A Good Life...

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10 Things I Did This Week

1. Got my broken car fixed, finally, after messing up the alignment on December 28.

2. Had a rough night where Chloe didn't want to sleep in her crib. It only lasted the one night.

3. Rediscovered my love of listening to music and making puzzles.

4. Decided to try to put more effort into blogging again. Anyone want to guest post? And also my Facebook page, so be a fan (please?) if you're not already. 

5. Hosted a giveaway where you can win milk for on-the-go! 

6. Got a little sad over my grandfather's situation. We've tried for a long time, and kind of still are, to fix it, but so far no results. 

7. Thought about the difficulties of parenting and disciplining when you're part of a blended family. 

8. Chloe got her first nosebleed (very minor) by trying to climb on the coffee table. She also almost killed herself by climbing on her toddler table and pushing against the wall until she was balancing standing on the table with her hands against the wall, with the table pushed about a foot away from the wall. I don't like toddlers. They try to give me heart attacks on the daily. 

9. Realized how badly I need to start packing better lunches for work. (As I sit here sipping coffee and eating a snack cake). 

10. Took some pictures of Chloe on a night where she was being extra silly. It's so much fun being her mom sometimes. I've also been excited about her (finally!) getting some noticeable hair. 

Giveaway: Cause who doesn't love milk?

I was contacted yesterday about doing a giveaway for Milk Unleashed, which is a type of milk that's safe at room temperature, and so perfect for when you're on the go. I was on the fence about it at first, but then as I poured my 4th glass of milk that day, I realized if there's anyone who should be interested in this milk stuff, it's me. 

Let's get right to the details, shall we? 

The prize you can win is a Milk Unleashed variety pack consisting of:

a) One liter of Shelf Safe Milk.

b) Three single serving shelf safe milks (white and chocolate).

c) Plus, one bonus prize, all mailed right to you!

All you have to do is:

a) Take the quiz in the app below, and post your results on the comments.

b) Be Canadian. 

I apologize, but they only ship to Canadian addresses :(

That's it! No following, tweeting or any of that crazy stuff. 

If you're nice, spread the word.

Everyone loves milk, right?

Babies love milk!

Contest ends January 18th, the winner will be chosen randomly, and I need your mailing address within 48 hours.

Disclosure: I will also receive a gift pack as compensation for this post. A Life of Our Own is not responsible for prize shipment.

When I'm missing you this much, I drive your truck

Every once in awhile you find a song that really hits home. I mean really.

The first time I heard this song, my brother actually sang some of it obnoxiously, asking if I'd ever heard the  song. I hadn't. It came on the radio a few days later, and I immediately recognized the song. I knew what it was about, and I knew it would make me cry. It wasn't until this past weekend that I actually got to listen to it. And as predicted, it made me cry. 

Watching the video and reading the comments may have made it worse. 

The song is about a man who drives his deceased brother's truck, to remember him and ease the pain. 

I relate to the song, and not because I know anyone close to me who's died and left something behind, but because I know someone who's a little bit older, and through circumstances out of his control, will have nothing left to leave behind by the time he goes. 

One of my favorite people in the world is my grandfather. He's my father figure, always will be. He had a stroke November 25, 2010. I don't like to post links from my previous blog, but this is the post I wrote a couple of days after the stroke.

Since then, an uncle of mine managed to get Power of Attorney, without any input from the rest of the family. My grandfather never had a Power of Attorney in his will, so we still don't understand how this has happened. 

For legal reasons, I will leave my personal opinion completely out of this, and only state what I know. 

My grandfather spent his first couple of months after the stroke in a seniors home, after which he moved in with his sister. He spent all of his free time doing work on his house, just down the street. I know with all my heart that he couldn't wait to move back to his home when it was ready, he just needed my uncle to help make the bathroom usable again.

My grandfather can communicate a little, but he can't understand a regular sentence without a lot of writing and explaining, and he can't speak it, unless reading. He is literally unable to speak for himself.

Almost immediately, both of my grandfather's vehicles have been sold, as well as his tractor, and wood has been sold from land he owns. 

A little under a year ago, this particular uncle's house burned down. I can still find the news article from March 2012, and I will quote it "The exact cause is undetermined due to the extent of damage." My uncle and his family now live in my grandfather's house, with no plans to rebuild after the fire.

My grandfather no longer has any intentions of moving back home. I know he's hurting over this. I see it in his eyes. I see it in his expressions when he makes me drive past the house and shakes his head sadly.

I don't know for sure what has happened to all of his possessions, most of which are antique furniture. I've been told that his furniture and possessions were sold or in storage. I've also heard from someone close to me that my grandfather took them to a junk yard where all his things were thrown out, and pictures were taken.

When my grandfather dies, other people will be living in his house, all his furniture and household items are gone, and all his vehicles have been sold. He has nothing but his clothing to leave behind.

I always took comfort in the fact that when he was gone, yes I'd be devastated, but his house would always be there as a comfort to me and my family. This house is my childhood home. I lived there for a year with my grandparents when I was 5. That house means the world to me. I always thought it would be there. I don't believe that anymore.

The ironic part of this story? Everything was willed to me.

So here is the song that breaks my heart, because when the most important person in my life goes, I'll have a ton of amazing memories but I'll never be able to 'drive his truck'. 

If you're a big cry baby like me, here are a few others that still make me cry almost every time:

Alyssa Lies - Jason Michael Carroll
Concrete Angel - Martina McBride
The Change - Garth Brooks
I'll Wait for You - Joe Nichols
I Loved her First - Heartland

Blog posts about sex and kissing

I was browsing through this blog, A Cup of Jo, not long ago and came across some interesting posts. Most are just short and sweet, but the topics sure suck you in. Plus, she makes such good use of interlinking her previous posts, that I got stuck on the website clicking away for over an hour. 

I don't mention sex much (or at all) in here, so beware of the slightly dirtier than usual content. 

Sex Tip: Paying the babysitter
Sex Tip: No kissing or talking
Keep the relationship sparks flying
What annoys you about your significant other
(I see a post on this in my near future :p)
Article: How hard it is to make friends after 30
(Or, you know, 20)
How long do you wait to sleep with someone
(Reading some of the comments was pretty interesting!)
Kissing checklist
Kissing checklist (x2)
10 Guys confess what it's like to kiss a girl


Which did you find the most interesting?