Jun6
15th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
Tag Archives: kuwait
Apr24
Don’t save that Glitter!!!
In my big move from Kuwait to Canada I was faced with the extreme challenge of putting my life into boxes….. A lifetime of memories, accumulating and collecting was put to the test of ” attempt to sell”, “Give Away”, “Save” or “Pack”.
For every website, Pin, organizing list it was universal in its advice. Sound simple until you actually have to do it! This is in no way a post to help you in packing on the contrary it’s about how you should live leading up to the point of needing to pack.
I always took pride in my double closet in my home office/craft room filled with everything your heart desires when it comes to crafting materials. It was really a miniature craft store on its own from paints, card stock, colored papers, paintbrushes, crafting tools, Styrofoam , felt, fabric, ribbons, wrapping papers, beads, an array of canvases, paint brushes, sketchbooks, floral supplies and most importantly GLITTER.
In my mind there’s glitter and there’s GLITTER. To the normal person they really sound/look the same. Nope!! not for me. There was regular glitter that I let my girls use and splurge on and there’s GLITTER that was “special glitter” that the girls were only allowed to admire from afar and I was the only one that used it sparingly.
Then the day came that I opened my wonderfully organized and stocked up closet and I had to part with it AAAALLLLL….. The cost of shipping could not be justified in comparison to buying everything new was my husbands perspective, Logic says he’s right but then there’s my crafting logic screaming internally “Precious….its precious!”
I replayed in my head all the times we didn’t use the GLITTER while crafting and the life lesson hit me. Never save anything for that “special” day. Use it and abuse it because you never know where life takes you and you end up looking back like I did at all the missed chances to enjoy it.
So don’t forget use that GLITTER while Making Life Memorable before you have to give it away!!!
Apr21
Snow to Sun
Weather in every Country is super unique and it creates a new appreciation to nature. I’ve never lived anywhere that snowed….let alone continuously cold for long periods of time. I’m now living in Canada that is teaching a new appreciation to both Snow and Sun.
It almost sounds unreal when I say I came from +50 C to -40 C…. hard to really wrap your head around it. As one of my friends said (and I repeat continuously) “There’s no such thing as bad weather just bad clothing”. I find now with a good coat and boots I can last about 5 minutes outdoors….LOL!!! I actually made myself laugh as I wrote that……
Again its what you make out of it…. snow angels snow men and all
And then when it all melts you have a gorgeous clear sky…..
Your kids get super excited and run up a brown hill that will soon be green…..
………and scream AAAAAALLLL the way down.
It’s all about taking those lemons life gave you and making Lemonade… So Making Life Memorable is in the palm of your hands!!
Apr11
Kisses, hugs & handshakes Oh My!
Our lives are always ever changing and dynamic as ever. Some may have it all figured out, others are just happy letting it take its course. For us we always want more as a family. More time, more hobbies, more security more more and more of whatever.
After 17 years of my husband being in Kuwait and “letting it take its course” he finally decided its time for much “More” by moving “home” as he calls it. What that more is we have yet to see as our lives unfold with our very courageous (on my part at least) leap of faith.
Leaving my family, friends and life as I know it to a city, province and country that is completely and utterly new. The move to Canada was always inevitable in my husband’s eye. After all our girls and himself are Canadian ….It is their home, their future and their opportunities. But still we go back to all new to me and I basically have the opportunity to reinvent myself and start everything from scratch. New home, new friends, new lifestyle and new everything.
Among so many things to adjust to, which I’m sure i’ll touch base on every once in a while, there is one major thing that I’m finding very different & sometimes awkward and that’s our greetings. Back home the most common way of greeting each other is the 2 cheek kiss. Peck on the right, peck on the left and you’r set. Yes its stereotypical but true Middle Easterners are just really touchy feely in that way. When I was in college in the States it was always a “hello hug” simple and straight to the point. Then off course there’s the universal handshake when its someone you just meet or not very close too. Yet i find myself in Canada standing awkwardly more often than not. I’ve met several people and we have passed the polite handshake yet I realized I’m always the one that’s reaching in for a “hello hug” and because Canadians are known for their politeness they respond. Does that mean there isn’t a hug?? Am I supposed to just walk into a friends house and shrug and say “Hey whatsaaaaaap!”?? Hmmmm I should try that Because up until now (3 months into our move) I still wonder……..
So until I figure out my greeting I’ll continue Making Life Memorable in my own way in our new home!
Aug29
Back to School Photo Shoot
The hardest thing about the first day of school is trying to get back into the routine of waking up early, making sure everyone is also up on time, dressed, groomed, have breakfast and make a mad dash to the door in a reasonable amount of time without going insane in order to take those perfect outdoor “Back to School” pictures that you oh so want to turn out perfect….or hey wait a minute don’t tell me its just me….is it??
Well in my world everyone does it. Some take the random picture and some have a whole scene set. Well I believe I’m somewhere in between ” I’m just doing it because I saw my neighbor take a picture” and that other neighbor that has the perfect chalk looking back drop with apples and crayons cutouts *sigh*.
I tend to make sure that every year I have some sort of sign that my kids hold up as I take the picture. Information may vary from year to year but the important ones are always there.
They are:
- The school Year
- The grade
- What they want to be when they grow up
There are years when I added their favorite food or color and 1 year I put their age. But the three above basics are what really matter in the long run.
I must say I do love pinterest because it gives me so many ideas and may be overwhelming at times….yes I do have over 7K pins but who’s counting!??!? It’s amazing for research because chances are what you’re looking for someone else has done too!!
Well luckily I found the perfect printables (FREE because that’s the way I roll) at Barn owl primitives.
The best thing was that there were choices of either PINK or AQUA. You don’t even have to download, you can just go ahead and print the page/grade you want. So easy…I love easy and no fuss.
Now as much as I loved them and had to use them my issue was they weren’t personalized.
GOD forbid should I do something that’s not child specific!!!
So I took those printables a step further…. I found the perfect frames that the girls could hold as I take the picture from IKEA. ( confession, I had those frames already I just never got around to putting the girls’ certificates in them)
Back to jazzing it up I did a simple PowerPoint bordered text box with what the girls wanted to be when they grew up….did a vertical rainbow text with their name….cut those out….stuck it next to the pintable and VIOLA!!! Easy peasy lemon squeezy as Zee woud say!!
Check out the final product……
Now the trick is don’t put the glass back on the frame because trying to take a picture without a glass glare is really frustrating! Relieve yourself in advance and just “un-glass” your frame
After you make that mad dash out of your door and before you get into the car be sure to take a few snaps of your kids…..yeah that was the point and not a secret desire to make signs!
Now we did more than just one….the one with each child alone, the one together and a few just because without the signs. But I’ll spare you from going through a gallery of pictures (you can do it on my instagram account samoorstuff later)
We were lucky enough to actually have some time when we got to school and snap a few pics with the girls’ teachers for the year.
If you notice Mr. Palingo is holding our Teacher’s survival kit that we’ve created for him…. check out how to make one on last year’s post “Teacher’s Survival Kit”
Remember make it your own….. because it’s all about Making Life Memorable.
Aug28
Back to School Fun
I have many joys of being a mom but one I particularly enjoy is having an occasion to become crafty. Back to school is one of the many excuses that I use to go all out with my crafting senses. From school pictures, personalized labels, teacher survival kits, classroom favors and even gifts for those that aren’t always recognized like the librarian, music teacher and principle.
This week as my girls start their first week back into the school routine with the privilege of the whole week being FREE DRESS I’ll be sharing some of the things that we’ve done and hope you’ll find it inspiring to create your own…..
Here’s to Making Life Memorable one school year at a time!!
HAPPY 2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR!!
Jun16
It’s official They Have a YouTube Channel
In this day and age it’s so hard to keep up with our kids. Even though it seems things are so much more convenient and accessible there isn’t enough time. Even though I have extremely strict rules about electronics (and I’ve been successful so far!) Kids are just built differently these day and we as parents have to adjust and know when to give and come to a mutual agreement about it all….
The girls have been wanting to have their own YouTube channel for some time and I’ve prolonged it as much as I can. Until one day Jennah came up to me with her notepad and we finally set some YouTube rules.
So this summer we will keep everyone entertained with what my girls think is the theme…. Stay tuned and as they always say “Please Subscribe!”
I’ll leave you with their Intro….
Well as it turns out my kids even go by my motto without me intentially teaching it….all about Making Life Memorable
Feb24
Reading is fun
I think it’s so important to make reading a part of your child’s daily routine. We have all sorts of rituals in our house from reading corner, reading minutes and car reading but the most exciting thing is the reading challenges that the girls’ elementary school come up with. Gotta Love A.S.K.
This season our amazing librarian sends this………..
Needless to say Jennah and Zeenah are more motivated than ever.
This year I’ve made it a point to make weekly visits to the library with Zeenah to choose books with her. Now that she can read more on her own I’ve made a rule that she has to choose books that she can at least read 3-4 words in sentence. I found it helps strengthen what she already knows and ease her into newer vocabulary without getting frustrated.
One of my most recent favorite books that we checked out was “Good Night iPad” it’s a modern day twist on the old classic “Good Night Moon” (still a favorite of mine!)
I highly recommend ordering it from Amazon, you’ll probably enjoy it a little more than your kids.
Off course you can always alternate reading time with Good night Moon if you have a love for the classic as I do.
On the other hand I have my more independent reader Jennah. I don’t need to accompany her to the library anymore and she has made good choices of books. Some that she is totally engrossed in from the first page and others that she seems to force herself to finish because she doesn’t want to miss out if the book gets better halfway through.
Her ultimate favorite series these days is The land of stories by Chris Colfer. I must say she’s continuously talking about it to everyone she meets and urges them to read. July 2016 can’t come any sooner for her to get her hands on book 5!
I think every once in a while i’d probably post what my kids are reading because I never know who might benefit in getting ideas.
After all it’s also Making Life Memorable for everyone!
Oct13
October Fun Part II: Halloween Inspiration
Halloween has to be one of the most creative holidays ever!! There’s so much one can do yet I find myself struggling to find the time.
I love being creative and will use every excuse possible to do something useful. Holidays like Halloween and Christmas give me that fulfillment, if life just didn’t get in the way I would do so much more!
Off course costumes are just the tip of the iceberg. Oh and let’s not forget my obsession with pinterest that has a gazillion inspiration boards.
Do you plan anything special for Halloween??
Well I would like to share a few of my favorite pictures and links for all those “Halloween” and “DIY” enthusiasts.
do you have your COSTUMES picked out yet?? Check out Simply Kierste for some costume inspiration.
What about a special homemade TREAT like Popcorn Balls?? This is a recipe that I’ve been wanting to try for the longest time.
One of the many traditions we have at our house is the carving of the pumpkin. Off course Zeenah looooooves getting her hands dirty taking all the seeds and gutting the Pumpkin.
We tend to do traditional Jack-O-Lantern because it’s just that much easier with 2 kids but I always wanted to venture out and trying something new.
I would love to be able to paint a set of pumpkins or doing glitter designs.
Unfortunately with the lack of Pumpkin Patches in Kuwait and the obscene prices of a traditional pumpkin I’ve resorted to just admiring all the designs online.
Of course I could always venture out into making Paper Mache pumpkins and then doing whatever design but I’m almost afraid to get something like that started and end up with too many pumpkins and no place to store them!
I hope that these few ideas and links helps you get inspired and assists in Making Life Memorable for you and your kids.
Oct12
MommyHood
Being a mother doesn’t come with a guide or a manual of how too. Probably because no 2 children are the same. Any book out there that preaches this or that method as a “matter od Fact” I believe is a SCAM and
At the end of the day one just has to focus on good upbringing and do what’s convenient for you and your family’s sanity.
I know this first hand. I have two daughter and they are by far almost the complete opposite of each other. Sure they have a few similarities but as for their temperaments they are entirely different.
So if you are in need of a good night’s sleep and your child keeps stomping into the bedroom don’t stress yourself out, let them have a one nighter with you in the bed, they’ll eventually grow out of it. Ever heard of a 15 year old sleeping in their parent’s bed???
Or this whole peeing “accidents” I know it’s a pain and a real drag but your child will do it when they’re ready, don’t beat yourself up about it. Yet again I’ll say “Eventually” they’ll grow out of it.
The things I would say one has to put their foot down is number 1 Safety and secondly manners. These thing you do have to stress about because the earlier you instill those values in your child the more of a guarantee they’ll grow up to be descent human beings.
So yes I may not exactly practice what I preach because I do stress out about the littlest of things….but I thought maybe sharing this with the world will give others comfort that no one Mommy REALLY has the answers, because what works for one parent or childe for that matter won’t work for another.
So as that book says “Don’t stress the small stuff” just get on with Making Life Memorable and things will fall into place!
all.