Epic Mom Fail

Not in a bad sense, but in hind sight, I could of handled the situation a whole lot better than I did.

STORY TIME!

Yesterday morning was like every other. I got up an hour before everyone else, got the kids clothes and lunches together, and then got them up and ready to start the day.

So me and their father brought them to school, and as usual he dropped me and 2 kids off, while he took the oldest to the middle school. Same as usual. nothing different….yet.

Now children 2 and 3 always go to the breakfast program. In this school it is encouraged that all children attend the program, so that no one child is singled out for not having breakfast that morning, and to give all children their best start to the day.

Side note: I don’t really understand why mine go, because they always have a full breakfast each morning before they go to school. I think it may be for the yogurt drinks.

Anyhow, today they decided to go together, 2 would wait with me until 3 came back down from putting his backpack in his locker and changing his sneakers. Mistake number 1. I foolishly said I would wait with 2 until 3 came back, which took forever.
so I told 2 to go on and that when 3 came down I would let him know that she was gone on to the cafeteria. Somewhere in between ok mom, and I love you, in my sleep deprived mind, I told 2 that I would wait for her to come out to give her one last hug before she went on to class. Mistake Number 2.

3 came down the hall as slowly as possible, talking to anyone who would make contact with him along the way. He is a very social animal and will befriend anyone willing to look his way.

By this time I should of already high tailed it out of the school, but oh no not me, foolishly as he walked by not noticing me at all or the fact that his sister had gone on without him, I had to call out to him to grab his attention to let him know that his sister was already gone in. Mistake Number 3. He couldn’t of cared less that I was wasting my morning standing in the main entrance to the school. He went on in and with 3 mins was out again and back on his merry way upstairs. Meanwhile, I am left standing there wondering where 2 is.

After everything was said and done, she comes skipping out of the cafeteria not taking notice that I was still standing there and I had to call out to her for her to come get her hug.

By the time I got out of the school, their father was wondering if I got lost. I sat in the van, and just shook my head in bewilderment as to how stunned I was to wait around for 2 kids who were perfectly fine. I could have been out of the school 20 minutes before I actually was, and out doing all the errands that I had to run yesterday.

MORAL OF THE STORY  

From now on, they get 1 hug each from me and sent on their merry ways for the day, and I high tail it out of there like a cat on a hot tin roof. I make my butt move it out before one of my lovely little angels can snag me into staying longer than I need to.
I love all 3 of my children with all of my heart, but I don’t need to be standing around a school entrance waiting on them all morning when I will be back there at 2:30 pm to pick them up.

Remembering 9/11

Today’s story is remembering the day the world came to my town.

Gander, Newfoundland.

I was just beginning Grade 10 at the time, and lived a sheltered enough life, so I didn’t even know the Twin Towers existed until they were gone.

This Tuesday started out like any other. I got up and went to school. I went to my regular class, and when I got home for lunch, my Dad was just coming home from his Morning at his office, as he is a United Church Minister.At that time he was one of two Ministers at Fraser Road United. He sat down to the kitchen table telling mom and me and my sisters about what was going on, and that a plane had just crashed into one of the towers. I ate my lunch in quiet, not really conceiving what was taking place down in the States. My naive grade 10 mind just thought ” ok, something bad is happening, but at least its not here.”

At this time the buses were on strike, so my father had to drop me back to school after lunch, and went on his merry way. Walking into Gander Collegiate, there are 3 TVs, one in each corner of the main lobby, and they are usually on the town community channel, but today they were all tuned into the news, for obvious reasons. That was when I first started to realize something unusual was going on.

The second thing I found unusual was when I got to my theatre class, it was what everyone was talking about, and the windows in the class where shaking more than usual from airplane traffic.

Now, living in Gander Newfoundland, we would always find the windows shake, or at the very least the noise from planes over head, on a constant daily basis, you really get used to it. Not this day, it was one right after the other.

My last class, was Writing, with my home room teacher Mr. Soper. We had a half normal class, until towards the end when the Principal came on the P.A. System to explain to us the severity of what was going on, and partially what would happen next. We left school early that day, and by the time I was downstairs and closing in on the door, I remember one teacher getting distinctly frustrated and someone saying get the hell out of the school. I was freaked out by the time I got to my dads car.

I went home that afternoon and Babysat my two sisters for the next 4 days, while my parents went and did everything they could to help at the Airport and then at the Church. I spent that evening and anytime my parents weren’t home, trying to watch the news, because when they did come home, they wanted us to take a break from watching it all.

I remember one day I did get to go over to the church and help out a bit and I got to meet some very memorable people. I didn’t get to help out at the school though. In hindsight, I knew my parents needed me at home to help them with my younger siblings, so that they could go and help as many people as they possibly could in such a trying time.

I remember the following days once the planes left, and we went back to school, and I was interviewed by CBC news in my Media class along with other people.

I am proud of what my town did that day and in the days to come following one of the most horrific, tragic times in our recent history.

My main wish from all of this is that we remember, so that a tragedy like this NEVER happens again.

Back to School

This year has to be one of the most interesting years for struggling to get everything together before the kids go back to school on Sept. 7th. I have 3 children in school, Grades 6, 2, and 1. This is the massive list of school supplies I had to pick up to have them prepared to go back to school.

1 Ruler
1 Protractor
1 Highlighter
1 Package of loose leaf paper
2 Binders (1 inch)
2 sets of headphones
2 packages of colouring leads
2 packages of plastic spoons
2 Packages of plastic straws
3 Pencil cases
3 Book Bags
3 Lunch Bags
4 Pairs of scissors
4 Pairs of Sneakers
5 packages of crayons (24 pack)
6 boxes of pencils
6 boxes of tissues
10 white erasers
10 Binder dividers
14 large glue sticks
24 Exercise Books (non coiled)
34 duo tangs

New clothing for each child because they are growing like I don’t know what. I did not buy excessive clothing just because I wanted them to have something new for the first day of school. They needed it. Sometime between June and now, my oldest managed to grow about 3 inches taller and out of ever single pair of pants he owned, and the same goes for my middle child. So not only did I have to buy one suit of new clothing for school, I basically had to outfit their wardrobes all over again, so they would have clothing that fit them. They aren’t going to get away with wear shorts all the time soon.
Also, somehow between June and now, every sock this house has managed to fly away. So I had to buy a pack of 10 pairs of socks each.

Now like a lot of you out there, I did not just pick up and go, and I certainly did not buy name brand where I didn’t have to. The whole of my shopping was done between Walmart, Rossy, and the Dollar store. Yes I broke myself buying everything my children need for the school year, and yes these next two weeks are going to be tight around here, but one thing is for sure….

I have so much GRATITUDE to be able to say this.

I am not complaining because I have 3 beautiful children who are able to go to school in September. We live in a Province and Country where it is safe for them to get an education. I was able to provided for my 3 beautiful children what they need to give them the best start of the new year. Just the thought that I am able to be here and have 3 children to take care of and provide for makes me grateful for this life.

I am so lucky that I can send my children to a school where I know the teachers and staff, and I can trust that my children are taken care of from the moment I drop them off at the door, till the time I pick them up in the afternoon.

I appreciate everything the teacher do on a daily basis. They are the real MVPs here.
I certainly don’t look at it has the teachers fault for all the things my children need on the list for school. The Teachers are helping me mould my children into well behaved human beings and to be come the best that they can be. If that means 4 packs of crayons for one kid, then heck yeah. 16 exercise books, sure. It’s all for a great purpose.

And that’s my Thursday Rant. Have a great day everyone.

It’s ok to cry…

Some days can be overwhelming.

It’s ok to cry.

Some days you may feel like you’ve hit a brick wall.

It’s ok to cry.

Some days everyone just knows the right buttons to push.

It’s ok to cry.

Some days can be the best days of your life.

It’s ok to cry.

Some days you can make a mountain out of a mole hill.

It’s ok to cry.

Some days the littlest thing can throw everything out of whack.

It’s ok to cry.

If you ever feel the emotions of everyday life getting to be too much, its ok to just let the tears flow. The important thing is that you don’t let whatever negativity that is affecting you get you down. Wipe the tears from your eyes and know that this moment isn’t forever, and things will get better. Don’t keep your emotions bottled up to fester and rot. That is only going to hurt you. If you need to talk to someone to talk thing through, by all means, find that someone, but if you cant find anyone contact me. I’ll listen. We all need someone we can turn to.

Monday Motivational

Just Be Yourself.

If they don’t like you for that, then they aren’t worth it.

Just worry about being you, and don’t waste your time trying to be something you aren’t.

People are going to like you, and there will be people who will not like you. Surround yourself with the ones who do, and don’t give energy to the ones who don’t.

Protect your energy from negative people… you are worth so much more than you give yourself credit for.

Have an Amazing week everyone. 🙂

Disney Top 5 Fave Animated Movies

Disney has always been apart of my life, some of my earliest memories are of getting Disney VHS tapes ( yes way before blu ray or digital downloads). I believe my first VHS was “The Little Mermaid”, and I must have watched that a million times or more. I have several Disney Funko pops, mostly Beauty and the Beast, and I am growing my now updated blu ray collection with the Disney Movie Club.

If you check out my Pinterest boards, I have one specifically designated for my Disney dream home, which one day will happen, because I use my Pinterest has a form of a vision board.

If you were to take a trip inside my brain, 90% of the time, there is a Disney quote or song going off in there. I try to bring the magic of Disney into every aspect of my life because it bring me back to cozier times. Majesty And Magic of Disney lights up my heart even on the darkest of days. Anyone who truly knows me, knows that I spend countless hours with “The Lion King”, and can practically speak the whole script from memory.

So having said all of that here is my list of top 5 Disney Animated Movies of all time:

5: Frozen

This movie was released in 2013, and has won an academy award, a Golden Globe,a BAFTA award, A Blimp award,critics choice award, Japan Academy award, and a PGA Producer of the year award in Animated theatrical motion pictures. These were amassed between 2014 and 2015.

This movie was a story of true love, but not the usual kind. This true love came from Sisterhood, and was a refreshing taste after so many Disney movies priding themselves on the Prince finding the Princess or vice versa.

4:Beauty and the Beast

This Disney Classic was brought to the big screen in 1991. This movie has one one academy award and 2 golden globes. It has gone on to have a sequel, broadway musical, and a live action rendition in 2017.

This movie bring the magic of adventure and fairytale creatures to life. This is one of many fairytale stories Disney rewrote and made kid friendly. I cannot put my finger on what I like most about this movie, but the artistry, characters, and music come together so magnificently. This is truly a classic that can be rewatched over and over again.

3:The Little Mermaid

This movie made is debut in 1989, and has also won many awards for its great musical number and wonderful talent. It has gone on to have a sequel and a prequel. It has gone on to have a broadway musical, and has sang the way into millions of peoples hearts through out the years. When it first arrived, I was very young, and I believe like many other little girls at the time, the princess theme appealed to me most, or maybe it was the colourful fact of people swimming underwater. I know has a grew older, it became more about connecting with a teenager who’s father didn’t understand her. Now I sit back like so many other parents and laugh at a 16 yr old princess who thought she knew it all, and can sympathize with King Triton on a very emotional level, lol.

2:Aladdin

Aladdin came to theatres in 1992, and like the rest has won awards and has done the broadway thing very successfully. It had a tv series run for 3 season, and now has its own live action rendition coming to life in 2019.

This is an absolute amazing story with a great moral in the end. The Genie tells Aladdin to just “Be Yourself”, and that’s all Jasmine needed. She loved him for who he was on the inside, not the title of Prince Ali. Now I also know that if he hadn’t of lied and made the wish to be a Prince, He would have never seen her again, because that opportunity would not have presented itself. I grew up wanting a pet like Rajah the Tiger, and Abu the Monkey. I will never forget what Robin Williams brought to the big screen with bringing the Genie to life with his endless humour.

1. The Lion King

Now for the one and only, The Lion King. This is my all time fave animated movie. This movie has brought me so much joy over the years since its release in 1994. It has its own Broadway musical, countless awards, and like Aladdin, a live action on the way.

This movie has had a prequel and sequel, With The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride, and The Lion King 1/2, which was the first movie told from the point of view of Timon and Pumbaa. The two lively comic relief characters also went on to have their own spin off show.

This movie shows the timeline and life of Simba(Voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick), and how he goes from a naive little cub and grows into taking his place has King of the Pride Lands. He has to over throw his villainous uncle Scar( voiced by Jermey Irons), who chases him out of the Pride Lands after convincing cub Simba that he is the reason for his fathers death.

I love everything about this movie and have probably watched it over a million times through the years. This is my all time fave because from the colour scheme to the characters majestic qualities, this movie never gets old. The songs are catchy and I always find myself humming a tune or using a quote from this movie on the daily.

“The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it”

Rafiki the Baboon.

Rafiki is the baboon you see at the beginning of the movie holding up baby Simba. He is seen through the movie has being a close companion of Mufasa, Simba, and the lions of the Pride Lands. He is considered the Advisor to Mufasa and all future KIngs. This quote sums up all of his wisdom. Bad things happen, learn what you can and keep moving forward.

I must add at the end of this, the Honourable Mention here would have to be Pixar’s Brave. It is one of the first, if not the first movie I can recall have nothing to do with a princess finding her prince in the end. I love how this movie brings together the tale of a a mother and daughter’s bond growing stronger through adversity. Yes I did shed a few tears at the end of this one.

In Conclusion, Disney has so many many memorable movies and this list is just 5 of my favourite animated ones. What movies did you grow up with? What one do you remember seeing and have take hold of you?.

Have an Amazing week everyone, and much love for taking the time to read my post, Thank you.

New Beginnings

Now I can clearly see the direction in which I am choosing to take this website.

For the month of August, there may not be many posts, as I redesign and revamp this whole blog, to become more that what it is, and a better than I could ever have imagined.

I hope you all can bare with me while this changes come into affect, and my dream is that you will be able to enjoy this website as much as I do come September.

Thank you for your time, and there will be more updates to come.

For now please check out my facebook page : Crystal Now ,

Or any of my social media pages: Twitter: @cburt2023

Instagram: @cburt2023

Summertime Woes

Have you ever had the type of morning where everything seems to be overwhelming?

The housework?

The Kids?

The bills?

The pets?

Did I mention housework?

The dishes have piled up, the living room looks like a tornado hit, because god forbid the kids play with their toys in their bedroom.

Laundry is piled up in several different places. The clean clothes haven’t been folded from two days ago yet, because well it’s summer and the kids demand your attention. You have opted out of cleaning to make memories with your children. You’ve taken them to the park, the beach, a road trip, visiting family or friends. Whatever the case may be, you are not a bad parent.

I have had to have this mantra in my head for a while now. “I am not a bad mom”, it replays in my head like a broken record. When I look around my house and see its destruction, I have to remind myself that my kids are happy, fed, and semi clean. That’s what matters. In the end, when they grow up, they won’t remember the clean house, the bare counter top or the sparkling floors. They will remember the fun times we had picking up sea shells at the beach. They will remember chasing mommy and daddy with the water guns in the back yard. That is what matters. Interacting with them and showing them how to relax and that it’s ok to have fun. They don’t need to see a stressed out mom or dad, they are kids. We need to let them be kids, and help them be kids, before it’s too late and this time has past us by.

That’s why today is my clean up day. They are being relatively good playing with each other so I can get the house work done and be able to play with them again.

Have a happy Tuesday all, we are in this together and we will get through these years.

Enjoy the time while you can😎☀️☺️

Gambo, NL

You know I think I have found a new term to describe something that happens a lot it seems in my family. Some people would just call it home sick, I’m going to start calling it Gamboitis. Well maybe not, that would just be a weird name.

My mother is from a small community in central Newfoundland called Gambo. It is a beautiful town, that I would recommend everyone to visit in their lifetime. I was lucky enough to grow up there as well and be able to spend immense amounts of time with my aunts and uncles and grandparents in my younger years. I lived there for several years growing up, but before and after that time, I would spend every summer at my grandparents or my Aunts house.

However since growing up and moving out of my family home and starting a family of my own, time is pretty hard to come by, and it rare when I get the chance to visit, same thing goes for my Mother. She hardly gets a chance to go visit my grandmother and her sisters( my aunts).

This is where the “Gamboitis” sinks in. For mom, it happens a lot around holidays and birthdays. We remember the fond memories and people we miss that live there. For me it happens whenever I get a moment to pause and think of the “old days”. The simpler time when I truly had no worries except if I was going to go swimming or laze around the backyard. I’m sure mom thinks about home more too, she just doesn’t say anything.

I guess where I’m trying to go with this post is well I don’t know. If you are ever in Newfoundland, don’t pass by Gambo without a stop in, and if you are looking for something to eat, Vonnie Lee Chicken is the best place. There are great walking trails everywhere, and beautiful scenery. During the summer months if you go up to Joeys Lookout on the highway, a lovely man Harold Penny has a hotdog cart with the best sausage dogs you could ever imagine. You really don’t want to miss out on those.

Sunday Morning

WARNING: this post discusses a woman’s monthly cycle. If you do not wish to read about the menstural cycle, I suggest skipping this post.

Thoughts for this morning; slow starting, coffee ain’t cutting it, kind of morning.

I’m sitting here in bed, trying to think of something to write, but all my mind seems to be running back to is the excruciating pain that is radiating from my abdomen.

Like so many women in this world, I am plagued by the monthly visit fro the dreaded “Aunt Flo” “That time of the month” or whatever other tagline you can think of. It shows up every 21-28 days, stays for roughly 5 days, and then leaves, not before draining you of every ounce of energy or comfort you have. During the summer, it seems to be ten times worse. You are already uncomfortable with the heat, but then add this to the mix, and the pain and misery is 10 times unbearable.

For myself, this misery that is only supposed to last roughly 5 days, can last up to 11 for me, while I await surgery to help me. I am even on pills to help slow down the flow, and they aren’t working for me anymore. I have become anemic due to this monthly event, and the pain at times has sent me to my knees and I am unable to preform any simple tasks without having to run to the bathroom to change clothing first.

I love seeing the posts on how this should be so painful, and why am I being punished for not being pregnant again. Why cant we throw a party, and celebrate another no baby month :). I already have 3 beautiful children whom I love and adore with every fibre of my being. My body has done its time creating life… don’t I deserve a break lol.

I guess this is kind of my rant for the day because it seems that I am going to be bed ridden today with a hot water bottle, and cringe every time I have to get up and run to the bathroom, or just every time I need to cough or sneeze. I will be glad when this week is over, and I can get back to normal, and maybe not feel dizzy and like I am going to pass out if I walk more than 5 steps.

Have a great Sunday everyone.