Weekend Fun

Our recent Calgary trip was out of the blue, unplanned and was decided at the last minute. It was fun though especially for the kids. Lance did good at The Shooting Edge. He had an awesome time there with his dad while Lei and I waited for them. After that, we ate at the Calgary Farmers' Market while the kids played in the play area. It was such a rainy day we couldn't possibly go anywhere outdoors so we spent a few hours in the mall before checking in at a hotel nearby.

We used to bring a lot of food when we go on road trips except with this one so for dinner, we went to Pacific Hut and every cent was worth it, the food was delicious! The kids were just as full as mom and dad and we even brought home our leftover Bulalo (Beef Shank in Onion Broth).

The next day's agenda was to bring the kids to Calaway Park and that's were we spent the whole day before going back to Lethbridge again. And the highlight of the trip? I got to drive on the highway for the first time :D

Busy Thursday

I have postponed the laundry for days now and was planning to delay it until Friday but seeing the two baskets already full and with the bedsheets all over the floor, I just had to do it today! I finished folding around dinner time, there were so many interruptions throughout the day making it impossible for me to finish early. I had to prepare our food, I had to pick up Lance, feed the kids, attend to their other demands and so on and so forth. I also cleaned our washroom which is like an extension of the kids' playroom. Lei has a bunch of her toys scattered there which I washed and sorted out and limited into just one basket. I finally convinced her to let Mommy throw away her potty to give more space in our tiny washroom. I lit up a scented candle the whole day to take away the smell of the cleansers I used and hopefully I get to change the shower curtain this week. So tomorrow, I have an option to be lazy or follow it up with more cleaning inside the house. Option #1 seems a better idea but I'd love to have a spotless house. Yes, a mess free home, only in my dreams though :D

Cheap Finds

We try to set a budget every time we buy groceries but obviously we're not trying very hard (lol). We usually do the bulk of our groceries at Superstore but there are specific items that need to purchased at Walmart or Costco and of course, at the Asian supermarket as well.

At Superstore, we usually buy the boxed chicken for just 14.99 CAD and it's 5kg. We used to buy a bag with 2 kg of chicken thighs for more or less 9 CAD and it's like good for two weeks only compared to the boxed chicken which lasts more than a month. We also love the box of bacon ends which is pretty cheap at 5+ CAD. They also sell those Yakult like products at 1.50 CAD/5pcs way cheaper than those available at the Asian supermarket.

My hubby also prefers to buy large bottles (I mean really large ones) of soy sauce, liquid seasoning, cheez whiz because he says they're cheaper which is true by the way. Our sugar is a 10 kg bag while our bag of flour is 5kg, with that much we don't have to buy twice a month or even on a monthly basis. And getting the ones on sale are always, always a huge help and I'm just glad I'm not a brand conscious person. I could give up Coca-Cola products for PC brand sodas. The PC orange soda tastes so much like Royal, they are soooo goood! Lance's preferred crackers (Skyflakes) is also cheaper at Superstore so we make sure that we buy it there. They also now have a huge selection of products from the Philippines, bigger than what they used to have saving us trips to the Asian supermarket.

If I like doing groceries at Superstore, I like Walmart for other cheap finds as well, kitchen stuff, toys, clothes and food that are on sale. Their jello is cheaper compared to the ones at Superstore. We also like to buy shrimp and other seafoods there.

But if you're really buying buy the bulk, Costco is the right place. We go there to buy a couple of things but mostly to look around, sample the food and eat hotdogs. Their hotdog is the best tasting hotdog I've ever tasted here. I like to buy vegetables there, they last longer and they are so fresh. My bag of spinach is from Costco, very cheap and the size of the bag is just right, not too big , not too small.

Becoming cheap is a process but it doesn't guarantee that you'll stay within your budget because we usually don't. We end up buying these cheap finds, add them all up and before we know it we are over budget again. Shopping is fun and sales are more fun but it all boils down to how much money you're willing to spend (the more, the merrier!)

More Toys Please!

Dora, Upsy Daisy, a penguin, Rexty the triceratops and a monkey on Lei's bed

The kids have been asking for these Happy Nappers ever since they saw them on TV. They look kinda cute but sometimes they just get so encouraged by these commercials. They're watching kid friendly channels but the commercials especially those promoting toys are so disappointing especially on the parents' part. I spend much of my time explaining why they can't have a particular toy unless it's their birthday or for some other reason. Seeing so much toys and buying them a lot don't teach them the value of things. It's just making them greedy and unappreciative of what they already have. Giving them what they want every now and then don't make them happy and satisfied and it's like teaching them the opposite. While some of their toys and our purchases were a complete waste of money, it's really about teaching them the value of money and disciplining them when it comes to their wants. And we also got two kids, we don't just buy for one kid so that makes it all the more expensive.

We already got a roomful of toys, some were given but mostly were purchased. Lance is back into his LEGO phase and he sleeps with his soldier teddy while Lei doesn't get attached to any of her toys yet. Since Lance got his soldier teddy a few months ago, I got all the other stuffed toys and put them in a luggage bag to decrease the mess around here but Lei would often ask for her cat or her penguin until all of them are out of the luggage bag again. And now they're asking for these happy nappers!?! I'd say, they could wait until it's Christmas :D

Hot and Lazy

Thankful for the sunny weekend, a swimming and BBQ party last Saturday and car spring cleaning on a Sunday. While I was excited on the first, I couldn't say the same thing for the second. I wasn't an eager helper but I did vacuum, it was the least I could do. Hubby said I should help since I'm using the car now, what about the household chores? How come I end up doing all of them? An endless discussion would probably start had I launched my litany so rather than argue and debate, I vacuumed and did my share of cleaning. It was such a hot day I would've preferred to lie down, read a book or sip a cold drink the whole day :D

Spinach Boost

I found this spinach recipe and decided to try it for lunch today. I paired it with hickory smoked porkchops and as usual, lunch was great. Prepared in less than 30 minutes along with the porkchops, perfect when you're having a lazy day and still want to indulge with some green leafy vegetables aside from the usual vegetable salad when I'm at my laziest and running out of ideas regarding what to cook. Lazy but staying healthy :D