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Orthodontics – The 2nd journey begins #LaurenGoFar #LaurenOrtho

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Our children were destined to need braces. Both Craig and I had braces when we were teenagers.

In April 2018, Rachel started her orthodontics journey. The estimated time for her treatment was one year. She had a bit of crowding that needed to be fixed and a little bit of an overbite. Dr. Bozek put on Rachel’s braces on April 18th and the current estimation is May 2019 to have them removed. Seems like just yesterday she was losing her first tooth!

Lauren was told that she needed to wait a year; she had to lose the rest of her baby teeth. In November, Lauren lost her last tooth. We called Dr. Bozek and set up an appointment. 

March 11th, the day after Lauren’s 12th birthday, we met with Dr. Bozek again. They took new x-rays and photos. They came up with a plan.

The plan.

Lauren’s treatment plan is going to take 2 years. Her little mouth has so much going on in there. 

The teeth on the top need the most treatment. The molars need to be moved outward. This allows more space to move the teeth at the front so that they are straight.

You can see the top molars on the right side are inside the molars on the bottom.

To move the molars outwards, they will be installing a pallet expander. 

But before they can do that, they had to put in spacers. These do exactly what they sound like they do. They create space between the molars. They need this space to put bands around her teeth that hold the expander.

Step 1: Spacers

Yesterday was the first step in her orthodontics journey. Lauren was nervous, but she climbed into the chair. She was in the middle chair and she carefully watched the two girls in the chairs beside her: one was getting fitted for her retainer and the other was getting a mould. Lauren was going to have to do this as well.

She said the mould material tasted like marshmallows and that it wasn’t that bad.

Orthodontics - Spacers

With Lauren’s dental history (6 cavities when she was only 6), I wasn’t surprised when the ortho technician told me that she flinched a little when she went to put the spacer in. Lauren is very hesitant when to comes to any dental stuff as she’s worried that it will hurt like getting cavities filled.

In the end, they were done and she was excited that they were turquoise. (I’ll post again about why.)

The new family game night with Xbox One S – @XboxCanada #XboxTogether

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Xbox makes gaming fun for the entire family!

In October, we were invited to join Xbox Canada for a fun-filled day in Toronto.

Lauren spent lots of time at the Minecraft programming table or playing Minecraft. Craig loved Forza 7!

 

Xbox Canada sent us a package!!

At the end of November, Christmas came early!

Lauren shared her excitement with everyone on Instagram:

What was in the box?

Xbox One S Box @ mapsgirl.ca

Xbox One S Contents @ mapsgirl.ca Xbox One S Minecraft controllers @ mapsgirl.ca

The Minecraft console is amazing! It has a slim design and can sit horizontally or vertically fitting well into any space. 

The controllers are all Bluetooth enabled which means easy play from anywhere in the room. We were able to set up each controller to be connected to each of our Xbox profiles. Lauren chose the pink Minecraft Pig and Rachel‘s profile is connected to the Creeper. This allows each of us to automatically sign in when we connect our controller. 

The girls’ profiles are part of our “Family“. Craig and I have administrative privileges and can control what the girls can do with their accounts. This helps keep them safe and minimizes unwanted downloads.

Xbox - Girls @ mapsgirl.ca

First up… Minecraft, of course! 

It didn’t take long to download the Minecraft game and to get the girls signed in.  

Family time is special

I love that Xbox has so many games that we can play as a family.  Seeing the girls smile and hearing them laugh is great! They are having a great time trying to teach us how to play Minecraft. We love the multiplayer games like Monopoly and Scrabble.

Check out Xbox Canada’s website to see all of the family-focused games that you can play on your Xbox One S.

I love that we are now part of the Xbox Canada family!  We are going to have a lot of fun!

Disclaimer: We were not paid to attend the Xbox event and I was not required to write this post in exchange for receiving the Xbox. We are really enjoying gaming together as a family and I wanted people to know about it.

Enter the Blizzard Bucks giveaway to win $450 CAD! #BlizzardBucks

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Have you been a good boy or girl this year?

Santa baby, slip a sable under the tree for me, Been an awful good girl
Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight

Enter the Blizzard Bucks giveaway to win $450 CAD via PayPal!

Blizzard Bucks giveaway @ mapsgirl.ca

Santa honey, I want a yacht and really that’s not a lot, Been an angel all year
Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight

Just in time for Christmas and holiday shopping! Whether you are trying to get all of the things on their wish lists or you want to treat yourself and buy that one thing that you’ve always wanted, this fun giveaway will help make that easier!

Santa baby, and fill my stocking with a duplex and checks, Sign your ‘x’ on the line
Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight

Santa’s cheque will be made out for $450 CAD (not really a cheque…it will be paid via PayPal)

The giveaway is open worldwide, void where prohibited (like Quebec).

Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight 
Hurry down the chimney tonight 

Hurry and get your entry in by December 4th, 2017 at 11:59pm !

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and conditions: No purchase necessary. The Blizzard Bucks ends on December 4th, 2017 at 11:59pm EST. One (1) person will win $450 PayPal CAN Cash. Winners must be 18 years or older to win. Void where prohibited. Enter by using the Rafflecopter widget. All entries are verified. If winner’s entry cannot be verified, or information is not given for verification, the entry will be deemed invalid and a new winner will be chosen. Winner will be notified by email that they used for Rafflecopter. Winner has 48 hours to respond claiming prize or prize will be forfeit and a new winner will be chosen.

Music from my youth has been Minion-ized!

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I’ve written before that I love when Sesame Street brings in celebrities and sing their songs with a bit of a twist. Animated movies, in this case, the Minions, do similar things.

Driving home from camp this weekend, I was enjoying singing along to SIRUS 90s on 9. 90s on 9 @ mapsgirl.ca

“I Swear” by Boys to Men comes on and I chuckle.

“We had so many boy bands when I was your age,” I tell the girls.

I sing the verse and when the chorus comes on, Rachel exclaims, “Hey Lauren, this is the Minon’s Underwear song!”

Minion Underwear @ mapsgirl.ca

Really?  

Yep. I know the Minions are everyone’s favourites, but my girls love them.  Lauren even went as Agnus for Halloween last year… complete with fluffy unicorn.

For your listening enjoyment, I give you the Minions!

Minion Underwear Song

 

And for more fun… the lyrics:

Ah , Laopoda. Talachi , Matol , Lina.
Ah, Labadi , Hochi, La , No chaaa. Wu pla na chii , leh ji

Fuh pa pu seh , La ma nii

Underwear! La kah reh , Li rey wee , Gih leh bya

Mah ke reh , Underwear!

La pah kreh , leh gua ri , Teh lah keh , Lah peh reh. Underwear!

Lah ceh peep, li bee the , ee leh gua. Lah gua rehh

Ley show lee leh duu , Lah keh rey dee zuu

Bleh ahh boh dee zu re kah , Zohh reh kah laa ,

UNDERWEAR ~ Lah du. Leh ah mo dee underwear.

Summertime is Quality Family Time!

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Each year, we try to maximize the amount of time we can in our trailer trailer, affectionately known as the #SilvaBulletRV.

Last year, we took an amazing trip down to Florida with our trailer. The girls really wanted to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando. We are all huge Harry Potter fans, so when they asked, we all got really excited.

Next thing you know, we are planning our trip. We decided to tow our trailer down, and make it an extended 3 week trip. By doing so, we were able to visit places we had never been before, and see some of the great places in the US along the way.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on

The trip south

We booked 3 campgrounds on the way down. Our first campground was Wally World in Loudonville, Ohio. We had stayed at this campground before, and absolutely loved it. We stayed at Wally World for 2 days.

Volunteer Park Family Campground in Heiskell Tennessee was our next stop. We stayed there for one night.

Our third stop was Southern Trails Resort in Unadilla Georgia. We stayed there for one night. While there, we met people from our home campground in New York State. Such small world!

Florida!

When we arrived in Florida, we stayed for 3 nights at Ellenton Gardens in Ellenton. It was a small RV park with an awesome pool.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on

We visited friends, and spent some time at the beach on Anna Maria Island. One of the best beaches I have ever been to. The kids loved it there!

Our second destination in Florida was Sherwood Forest RV Resort in Kissimmee. This was a beautiful park, and would be our home base for the time we spent going to and from Universal Orlando.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on

Universal was awesome, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter did not disappoint.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on

It was time together we will never forget!

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on

The trip home

The first campground we stayed at on the way home was Barnyard RV Park in Lexington South Carolina, where we stayed for 2 days. This was less than an hour from where Wendy’s cousins live, so we were able to get in a visit before we left.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on

Our next destination was Fort Chiswell RV Park in Max Meadows Virginia. The scenery was stunning! We were in the mountains, so cell reception was not the best… but none of us cared.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on

Our last 2 nights were spent at Rocky Fork Ranch Resort in Kimbolton Ohio. Wendy and the girls got in some geocaching while there.

All hands on deck

As you can imagine, with an itinerary like this, we needed all hands on deck. Wendy and I shared the driving, and the girls helped in every way they could. They helped cook meals, clean up, and pack up the trailer.

When we arrived at a campground, they helped put the wheel chocks in, set up the stabilizers on the trailer, and unpacked the trailer. When it was time to leave, they helped with clean up, and the reverse order of set up. Having all hands on deck makes easier work for everyone.

Quality Family Time

21 days on the road + 5517kms traveled + drove through 11 States (New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania) = Quality Family Time.

While it was tiring at times, I wouldn’t have passed up this opportunity for anything. We love spending time together as a family, and this was the perfect time to do it.

As well, we couldn’t have done this trip without the organizational skills and superb planning of my tag team partner for life!

If you are thinking of taking a road trip, be sure to check out Furkot to help with your trip planning. It helped keep us on track, and gave us a very detailed itinerary.

Cheers,
Big Daddy

What an amazing summer it is going to be!

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My amazing Summer started off with a trip to Montego Bay in Jamaica! It was awesome, but I will leave that for another post.

I’m so excited for the rest of the summer! So far, I have been hanging out with my friends and having a great time. We’ve gone to the park, the mall, and the movies. We saw the new Wonder Woman movie… it was amazing!

Volunteering

I volunteered at the grade 8 grad with my Dad, and my friends Lauren and Ben. I handed out programs to the parents, while Lauren helped with audio. Ben helped back stage. My Dad was taking photos for the yearbook, which he also designs.

This week, I am also volunteering at my church’s VBS summer camp (Vacation Bible School) with my friends. I haven’t been to VBS in a couple of years, as we usually are away camping, but this year, we came back just so we can go.

Another Amazing Summer at Niagara’s Lazy Lakes!

Tonight, we will be heading back to the #SilvaBulletRV at our home campground Niagara’s Lazy Lakes (in Lewiston, New York) for the weekend. We’ll get a couple of days of relaxing at Lazy Lakes before heading off to Ohio with our camping family! I am so excited to be spending a whole week with them at Wally World in Loudonville, Ohio.

Wally World in Ohio!

Wally World is one of my favourite campgrounds. There is so much to do around there. They have an activity complex a few minutes down the road with go-carts, high ropes and low ropes courses, a mini golf course and lots more. You can also rent canoes, kayaks, or tubes to float down the Mohican river.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on

A couple of years ago when we were camping there, I canoed 7 miles down the Mohican River with Mom and Lauren. The end point is right by the campground, which is really convenient. Dad followed our journey in the truck and took some awesome pictures.

Another one of my favourite things is visiting the Amish market near the campground. When you walk in, it’s like you just walked into bakery heaven. The awesome thing is that everything there is homemade. I especially like the apple butter and the ice cream.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on

Camping at Lazy Lakes and Bronte Creek

After a week in Ohio, we will be heading back to Lazy Lakes for a couple of weeks, then a week at Bronte Creek Provincial Park, and then the last two weeks of my amazing summer will be at Lazy Lakes.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on

At Niagara Lazy Lakes, there are two pools and a playground. But we always have things to do, whether the weather is good or it is raining. We have lots of games to play, movies to watch, and colouring books. We also have Storm, who loves our attention all the time, and loves to cuddle and run around.

We also get to spend a week camping at Bronte Creek Provincial Park, which is close to our house. We have only been there to visit the petting zoo and play at the activity barn. We have never camped there, so I am really looking forward to spending the week there.

The most amazing summer ever!

This is going to be the most amazing summer ever, and the best thing is I get to spend it with the best people in some awesome places!

Cheers,
Rachel

Let The Summer Begin!

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My favourite part about the summer is spending time with friends and family! In the summer we go camping in our travel trailer. It’s called the #SilvaBulletRV.

Camping is so much fun because we get to see our camping family. We have become very close with some friends at our campground. They are just like part of our family. I am so excited for when we go to Ohio because I will get to ride in a go-cart by myself! Ohio is going to be so much fun because we are going with our camping family. I am so excited!

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on

l love to go to the park and play with my friends at camp. Going swimming at the campground’s pool is so much fun. I get to make big splashes when I jump in! Swimming is the best this year because I can go to the pool with friends, and not have to have Mom and Dad come with me. I never swim alone, because it is not safe.

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on

Summer break is awesome because we don’t have to do any school work! Lots of popsicles and freezies for all those hot days. Even if it rains, we still have fun! I like to ride my bike and go on bike rides with my friends!

A post shared by Wendy {mapsgirl} (@mapsgirl) on

Last year in the summer was lots of fun. We went to Universal Studios! I went on a few of the roller coasters!

We went to 3 campgrounds on the way to Orlando. While in Florida we stayed at 2 campgrounds. We stayed at 3 more campgrounds on the way home. We were so excited to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was amazing! We tried some Bertie Botts every Flavour Beans, Butterbeer, Frozen Butterbeer, and Chocolate Frogs. We had lots of fun at Universal Studios.

I cannot wait for the rest of the summer. We have a lot planned. It’s going to be so much fun!

TTFN,
Lauren

Summer Lovin’ Cash Giveaway #SummerLovinCash #giveaway

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Summer is about relaxing, slowing down and spending some well needed time with family and friends.  And wouldn’t a little bit of extra cash make your summer planning a little bit easier?Summer Cash Giveaway @ mapsgirl.ca

Craig, the girls and I have a lot of fun things planned for this summer and I know that an extra $425 would really help us!  So let us help you!

We have teamed up with an amazing group of bloggers to bring you the ultimate cash giveaway worth $425USD PayPal Cash!

What would you do with the money if you won?

Enter the Summer Lovin’ Cash Giveaway!