Hmmmm...

So there are times in my house when all three of us are together but on our "devices". At times I am disappointed, slightly depressed and somewhat disgusted that this is happening in my house! 

I am gonna say this and I feel old saying it but when I was younger, we played outside, building forts, catching salamanders and riding our bikes...

I also played games on our Commador 64, Nintendo original and watched TV.

I thought about it today, because of my worry over too much screen time, I am uber aware of doing things together...playing games, bike rides or even watching a movie together. But is our screen time today any different then when I was younger?

Way back then we didn't always watch TV together (we had two TVS), my Mom didn't play Nintendo with us and we were outside having adventures, Mom and Dad were doing their house things.

So is it a lack of time together or is it a lack of physical activity or is it a concern over what we are accessing or playing on these devices? Mindless, pointless games (or do they all have some benefit) and useless information about people who shouldn't matter...is this the downfall of technology today? 

Oh or is it that many "relationships" are cyber?

I think the biggest difference today is that our screens are portable. You can have access to your screens anywhere you go. You could possibly never get a break from your screens, except when you sleep.

Thirtiftiness

So I was chatting with a fellow single parent and here are a few thrifty ideas that we do:

-I use the dishwasher/washing machine/dryer either after 9:00pm or on weekends

-all loads of laundry are done in cold water

-keep the heat down. I keep mine at 19C during the day on weekends, during the week it is at 16C.  At times I find the cat sitting on a heat vent hahaha! But I just layer up:)

-shopping for food when you are single half the time can be tricky.  I have gone to freezing a lot such as leftover fresh berries I know won't get eaten in time, I throw them in the freezer for smoothies later.  Other things I freeze are leftovers...for a meal when we are altogether again (the kids and I), spinach, bananas for muffins, sometimes I will cook a lot of pasta and freeze it, then when the time comes that I need it, I just boil the H2o and throw it in, it shaves a few minutes off from cooking it from dried.

-cancel cable-- this seems to be very common for people wHen they first get divorced.  Then they go to Netflix

-People invite you over for dinner more often when they know you are alone...

-my gym membership isn't getting wasted! Now with more free time to myself I go to the gym way more often. 

-again with more time on my hands I make a lot from scratch, such as baked goods for school snacks.  When I first got separated I would go on these baking binges and everyone benefited because I didn't have enough room to freeze all that I had baked.

-I coupon and price match sometimes too

-I take advantage of PC Points, Shoppers Optimum Points and Air Miles

Just a few things that all put together help.

:)

Going with gratefulness

Today I am grateful for:

The Keg

New friends ?

My electric blanket 

Calls from friends to check in

Old friends

Warmer weather:)

House Of Cards

Candles

Getting a lot done

Thx

Today I am thankful for: 

Extra time with my kids

The snow

Snuggle buddies 

Quiet

Netflix:)

Hockey 

New cozy socks

Roots jogging pants

Sleepless in Barrhaven:(

It is 12:22am on Monday morning.  I can not sleep.  I was in bed, as I am most nights, right after I put the kids to bed.  Tonight it was approximately 9:30pm.  My habit for many months now is to watch a show/movie on Netflix and fall asleep midway through.  Mind you I never sleep through the night, so I will repeat this a couple of times during the night: wake up to pee then watch Netflix then eventually fall asleep.

It is not working tonight.  I have even gone back to my old habit when I couldn't sleep: reading.  I am reading Inferno by Dan Brown.  That is not working either.

This could be the problem? I drank more tea today then I usually do.  The usual is about four cups in a day.  Today I think I drank six.  Get the photo: I heart tea:) FYI that is a few days worth of tea bags.

At this point, I have taken some meds leftover from my surgery. Two Tylenol 3s.  In the past I have taken melatonin, which is great to help me initially fall asleep but does not help me stay asleep.  I have also taken larazopan (sp).  It is a perscription and can become addictive.  The last time I used it I saw how it could become addictive...it stops being as affective so you need to use more of it to gain the results (sleep).  I exercise to sleep better too.  And prior to this evening, I have been having wonderful sleeps.  Tonight it isn't even that my mind won't turn off...on those nights I do what I can at the moment, organize and prepare or write out whatever else is cycling in my brain.

Right now I can feel the Tylenol starting to kick in, so sleep will be coming...

Just frustrating when it takes this long.

******************************************

Sidenote:  My Netflix choice tonight was Craigslist Joe.  It was a great film.  Maybe too captivating didn't lend itself to my sleep.  It maybe an entire blog to itself...

Random Robyn

So I changed Sundays to Robyn's Randomness from Dear Diary.

Also look to the right and you will see that I am now part of the Yummy Mummy Club!  Very excited.  I have written a few posts for them under the name Robyn Perras but now many more people will have the opportunity to read my daily blogs.

This is my Facebook link:

https://www.facebook.com/robyn.perras.9

Here are some random tips:

Wet boots?  Blow dry them.
Daphne's boots kept getting wet so we would put them over the vent or even in the dryer but they still were not getting dry.  The hair dryer worked quickly.

Freeze it:  Whenever I buy the prewashed spinach I always take some and put it in the freezer.  All the leaves freeze individually and then I can grab some whenever I need it, for smoothies, spaghetti sauce, soups.  It is better than the frozen brick of spinach you buy from the freezer section.

What I watching:

We do not have cable so we stream or use Netflix.  This is what I have watched:

Suits (yummy:)

Call the Midwife

The Walking Dead** I put off watching this one, even had to turn off the first episode because it scared me (a wee bit) but then I watched 3 1/2 seasons and I love it!!

Recitfy

The Blacklist

Homeland

The Goldbergs (hilarious)

Girls