A Week of Firsts

This week has been a week of firsts. New daycare on Tuesday, 1/2 day at the new school Wednesday and today ushers in a brand new experience – the school bus. This morning, my daughter and her best friend Alice boarded the bus for the first time for their first FULL day of school. Today is also the first day that she didn’t cry. Every day this week has included tears for one reason or another but this morning, she boarded the bus like a big girl and waved goodbye to the parents at the bus stop. I cannot believe how grown up she looked as she climbed the steps onto the big yellow school bus.

Hopefully, the rest of today continues to be amazing and tear-free.

In other news, today is the first day of the Western Fair!! I didn’t win the blogger contest, but I somehow snagged a bunch of free passes! If you’ve never been to the Western Fair, I highly suggest you go. There is literally something there for everyone! The munchkin is excited about the rides and animals, and I love to walk through and look at all the booths. There’s always something interesting to look at and I usually walk away with at least one or two things. I’m sure this year will be no different.

On a side note – If you’re in London, check out the Groupon! It’s an amazing deal!

The Western Fair

Year after year, I go to the Western Fair in my city. It’s always full of good rides, interesting food, loud music, crowds of people, bright lights and a buzz of excited. This year, I have a feeling all of the things I just mentioned will be better and more exciting. The Western Fair has had quite a year already. They re-branded themselves, relaunched their website and revamped their social media efforts.

One big thing they did was run a contest to drive traffic to their new page. Over 10 days, you had to collect puzzle pieces and build an image (this image ended up being their brand new logo). If you collected all 10 pieces, your name was entered in a draw to win 1 of 10 iPad 2′s. Surprisingly enough I won. This is not the reason that I am now a huge supporter of Western Fair District. I’m supportive of the company because they’re a part of London’s heritage. They’ve been around since 1867 and have provided London and the greater community with entertainment and fun for many years.

If the first contest Western Fair District wasn’t enough, they also ran weekly contests on Facebook to announce the bands coming to the fair this year. The response was incredible. Every Monday, a few dozen people would throw out every possible name, trying to win the tickets. The first person to guess the band, won 2 tickets to the show. This year, the person hiring the musical acts has outdone themselves. Sam Roberts, Colbie Callait and Down With Webster are joined by country music’s Paul Brandt and Bachman & Turner. Today, the final band was announced and it is none other than the infamous Canadian band Barenaked Ladies. I am completely blown away by the line up this year and cannot wait to sample everything the fair has this year to offer.

The last contest Western Fair is offering is astounding. The Real Serious Blogger contest. 5 bloggers will be chosen to represent the Western Fair this year and tell the world about their adventures in London. The winner gets 10 admission passes, parking for 10 days, 6 ride-all-day passes, 2 concert tickets to the show of their choice, a Real Serious Blogger t-shirt and a FREE Rogers product (worth $550)! I have officially entered and am awaiting the announcement of the winners on September 1st. Wish me luck!!

Now only one question remains: Is it September 9th yet?

Have you heard of only the best bank EVER?

When I was 16, my mom insisted that I open a savings account. Being 16, I thought this was the stupidest idea ever! She also insisted that it be with this new bank called ING Direct. Again, because I was 16, this sounded like the worst idea. The part I found most disheartening was the fact that it would take at least 24 business hours to get my money out when I wanted it. I was an impulsive teenager when it came to money (that really hasn’t changed all that much) and the fact that my hard earned money would be in some virtual bank a million imaginary miles away was downright depressing. That being said, I still listened to my mom and opened up an ING savings account.

Now, 10 years later, I still have that account. I stopped using it when my banking needs changed but it was never closed. It laid dormant for years, collecting interest and awaiting inevitable return. That time has arrived! ING Direct has made a number of amazing changes. The biggest one being they now have chequing accounts!! This was always my issue with ING. I loved their no fee/high interest accounts but couldn’t stand the wait times. Well NO MORE! With ING, you have access to your account at any Credit Union with NO FEES! (ING is pretty big on “No Fees“)

Honestly, just take a look and you’ll agree that this bank rocks. I’m in the process of opening up a THRiVE chequing account with them and think you should too! Worst case, you have an extra chequing account that doesn’t cost you anything.

Another amazing thing ING does is they reward their customers. Right now, if you open an ING account with $100 or more, you get $25! Click here and start saving!! (and don’t forget to use the code 24064715S1 to get your $25 bonus!)

Oh, and did I mention that they offer other amazing personal finance products?? Mortgages, TFSAs, RSPs…. The list goes on!! Check out the link above. You won’t be disappointed! They also have one of the best customer service departments I have ever dealt with, so feel free to give them a call or chat with them online. Their telephone support is 24/7 and gives you the option right away to talk to a real person!

Screw Valentine’s Day

It’s that time of year again….  Cards, flowers, candy and jewelry are flying off the shelves of every store at an alarming rate. And I, perpetually single, am told once again that I’m bitter. I’m not bitter. Seriously. My distaste for valentine’s day has nothing to do with my marital status.

In my opinion, valentine’s day is just another day. In the past, when in a committed relationship, I always felt pressured to do something bigger and better than the previous year or holiday, regardless of cost or lack of time. Valentine’s Day is stressful. It’s also a HUGE boost to the gift sector of the economy as people in relationships are guilted into buying anything and everything to woo one’s sweetheart. I’m all for boosting the economy and I’m also not against making your loved ones feel loved. But why can’t you celebrate the wonderful people in your life every day?

February 14th is just a day. There are 364 other days I like to use to honour and love the people in my life.

To my friends and family: I love you all. I don’t need a special day to tell you. I’ll probably tell at least one of you once a day that I love you until the end of time and that’s never going to stop.

Why don’t all schools do this?!

I read an article today on the Globe and Mail about helping parents prepare for back to school and survive the toils of back to school shopping. In the article, they listed a website to make things easier for parents, toolsforschool.ca. Being the eager mom sending her little one off to school for the first time, I logged onto the site right away and looked for my daughters school. But, to my dismay, it wasn’t there. Most of the schools in my area weren’t there. The one school that was listed didn’t even list my daughter’s grade (JK) so I still have no clue what to get.

Any suggestions?

Staff Conferences Cure Winter Blahs

Because of where I work, I am afforded a number of opportunities not readily available to most in the corporate world. One of these opportunities is the annual Staff Conference. This conference takes place every year during reading week, is completely optional and a number of different sessions. There is something for everyone and anyone who work here is able to go. This year, I decided on three (well, technically two and a half) sessions.

The first was with David Chilton, author of The Wealthy Barber. Although I have never read his book, I have spent my life hearing about it. My mom read his book when I was very little and told me from a young age that I needed to read this book when I get older (and I plan to, once I finish the other 50 billion books that are already in my house that I have yet to read). He talks in general terms about money, and simply enough that anyone can understand. He lives comfortably, but within his means and practices what he preaches. He was also pretty funny. He tells little anecdotal stories to keep everyones interest during his 45 minute speech. He gave away a number of his books and stayed to sign and discuss with the audience afterwards. He also took the time to answer questions. It was nice to see.

Now for the big event! Last Friday, I met someone amazing. Her multifaceted career is enough to make anyone’s head spin, and she’s done it all on her own. That’s right, Debbie Travis! I ADORE this woman! She’s down to earth, honest and inspiring. She doesn’t have a big head and definitely hasn’t let fame get to her. She gave an amazing keynote speech and talked about her keys to success. She also talked a bit about who she is and how she got to where she is. She talked about her family (mostly her boys) and how she coped. She also talked about her new book, Not Guilty. After her speech, I left the room and bought a copy of her book at the stand just outside the door. Debbie then walked out of the lecture hall and SIGNED MY BOOK!!! I was floored! I now have a signed copy of Debbie’s book in my bookcase and I couldn’t be more excited about it.

My Staff Conference experience didn’t end there. We then headed over to the Great Hall in a different building on campus and Debbie then participated in a book discussion. She talked more in depth about her book, about herself and her family, about her Girl’s Getaway that she does in Italy (which I’m SO going on! Once I can get some details from Debbie’s new website), and just life in general. She told cute stories about her sons as they grew up and gave the 30 or so of us a candid view into her life. Debbie then stayed afterwards to sign books, take pictures with her adoring fans (including yours truly!!) and talk more. She signed a stack of books for our Bookstore here on campus as well. If only all celebrities were as amazing as Debbie Travis, there would be no need for gossip mags or trashy news papers. She tells everything and has no regrets!

Debbie Travis and I at the Staff Conference

Expectations can ruin just about anything

So, as my friends and family all know, I had a date last night and it went well. The only problem? My unreal expectations that I had built up all week that were not lived up to. I had this whole grand idea of exactly how the date would go and when it didn’t, I was slightly disappointed. Why, when faced with something slightly frightening or challenging or exciting do we map out what we think SHOULD happen and discard any other possibilities?

I also have a problem with over thinking. I’m doing it right now. I’m sitting in my chair going over every single detail from last night, trying to pick out any mistakes I made or things he did that I didn’t like or liked a lot… It’s insanity. But this is what I do! I do it for dates, after events for work, parties I go to or host, dinners with friends… everything! It’s a problem. Do you think they have a group for people like me? Maybe “Over Thinker’s Anonymous”?

“Hi, my name is Whitney and I’m an over thinker”

Jamie Oliver, sometimes you’re so right that it’s scary!

For a few years now, I have been in love with Jamie Oliver. Fantastic man, philanthropic, great recipes (some of them even simple enough that I can make them!), original ideas, creative and super cute (with an even cuter accent).  I have two of his cookbooks, which I attempt from time to time to cook from (but mostly lend to Maggie, as she’s really the fantastic cook and I just play around) and have watched his show more times then I can count.

Jamie has always been an activist for good, clean, delicious food. I’m all for this kind of food but I’m also a single mom with a full time job and an even fuller social life. Therein lies my dilemma. I WANT to eat healthier, but there’s the whole convenience factor that is lacking. Time is a huge issue for me as well. My daughter is one of those crazy kids who sleeps and needs a good 10-12 hrs to function the next day (this makes me with my crazy insomnia very jealous of my beautiful, well behaved 3 1/2 year old, which I don’t think is entirely natural… ), so she’s in bed by 7:30 p.m. every night. I get done work at 4:30 p.m. pretty much every day and have to pick up my daughter from daycare. We usually get home at about 5:00-5:15 p.m. So we have about 2 hrs every night to make dinner, eat dinner, play and read, talk about our day, take a bath, brush our teach and read a bedtime story after our snuggle time. It’s  A LOT to do in 2 hrs and dinner usually suffers for it. Whatever we do, we usually make something fast. Sometimes we use fresh ingredient, but most of the time the ingredients come from the freezer, a box or the cupboard. If we don’t make something, we usually buy something. We TRY to eat healthy when we go out, but it’s not easy. So when I saw the video of Jamie Oliver and his TED Prize Wish, it really hit home.

And now comes the hard part. I want to eat healthier. Right now. I need to find a way to incorporate a healthier eating style and cut all the crap out, with my limited time. I want to make delicious meals for my daughter and I without filling them full of chemicals, sugar and unhealthy fat. I want my daughter to live to be 105 and die of old age, not because she ate one too many cheeseburgers at the ripe old age of 25. I need to make this change now. So tonight, instead of grabbing something quick and easy at the grocery store, I’m going to pull out some mean and veggies from the freezer and crack on of my Jamie books and cook. Honest to goodness home-cooked meal.

Everything starts with the first step, right? So today is my first step to eating healthier and improving my daughter and I’s life. This weekend, I’m going to continue to make healthy, home cooked meals. On Sunday (or Monday, as it’s Harper day and I don’t have to work), I’m going to map out a meal plan for the next week. I’m going to sit down with my daughter and discuss what she does and doesn’t like to eat and make something we both like and enjoy every single day for a week. If I can make it through one week, then I will clean out my cupboards of everything processed and bad for me, to be replaced by healthy alternatives.

I’m going to make a page to track my journey to a healthier family and happier life. I’m going to try to post recipes, (although I’m really bad at this… I just experiment and don’t pay attention to how much of what I’m putting where and although it tastes delicious, I can never duplicate it) the challenges I face, and any success stories I have. I’ll be posting the link once I have it up and running. The plan is to have it up tonight, so watch for it!

OH! And here are the two Jamie books that I have and love. Go out and buy them, and support this FANTASTIC man!

Ice cream and Project Runway = Saturday night

Tonight, I honestly have NOTHING to really post/report on. I’m just bored out of my tree. I’m currently watching Project Runway and eating Heavenly Hash ice cream on a quiet Saturday night in. Single parenting can be a little boring and mundane at times. I’m 25 and a typical Saturday night (and sometimes Monday – Friday and Sunday nights) involves streaming a good TV show or movie, or reading a book. It’s all quiet and still and I’m just not that type of person.

Last night, on the other hand, I remembered that I am only 25 and went our with friends. I saw a London Knights game (too bad they loss, but still a fan!! Go Knights, GO!) and then to Fanshawe to see The Creepshow perform. I love The Creepshow!! Fantastic show, good company and it was FREE! I go from a fantastic night of excitement and music, to a somber night full of solitude and silence.

Regardless, it comes with the territory. Single parenting is just that. Single. Solo. Alone. As soon as the little one goes to bed, it also becomes quiet. Sometimes it’s that peaceful kind of quiet that you long for all day when you’re busy. Some nights, like tonight, it’s unsettling. It’s that feeling that you should be up doing something, out with friends, entertaining people, drinking a few dozen glasses of wine and pairing it with the most fantastic of cheeses. But not tonight. Tonight, I’m going to read about how I should stop eating ice cream all the time (The Rebel Diet… check it out!! Once I’m done, I’m going to write a nice little review) and tightening my purse strings (Earn, Spend, Save… another book that I will review, once completed) and watch a little How I Met Your Mother and laugh myself silly. LOVE Neil Patrick Harris!

Well…. This is a first…

For the first time that I can remember, I actually feel lonely. It all started last night when I was talking to my friend Kaela and mentioned I was feeling a little off. Being the great friend she is, she asked me “How?”. We went though all the usual suspects: headache, sick, angry, stressed, tired (which this is true, but it didn’t feel like it), depressed and then she said something I hadn’t thought of yet. Lonely. As a rule, I’m not a lonely person. Sure, I’ve lived seperate and apart from the male population for almost 2 blissful years now and I have never felt that pang of longing for someone to be in my home with me for any length of time. But here it was. I miss having someone in my life.

Phew! Now that was a lot to realize in one short phone call. I am lonely for the first time in my 25 years. Wow. And now I’m trying to think of what I can do to alleviate this feeling. I’m already dating and meeting new people, so I’m putting myself out there. But then I got to thinking, why am I lonely? I have a great life with amazing friends, a supportive family, a beautiful daughter and a rewarding career. What am I missing?! Thankfully, when I did a mental pro/con list and I had no cons, the feeling subsided a little.

Conclusion? I have a fantastic life. What’s to feel down about? When I’m ready, I’ll meet someone worth it that will fill the once space in my life that’s still a little empty. But for right now, I’m happy. Very happy.