5"- This is an Idea that I found while blog surfing.  (http://lifeasmom.com/2010/09/the-morning-high-five.html)

CHECK! I traced Williams hand on 2 signs, and wrote an activity/chore he needs to complete each AM and PM.  He helped me color them (well he colored one then was distracted!). They are all very simple tasks... Example- Breakfast, clean up dishes, Brush teeth, Etc. but they have been really helpful to start to teach William routine and responsibility.  One is for the morning so I hung it at William's level in our room (the epicenter of our morning) and one on the bathroom door upstairs where William does his evening routine. Clayton has been utilizing them so well!  After each task is completed he gets William to give a high five!  It has made it fun for William.

As you can see I have been very busy this staycation, but have taken time to enjoy summer too!  Playing with William, reading books, biking and watching TV and  I've even tanned a little (when the sun squeezes itself out).  Its been a great "STAYCATION".  I'm happy that I took the time to hang out at home and totally think that a "staycation" is a great way to spend your time off.  It can be budget friendly, relaxing, fun, productive and by the end you will be rested and ready to return to "real life"...... MAYBE!

THE ROAD TRIP- An Essential guide to crossing it off your Bucket list.

A Road Trip is an experience that everyone has on their bucket list.  However surviving the summer road trip can be a challenge, The Russell's were able to experience the challenges and tribulations that a good old fashion road trip poses this June.  Here is a hind-sight is 20/20 guide for those families that will be braving the unforgettable experience that is "THE ROAD TRIP!"

STEP 1- SECURE TRANSPORTATION:
Our adventure started about 3 months ago when we bought our "new" truck.  Our vision was to have a nice family vehicle that would safely and comfortably transport us and our trailer.  For those who have seen our new transportation, I think you would agree our goal was achieved!  ;) 

STEP 2- ARRANGE ON-ROUTE ENTERTAINMENT:
This is a crucial component to any road trip, especially those that involve children.  Our family could not live with out Williams "Little TV".  The portable DVD player has put on many km's.  It ensures the happiness of our little family group.  The "little TV" is usually accompanied by many snacks, gallons of water, and usually some special treats (e.g. the coveted 'cars' Candy's!) that make an appearance during crucial moments through out the trip.

STEP 3- ARRANGE DESTINATIONS IN A ORGANIZED MANNER:
To ensure that maximum fun is had, try to arrange stops in a sequence that limits back tracking and detours.  We found a southern heading allowed us to maximize the time we had to visit with both sides of the family, our friends and minimized distance between stops.  So when we arrived in Drumheller at the DINOSAUR TRAIL campground, we were well rested and eager to start a new adventure.

STEP 4-VISITOR CENTERS=YOUR BEST FRIEND!
Its kinda stupid, I never realized how important and helpful Information or Visitor centers were until we travelled to New Zealand and I never really paid attention to the tourist services that Alberta/Canada had until this last trip.  We arrived in Drumheller and quickly found the Visitor Center at the site of the BIGGEST DINOSAUR in the world!  There was tonnes of free resources for attractions not only in Drumheller but for all of Alberta/Saskatchewan and even BC.  The worker at the information desk was super helpful and pointed us in the right direction to find a great campground, and maximize our time in DRUMHELLER.  We were also able to find great family friendly things to do for FREE!  Like the great free splash/spray park right near the Big Dinosaur!

William is a little upset...He really wanted the "little ball" at the souvenir shop

STEP 5-WEEKDAY CAMPING/ATTRACTION VISITING IS AWESOME!!
 Campgrounds are near empty! By camping Monday-Friday you have your choice of site and don't have to worry about disturbing others (or having others disturb you!)  We had a great site with absolutely no one around!  Except for maybe wildlife, like WILD TURKEYS! 

Visiting attractions like the ROYAL TYRELL MUSEUM when they first open is well worth the early wake up!  Especially if you have younger children (since your probably up early anyway!).  If you are doing your visiting during the school year an early visit popular attractions will help decrease the traffic/volume and allow you to see what  you want to with limited disturbance.  And although travelling with a small child doesn't allow you to see or "read" everything, William was able to run around and be excited about seeing the exhibits with out disturbing the other visitors. 

STEP 6- EXPECT DIFFICULTIES AND REMEMBER ONE DAY IT WILL BE HUMOROUS!:
In every family vacation there are times when you wish you could just go home!  Every family member either secretly or not so secretly wishes this at one point.  (Even a 2 year old!)  Recognizing these times and allowing your self to push past them is pivotal to the success of "The Road Trip".  Our trip was not immune to trials and tribulations.  It turns out that weaning a child off sippy cups (intentional) and his beloved blanket (accidental) while taking a FUN FAMILY vacation is not a great idea!  Needless to say we were not equipped to handle the baffling world of TEMPER TANTRUMS!
 
STEP 7- REMEMBER TO SLOW DOWN AND ENJOY THE SIGHTS!

Hiking and Biking are great because they allow you to get outside and enjoy the scenery!  Not to mention they can help augment the calorie intake that tends to increase significantly while on vacation!  The Russell's enjoyed lots and lots of scenery on our road trip!  We experienced the vast and... vast land called Saskatchewan.  Claydon Saskatchewan was the furthest south that the Russell's journeyed this trip.  And we defiantly enjoyed the contrast of landscape during our journey to celebrate the Marriage of our friends Brooke and Matthew.

The First tree we saw in Saskatchewan!  About 10minutes after entering the province.

Claydon Saskatchewan.  I did ask the happy couple if they were really getting married or just getting everyone one to drive out to the middle of no where to kill us!

The Post office.  The other buildings in "town" include, the run down old grocery store, this post office, a run down old house, a hall and lots of farm equipment.

STEP 8-KICK BACK AND HAVE FUN:

Road trips can become allot about the miles and less about the fun! Its important to kick back, take a breath and have fun! Give your self a day or two that is less about schedule's and time and more about eating, drinking and having fun! The Russell's mastered this step! Claydon

The Joy of children!  Can fall asleep anywhere, especially after eating only candy and running around like a crazy man during the entire reception.

Stetson, Chilling in the lake!

Hunter and William hanging out and chowing down.

Crossing off a "FAMILY ROAD TRIP" from your bucket list is very rewarding.  Keep the previous steps in mind and although the definition of "successful" may differ depending on the family, you too can enjoy the tradition of the "Road Trip"!

CANT TURN YOUR BACK FOR A MINUTE.... Just a couple pictures to round off the summer so far!

Happy Canada Day!

This is all from my GARDEN!!!