Life at Oak Grove

I just know that Jasmine would love these!

Aren’t they the cutest….?

They can be purchased at the Crocs store for 24.99$.

I am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

A flick of a tail and you get this reaction!

For quite some time now, I have been a member of the Swag Bucks site.  

What is swag bucks?

Swagbucks.com is the web's premier rewards site. Powered by Prodege LLC, Swagbucks.com allows web users to earn virtual currency by doing the things they do every day - search the web, shopping at their favorite retailers, and by engaging in other activities such as phone recycling, submitting polls, and completing special offers. Swagbucks.com is the only place on the web to get what you want without ever having to spend a dime.

I have been blessed with numerous Amazon.ca gift cards in the past.   I am accumulating them and buy much needed books for homeschooling with them.   

Every now and then they have a SWAG CODE EXTRAVAGANZA.

Swag Code Extravaganza is a special day where multiple Swag Codes will be released throughout the day.   If someone were to get all of them, they'd pocket an extra 50 Swag Bucks.

On Monday, August 1st (hey to celebrate the civic holiday in Ontario!) it will be a SWAG CODE EXTRAVAGANZA!

It’s free.  It’s rewarding.  It’s worth it!  

So register today!   Click on the image below!

I am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

I am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

Blueberry picking

I am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

I am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

I am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

I did something totally crazy this morning - I soaked my Bible in the kitchen sink. And you know what? It is not damaged whatsoever! How I did it? I'll let you know in an upcoming blog post on Canadianladybug Reviews!

Recently I discovered a website to create your own cover magazines.

 So I’ve decided to have fun and see what I can create for my each member of my family!

I am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

My daughter’s Ashoka Tano.   

May the force by with you!

71. new glasses that came in within 4 days of ordering them when I had been told two weeks!

72. a free VBS morning camp for the four kids and time for hubby and I to do errands as well as have breakfast together

73. my 3rd son willing to have a snake around his shoulders (two years ago he was too scared)

74. my blogging relationship with Hasbro Canada, DK Canada and New Leaf Publishing – I am so blessed

75. my family doctor – I honestly couldn’t ask for a better one.  He is precious.

76. being able to get books to read for free (okay I admit I have to blog about it but being an avid reader it helps!)

77. for the first time in thirteen years of marriage I am willing to hang some paintings from my paternal grand-mother – God is doing something in me for sure (there is a long story behind this).

78. seeing my husband being passionate again about a business venture and a ministry

79. finding an amazing sale at Future Shop for headsets – 9.99$ instead of 59.99$.   Made by Sony.

80. my first ever SPA package my husband bought on dealfind for our anniversary.  I had my appointment this week.   I like the manicure (even though it didn’t last long), the pedicure (which I adore the OPI color – I’m Not A Waitress) and facial/massage.   Definitively not the last time I will get one…!

I am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

One of the craft the kids did while at VBS this past week!

From the youngest to the oldest.

Interesting to see their choices of colors…

So yesterday, my husband and I talked about possibly going for a walk when the younger ones are in bed and our oldest would stay up later.

During supper time, my oldest Alexandre, who is ten, asked my husband in the kitchen “So are you and mom will go for a W A L K?”  (He did spell the word by the way to make sure his younger brother Jérémy, age 5, who was in the dining room wouldn’t understand.

To which you hear Jérémy say You mean walk?”

My husband just started laughing and Alexandre said “Ok….”

I guess spelling words is out of question for this bright child of mine.

I might have a gifted one here… what do you think?

I am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

I’m Not Really A Waitress by OPI.

I enjoyed my spa package that hubby got me for our anniversary!  The manicure didn’t last long but the pedicure is fabulous!

I wasn’t sure hubby would like the color but he loves it.  

And I had to have my own bottle of that color – found it for 10$ plus taxes.  Yikes!

But it is so worth it….  Love the color!

We are baking here in Ontario – it is definitively hot.  Extreme temperature to say the least.

A friend had this as her facebook profile picture.  

I thought it was hilarious and wanted to share it…

Someone had posted this on facebook.

I thought it was interesting…  Another world record maybe?

Apparently it was done in Aidlingen, Germany.  

But I couldn’t find any information about it while searching on google…

So if you know any details on this – please feel free to let me know.

I am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

Mango Salsa

I am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

Brushing their teeth using a product I am reviewing… 

As you might have seen, I have decided to revamp my personal blog.

But it is not the only thing that got changed in my life.

About two weeks ago, I went for an eye exam and apparently my eyes are better than they were two years ago.   I am 42 and I was quite curious about this as the same thing happened at the last eye checked.   It is quite common to have your eye getting better before slowing going to the bifocals world.

So as off now, my eyes don’t need bifocals… thank goodness.

But I had a new prescription.

Changing the lenses on my current pair was ridiculous in price.  I love the style but honestly paying so much just for the lenses and NOT having my glassed for two weeks was out of question.

So we shopped around…

First Laurier Optical – 3 for 199$ deal.

Yeah – you get three frames for 199$ but you have to pay 79$ per lenses (x3) to get the anti-scratch/anti-glare package deals.  And if you put the Transitions on them it was another 120$ or so.

Hakim Optical – 2 for 199$ deal.

So you get two frames for 199$ and get the anti-scratch/anti-glare/UV package.   Transition was 75$ per pair of glasses.

COSTCO

One pair of glasses was equivalent of two pairs at Hakim.

So we went back at Hakim…

Pick two pair of glasses – one will have the Transitions on it, the other one will be my backup.

Got the backup pair yesterday as the Transitions will take about 10 days.   Right away, I had the feeling something was wrong but since my prescription changed, I decided to test it for an evening.

I got an headache on the left side right away…  I close my right eye and saw that it was fuzzy – not clear.    Weird.  

Over the evening I had to switch to my old pair of glasses so that the headache would not get worse.

This morning I wore them to drive… 30 minutes and I had a splitting headache.  Went back to the old pair.   Headache somewhat reduce itself but was there still.   At 10am, I went back to Hakim and explained the issue…   He checked and discovered that the axis was slightly imperfect.   He was surprised that I had an instant reaction though as apparently it wasn’t very much off.   Well off enough for me not to see clearly and to have an headache within minutes of wearing them.

He re-did the lense on this side.    And now I see clearly.

Their service is fantastic if you ask me.    Some people would have been annoyed but I  know it was an error.

He gave us an amazing service when we went for my son’s glasses a month ago – we got transitions for free on one of his pair of glasses which were new from last August and needed new lenses. 

So if you need glasses – don’t hesitate to go to Hakim Optical in Barrhaven.    I highly recommend him. 

I am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

Stormy Sky on July 17th

I am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

As part of my course Developing a Social Media Strategy, I have to write a post that incorporates and connect to an article I have recently read or something current I’ve seen in the news.

One day about two weeks ago, my husband emailed me an article that he had read on ctv.ca – Grown-up Facebook users similar to young people: study .   After reading the article, I thought it was an interesting subject for my course.

Apparently adults are not much better than teenagers to protect their privacy while on social networks.   Ah!   Really?     I could have told you that without going through a study just by the things I read sometimes….

Nevertheless, I think that having a study on the subject will make people realize about the kind of information they put on facebook and other social networks.  

According to the article, one of the authors of the study says

You should treat anything that you post on facebook like you’re posting on the front page of a newspaper, so you want to be comfortable that you’d be OK with your employer seeing that, your family member seeing that friends, children,…

As I read these words, it reminded me how sometimes I have read some posts on facebook that got me wondering why in the world someone would put that up.   Honestly, I must admit that it drove me mad at times because somehow it affected me quite a bit – like becoming mad of the people and judging them.   I quickly realized that I was not on a good path and this was affecting me more than I would have thought.    I took some steps to reduce the amount of reading from some people.   

Did you know that nowadays numerous employers will check out your facebook page before proceeding to hiring you?    And that if you don’t get a job, it could be because of something you had posted on facebook?   Unfortunately, if this is the case, you are more than likely never know about it as the potential employers will not divulge the information.

The study has compared the habits of two groups – a young one composed of young people ages nine to eighteen (288 facebook users) and an older one where the ages were ranging from nineteen to seventy-one (285 facebook users).  

According to the research, the younger users would be more likely to reveal more information simply because they are spending more time on the social networks.  However, whether the younger generation is not as foolish as we first thought or that the older generation are more foolish concerning the protection of their privacy the study has not revealed this.   Generally speaking

there is this belief that younger people, especially teenagers, are somewhat foolish when it comes to privacy and social media, and as people get more mature, older, they become more careful and more protective of their privacy.

However, the study has identified a trend that the younger generation would be more likely to do – ‘friend collecting’ which is simply to add people they do not like or do not know personally.

After reading this article, my first reaction was that I wasn’t surprised by the results.    I tend to agree that people should be more careful about the kind of information they post on facebook or other social networks.  In 2011, I have already a number of friends who had some sort of virus that has spread on their friends on facebook as well as been hacked (not by family members).

I personally am somewhat protective on the kind of information I would put on my tag line on facebook.    I try not too vent too much to the whole world when something is not going well or if someone if frustrating me.   Oh I am tempted at times… but I remind myself that it is not a proper behavior and that in the end it could cause more problems than anything else.    It is like pouring fuel on a fire – close your eyes and picture a fire to which you add some gasoline in it… what would happen?  Exactly – an out of control fire.    

Complaining and posting your own frustration on facebook can have a similar effect on a relationship – it can get out of control…

So be wise.  Think twice before posting.    Is it necessary?  Is it putting someone down?   Is it adequate?   Is it out of taste?   

Same goes with pictures, videos, comments and so on.

Always think about the consequences before acting.

To come back on the study for one last time, I was surprised to see that kids as young as nine years old were included.    Honestly it is beyond me to understand why parents would allow their kids of that age to use social networks.   Honestly, I am reticent to let my own ten years old boy to navigate these sites just yet.    I don’t think he has the maturity to make wise decisions while using them.    Maybe I am ‘old school’ for that matter – yes coming from someone who has a master degree in Information Technology.   But I want to protect him and his siblings as much as possible against damages that could affect their whole life in the future.

In the meantime, I am planning to become wiser while using social network and be very careful of the kind of information I will post.   

What do you think about the article?   How do you protect yourself while being on facebook?   Are you careful about the type of information you post?

61.  nature through new lenses

62.  young eagles in a natural habitat

63.  hobby that my husband can do with the kids and I

64. birds eating at a bird feeder

65. frog catching and releasing

66. birds nests

67. sunshine and sudden rain

68.  woodpecker tapping on a tree for an early breakfast at 5am

69. loons singing on the lake in the evening

70. time alone when my husband takes the kids fishing

I am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

Young eagle near the nest.

I am participating in the 2011 Mommytography 365 Project! For this year long project I will be posting an image a day, to get me out shooting, using my camera and learning new things with it daily. Anyone interested in photography can join, no need to be a Mommytographer. We have teens to adults, male and female, as well as people from all over the world. Come join the fun!

This is a Purple Finch that I saw while camping.   For more information on Purple Finch go to http://www.audubonguides.com/species/Birds/Purple-Finch.html.