happy leap year

February 29 is a date that usually occurs every four years, and is called leap day. This day is added to the calendar in leap years as a corrective measure, because the earth does not orbit around the sun in precisely 365 days

who wrote it best?

"Isn't She Lovely?" is a song by Stevie Wonder, In it he celebrates the birth of his daughter, Aisha

Isn't she lovely
Isn't she wonderfull
Isn't she precious
Less than one minute old
I never thought through love we'd be
Making one as lovely as she
But isn't she lovely made from love

Isn't she pretty
Truly the angel's best
Boy, I'm so happy
We have been heaven blessed
I can't believe what God has done
through us he's given life to one
But isn't she lovely made from love

Isn't she lovely
Life and love are the same
Life is Aisha
The meaning of her name
Londie, it could have not been done
Without you who conceived the one
That's so very lovely made from love

Stevie Wonder

sharing is caring...only if it's of value to others

I subscribe to the belief that sharing is caring...only if it's of value to others. That second part is the key. Only share if it's valuable to others.

A lot of people don't grasp that second part. (I'll admit that I often struggle with it.) They don't understand the line between interesting/fun/useful and irrelevant/nonsensical/pointless rambling. I think that's because value is like beauty, it's in the eye of the beholder. So to determine whether or not what you're sharing is valuable, you only need to ask one important question. Is what I'm sharing benefiting anyone other than myself?

Because there are times when what you're sharing isn't relevant to anyone other than yourself, your own ego! You're not creating value. You're creating noise! And in a world where everyone is suffering from information overload and pressed for time, what you're really doing is being inconsiderate and downright annoying to others. For those too narcissistic to realize and/or care, life isn't all about ME, ME, ME! Most people, for the most part, don't care about you. I know, that hurts. But ride that sting out for a minute and let it soak in.

Take Facebook for example. Why must people post their own post 2, 3, 4, 5 times or more a day! We get it. You wrote a new post and we're proud of you. But to repeat the post over and over again, it just seems so pushy and screams "look at me!" Are these people starving for attention? Did they miss a couple hugs growing up? I don't know what the deal is, but I really wish it would stop already. And don't even get me started on people that obsessively post, post on Facebook old content they wrote from weeks, months, even years ago!.

After all, statistics say that over 70% of post are ignored. That means chances are nobody is reading what you're posting anyway! And regardless of how many Facebook Followers you believe are hanging on your every word, the more narcissistic and spammy your post become the more your post are being ignored.  It leaves a bad taste in people's mouths when you shove your content down their throats, up to and over 3 meals a day!

I call this the "I don't give a shit if your life is busy what I have to say is important so pay attention to me right now damn it approach." Whatever method they use to shamelessy plug their work over and over again, the message remains the same. That message says, "I don't value your time but you should value what I wrote and read/comment/share immediately!" I understand that everyone in this life wants to be heard and appreciated. And the competition to be heard and appreciated is fierce, especially online! But if you don't get the response you were hoping for it may just mean people are busy and haven't opened their Google Reader yet. Or they read it, but didn't find it valuable enough to comment and/or share. And that's ok. Not everything you write will be gold. You're not Hemingway. So check yourself.

While your fragile digital ego may be hurt, it's really your ego that got you into this mess to begin with! So you really can’t blame anyone for unsubscribing, unfriending, or unfollowing people online. There is simply too much noise. And that noise leads to the crumbling of one’s sanity! Less noise. More sanity. Less social media. More living. Overall, more value!

dear coffee, I Love You

I don't think I could make it through some days without coffee. Today was one of those days.  Thank You Starbucks, Cinnamon Dolce Latte.  Yummy

happy family day

sunday funnies

proud to be your mother

Joshua and Jace, I am proud to be your mother 

Love Mom

tears and love

Last week, with tears in his eyes, Jace told me that he missed me and that he wanted to spend time with me.  Long school days, packing, moving, busy schedules, and the immediate need of his younger sister were preventing us from quality time together.  I cried.  But after the tears I remembered that I am a mom, like all other moms, who has hard days and who is learning how to be a mom to three kids, a teenager, a tween and a new born baby.  I am so grateful my middle child loves me enough to miss me and loves me enough to hold my hand in public when we were finally able to spend one-on-one time together. Trying to raise well-rounded children can be challenging and schedule oriented, but a gentle reminder of how important your affection and undivided attention is in their life can go a long way.  It’s hard work to be a mom, but it's the most rewarding job in the world (at least I think so).

moving to our new house!

The time has finally come to move into our new house! It felt like a long process as house was purchased in May 2010 but the builders didn’t start to build till late 2011, so we're  happy to finally be moving in.  We've completely outgrown this townhouse which we've been renting for the past eight months so I can't even imagine what it will be like to live in a place that has only two set of stairs, more than four rooms and our very own space.

ready to go

finally done

 

 

my valentines day gift

my beautiful valentine`s day gift from my one and only Matthew

My Favorite

Just gorgeous

happy valentines day

This message is to my special Valentine Matthew  

 

Love Jennifer

dear emma

Dear Emma

This blog, my blog was supposed to be a blog for you.  A place where I could tell you about your life, your growth, your beauty and the silly things you say and do.  Something just for you, from me, but instead it ended being Random Thoughts Exactly.  My Random unfiltered mouth, my thoughts on you, daddy, Joshua, Jace and our family

I love you to pieces and I enjoy this journey of documenting your life.  So here's to looking ahead.

Love,

Mom

ps; I also created a new blog just for you, so hopefully I will remember to document your stuff under your blog, but if not.. it will always be right here.


http://words4emma.blogspot.com/

monday funnies

Wow, Today is Monday and it feels like any other day of the week for me, being on MAT leave for a year I loose track of time, days and dates.  

Thought I would post this since I use to hate Monday`s

iPhone vs blackberry

Which one do you think is more efficient and better the iPhone or Blackberry? I’m totally iPhone

What do YOU think?

whitney houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, the Guinness World Records cited her as the most-awarded female act of all time.

Whitney Elizabeth Houston

 

New York – February 12, 2012 – Sony Music Entertainment today issued the following statement regarding Whitney Houston:

“Whitney Houston was an icon and a once-in-a-lifetime talent who inspired a generation of singers and brought joy to millions of fans around the world. She had a voice of unmatched beauty and power that changed music forever, and she leaves behind an indelible legacy of timeless songs that will never be forgotten. She also was an important member of the Sony Music family who spent her storied recording career with Arista Records. She will be greatly missed. Our deepest condolences go out to her daughter and her entire family.” 

yeah, it’s snowing!!

Good Morning my sweet friends and family on this freezing cold morning! It's snowing again this morn in Toronto, with all the mild weather we have been getting this winter it is finally snowing wow I am shocked 2 days in a row.  Here are some pictures that I took this morning with my new camera.  I figured for those of us REALLY missing snow, it would be nice to see some.

It's beginning to look a lot like winter

Winter 2012

Absolutely gorgeous

the snow piling up

my poor Matthew shoveled this morning and its still falling.. Winter 2012

saturday`s thinking

happy 4 months emma

dear emma

Happy 4 months

Emma you are officially 4 months old today! It's amazing that it's been 4 months. On one hand, I can't believe you’ve only been here for such a short amount of time. It seems like I've known you forever, you’ve become so ingrained with my own identity. On the other hand, there's still a time of every day that I look over at you and think "holy crap, I have a baby! I'm a MOMMY! AGAIN, Woah!" That’s usually followed by a giant smile, and I say "you're my baby!" over and over and you giggle like crazy.

You can really see just how quickly you are growing. 

Your giggle is infectious.  Your giggle makes me giggle and I love it.

You are so strong.  You still can’t roll over, but you hate to be on your tummy anyways so what’s the point of rolling over?  I can carry you on my hip now and you can sit up when you are propped against something.

You know what you want.  You are so deliberate with your movements.  You practice putting your pacifier in and out of your mouth.  You love to play with your toys. 

You poop like a champ.  I’ve had to throw out a lot of onesies because you like to poop out your diaper.

Your little, raspy voice is adorable.  When you wake up in the morning you lay in your crib squirming and making noises.  When I come to get you, you greet me with the biggest smile and giggles.

You are like my little, real life doll.  I love to dress you up. 

You make us so happy.  We love you more than all the stars in the sky.

You are obsessed with your hands. You pray, you suck your fingers; you suck on your thumb. You're adorable.

Emma you’re getting your second round of shots next week. I'm dreading it!

Now that you are 4 months old...I can't believe you're already over 4 months old...I wanted to capture a few of your sweet Emma moments.  Taken with my new camera.

Emma, you smile so infectious

Emma, you smile so infectious

daddy`s little girl

a cranky 4 months

Happy 4 months my fancy face

reading a good book is like spending time with a good friend

It leaves you nourished, because you have connected with another human being, through their imagination, wisdom, and best self.  They have revealed something noble about themselves. It may be humility. It may be kindness. No one ever writes their best stuff from their crappiest self.

mommy the photographer

ok, no I'm not.  But I did get a new camera and I am so excited! Two weeks ago, I took the plunge and purchased this little beauty.

Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18MP DSLR Camera

with Tripod, Bag and 4GB Memory Card

Includes:
• EOS Rebel T3i Body
• Standard 18x55 lens
• Tripod
• Bag
• 4GB Memory Card
• Eyecup EF
• Wide Strap (EW-100DBIII)
• USB Interface Cable (IFC-130U)
• AV Cable (AVC-DC400ST)
• Battery Pack (LP-E8)
• Battery Charger (LC-8E)
• EOS Digital Solution Disc
• Instruction Manuals
• "Great Photography is Easy" Booklet and "Do More with Macro" Booklet

I am so ridiculously excited! I had to order it, and yes it was from The Shopping Chanel, and when I got it, Matthew and I tested it out and in a matter of 10 minutes I took a 196 pictures.   Matthew calls me the ``crime scene picture taker`` I just kept snapping away, it was so much fun

I can't wait to start taking pictures of my fancy face Emma, prince Jace and King Joshua.  Who needs to take them to a photographer and pay money when I have this wonderful beauty?  And this way, I can get really decent pictures of them more often.

Stay tuned for the pics from my new beauty

Hope you all have a great Wednesday!

emma`s first birthday party invite

So, on Saturday I attended Aaliyah's 2nd Birthday Party, for the first time with Emma.  And I will tell you that it was quite different from how I used to attend children`s parties before.

The birthday party was for the cutest 2 year old girl I have ever seen and met.  I mean the girl is a real cutie.   So anyway, I attended the birthday bash alongside my relatives, and with us were 4 children all aged between 1 – 9 years.  At this stage in the game, these parties are usually for the adults. 

Happy Birthday Candles on a Cake, Happy 2nd Birthday Aaliyah

 

So in the bash were 10 adults, 4 kids including Emma.   There were the little kids who were chasing after each other, enjoying the bouncing castle and basically hollering all over the place.  Then there were the mothers of these children.  I was the only mummy who had a smaller baby.  Of course lets not forget my handsome nephew Jeffrey, with the help of his other half Caleiigh put all this together for their adorable 2 year old daughter Aaliyah.

birthday girl Aaliyah and Baylee

 

Tia Manuela and Emma

Jeff and Emma

Aaliyah and her mommy Caleiigh blowing out the candles

Stephanie and Emma

quote of the day

dear joshua, jace and emma

I adore your smiles

I cherish your hugs

I admire your hearts

but most of all …

I love that you are my children

Jace, mommy and Joshua

Emma and mommy