Do you choose a charity or does the charity choose you?

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aicardi goutierres, als, century 21, charity, charity recipient, childrens charity, christmas volunteer, disabled child, donating, easter seals, erinoaks, grandview kids, holland bloorview, how to choose a charity, icebucket challenge, march of dimes, presidents choice, severely disabled, stepmother, volunteer

How do you choose a charity? Or does the charity choose you?

This  past summer was the year of the viral Ice-Bucket Challenge, bringing about unprecedented awareness and millions of donations to ALS.

Now as we’ve heard so many times already, its the season for giving.

Charities are out in droves, pulling at our heart strings and pocketbooks. So how do you choose a charity?

In my family’s case the charity choose me.

Despite all the abundance we see around us, rich store displays, holiday lights, and jammed pack shopping malls, its difficult to think that there are many families still going without.

I wanted to share the inside scoop with you of a charity recipient.  Some of you know that I am a full time step-mother to a severely disabled 15 year old girl. Her father, David and I have taken on the burden of full time care for Bianca, as her mother has chosen to no longer participate. “Burden” may seem like a harsh word for taking care of a needy child, but Bianca requires 24/7 care, she suffers from a rare neuromuscular disorder (her brain functions at the level of a 4-month old infant).

While she can move all her limbs, she cannot talk, or walk, or even sit up on her own, she does not have the cognitive ability to swallow – so she’s on a liquid diet, fed through a tube directly to her stomach (Gastro-tube).

She is a beautiful gentle soul, with dark hair and blue eyes.

Her skin is still soft like a baby, having been protected from the usual wear and tear of every day, active living.  Even her hands and feet are still pudgy like those of a baby, from not using them all these years.

Perhaps because I’m the step-mom, I am able to stay one, thin layer of detachment from an otherwise devastating situation. But I am asked the question many times how do I do it?

Bianca invoked a compassion in me that I didn’t realize I had; and so the answer is simple for me, I count our blessings daily and I know that no matter how difficult things are, somewhere out there, there’s a family suffering from an even greater loss.

In Canada, families like ours do receive help with nursing, respite care and supplies.  Then there’s the charity support. The charities that have directly helped Bianca is Easter Seals, March of Dimes and Presidents Choice Children’s Charity.

There is also Erinoaks Children Centre in Peel region and their counterparts Holland Bloorview in Toronto and Grandview Kids in Durham. This is where children like her get their therapists support.

Because Bianca is severely disabled she requires a lot of equipment: custom wheelchair, feeding machine, suction machine, a lift — just to name a few….equipment running into ten thousands of dollars.  Of course, while much of it is covered by government and charities, not all of it is.

If you are considering donating to a charity, here are some articles and links to help you choose:

Globe and Mail article on Charity

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/chrts-gvng/lstngs/menu-eng.html

http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/family/pgt/charbullet/bullet5.asp

If you do have a little extra to give, I hope you will choose a charity wisely, one that pulls at your heart strings, and that you can now choose with peace of mind, knowing that your hard-earned dollars are going to a good place.

I am proud to be with Century 21 who happens to be a national sponsor of Easter Seals Canada and a portion of my sales are donated to Easter Seals.

So how do you choose Charity? Do you volunteer? Let me know how your ideas on paying it forward!
 
May God Bless you and your family with health and love, for that is all we really need.
 
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Holidays!
 
Blessings,
Ivy

The life of 9 Lives Lady

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blended family, deadbeat dad, deadbeat mom, disabled child, meditation, mompreneur, mother, online dating, real woman, sandwich generation, self help, single mom, step mother, toddler, women blog, women issues, work life balance, working mother

Me and my modern family

So here she comes I have always wondered what could happen if I lived the “life of no holds bar” and “unleashed”, “on fire”, “gone rogue” type of life — okay well maybe blog.

A blog where I didn’t worry if my husband, children, parents or elder relative read it or prayed they never would — what I would I write? What could I say? Will the truth hurt? How brutal will brutal honesty be?

Well I shall give it try, write about things that both inspire me and trouble me. But first let me introduce myself (the Humpty Dump hip hop song playing in background).

My name is Ivy and I love cats, but I am allergic to them and despite the title of the blog this is not about cats (sorry if you were hoping it would be).

But I swear I have lived 9 lives.  I am that girl, that woman who has been through, maybe not all, but a heck of a lot. I am the woman that’s been cheated on, I am the young single mother – with the deadbeat dad. I am the girl who’s grown up in a abusive home. I am the wife, and have been divorced. I am a step-mom. I am a step mom to a severely disabled child – who has a deadbeat mom. I have raised a teenager and now I have another toddler. I have been a stay at home mom. I have been the corporate mom. I am the mompreneur.  I now have an adult child, and that child was special needs because she was “gifted” I am all kinds of woman, and but I am not the woman who married her highschool  sweetheart, or the guy she met in university, got married in a church and lived within a 10k radius of their childhood home. Not knocking it, just not me, my life didn’t take that turn and it went veering the other way, when I gave birth when I was  just 22.

I am an experienced woman, (yet I don’t want to be the “know it all”), who has done gigs at a native run casino on the night shift, worked in corporate sales, got burnt out, started her own business went broke, met the love of her life on Lavalife (whom I manifested through the work of meditation and affirmations), got back on her feet, got pregnant, had another child, 16 years apart, started another business, took on my husbands severely disabled step daughter (Because her mother didn’t want her full time anymore), and a woman trying to live life to the fullest and has a borderline addiction to anything self-help.

So that’s just a quick introduction, the “high-level overview”. I hope you found it interesting enough to come back and get the real goods and the juicy details of how I managed to survive these many lives, stay somewhat grounded and sane and manage to be  the good wife  and a good mom. Oh ya and good daughter because I am also that woman who’s poor senior mother lives with her part of the “sandwich generation”.

All in, that’s me in a nutshell, but today I am the lady in workout pants trying to blast thru the grocery store, to get home on time to meet the school bus!

Now that you have the run down on a swag bag of issues that I have experienced, please let me know what you may be interested in hearing more of, have you had  similar crazy past life, or has yours been calm and coastful? I want to know!

Back to school and maybe back to that Reno?

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"brampton contractors", "brampton painters", "brampton renovators", "buy a house in brampton", "fall renos", "female real estate agent in brampton", "handicap house", "home reno's brampton", "investment property brampton", "investment property in toronto", "modify your home for disabled child", "older house in Brampton", "real estate agent for special needs in brampton", "real estate brampton", "renovate bathroom", "sell house brampton", "should I buy in investment property toronto", "top brampton real estate agent", "what to look for in buying a house", "which reno should I do first", "which reno's add most value to your home", investment property, real estate vaughan”

The kids are back to school, the dance, music, sport lessons have been booked (hopefully you’ve also scheduled in your fitness times too!) 

This is also the second busiest season not just for home sales but also for home reno’s.

 

I am lucky to have much experience in home reno’s. Well it’s not always lucky as there’s always reno’s to be done in my house! My husband David, being in construction/building since in-utero, has professional advice on how to get the most out of a home improvement project.

 

His number one priority, is doing projects that will give us the most return on the investment, add the most value and how to do the project most economically as possible.  So yes, sometimes I can’t get the designer sink and faucet I really wanted.

 

The REALTOR that I am, I have to advise clients on the most economical ways to add value to your home, to get your home sold quickly and for top dollar.  My hubby, and builder David gives me much insight on the importance of also having a structurally sound home.

So in order to prioritize your home improvement projects, do so like this:

 

1.  Fix or repair anything that has to do with the structural integrity of your home first. The wearing down roof, the leak in the basement, any leaky faucets. (Remember drops of water can wear down a stone, water leaks or areas with potential water damage are the utmost importance). Water damage also can lead to mold and mildew problem over time.

 

2.  This also may translate into landscaping aspects of your home. Look for drainage issues on the outside of your home, repair grades and make sure weeping tiles direct water down and away from your house.

 

3.  By far bathroom and kitchen renovations add the most value to your home but is also the most costly. So be patient with this, shop around, each expense adds up, comparison shop, wait for the deals, travel if you have to and you can really cut down on costs.

 

4.  Flooring, is also a great way to add value to your home, again shop around.

 

5.  Paint, keep the colours light and neutral. Okay so the designer in you may need that splash of colour, use it as a feature wall or accent wall, avoid though dark colours for entire rooms. Painting is by far the most economically way to give your home a refreshed look.

 

6.  Have a contingency plan, budget and expect the unexpected. Home improvement projects are always so good in theory, but when the walls start coming down and the carpet gets ripped up, who knows what you’ll find. Be patient, it’s part of the process.

 

If you are a DIY or HGTV fan like me, you will see that all designers, stop work and curb the budget when it comes to dealing with structural issues, as much as the homeowners hate it, it cannot be ignored. Don’t worry though, there is always room for small, designer, finishing touches to make that home improvement project worth all the sweat and sacrifice.

 

For any professional advice on your current home improvement project, how to prepare your home for sale or what to watch for in buying a home, feel free to contact me.

 

Talk soon,

Ivy

Ivy Marie Lim

“Let Inspiration Move You”

Sales Representative – Century21 People’s Choice Realty Inc.

 

Tel: (416) 508-5099

Email: ivy@ivymarielim.com

Visit: www.ivymarielim.com 

 

Nature’s a call away from Vaughan, Brampton and Toronto city limits at Albion Hill’s

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In the summer 2008, when my then only child was 13 years old, I was experiencing the joyous freedom of having a older, more independent child and actually having more time to myself (parents who have children coming into the teen years can surely relate).

So I decided to run another race.  I like to enter competitions especially ones that require cardiovascular endurance, sheerly for the fact that I hate doing

Trail Race Map, 5 Peaks Trail Runner Series at Albion Hills, they should call it Albion a “Ton of Hills”

Trail Race Map, 5 Peaks Trail Runner Series at Albion Hills, they should call it Albion a “Ton of Hills”

cardio. So to get over that I entered myself into a 15km trail race, organized by 5 Peaks and taking place at Albion Hills Conservation Centre.

I had completed the Nike Toronto 10KM run a few years before, so I thought, hey if I could run 10Km, with minimal training, then I can do 15KM trail, with training.  Further I do not have much of a desire to do a half marathon, my knees don’t do well pounding the pavement that long anymore. So I figured, a 15KM trail would be a happy medium!

So I completed, in about 1.35 hrs, the same amount of time it takes the average half-marathoner to complete their race!!

All I could think of after that was: “They don’t call in Albion HILLS for nothing!”

I will never forget that race for the amount of hilly terrain it was, my right hip hasn’t forgotten it either, it was sore for about 2 weeks after that, and it has sinced flared occasionally.

So here I am back at Albion Hills for another experience.  With my almost 3 year old daughter and my hubby.

It’s a gorgeous day almost 29 degrees out, and Albion Hills has a small splashpad along side a half donut like shaped pool.

View of the lake from Albion Hills “Wild Wetland Splashpad and Pool”

View of the lake at the rightly themed “Wild Wetland Splashpad” at Albion Hills

What’s really nice is that it also overlooks the lake, to go along with their theme of “Wetland Splashpad”.

The pool ends on both sides of the splashpad, which is very convenient for going to and from the pool to splashpad, as my little one likes the best of both worlds.

Albion Hills is conveniently located just 15 minutes from Vaughan, 15 minute from Brampton and 30 minutes northwest of Toronto.

So perhaps you have your own pool, but it’s always nice to have your kids interact with others, I find water activities just great energy to be around, people are always so happy around the water.

And definitely there are the city parks splashpads, but its different being in the middle of a forested area, with a lake, the air is

Davianna’s thinking, Splashpad or Pool…mmm

Davianna’s thinking, Splashpad or Pool…mmm

much more refreshing!

Albion Hills, is known for its mountain biking and hiking, and of course your typical picnic fares, as well as camping.

I haven’t tried biking here yet, but it seems like an obvious choice for mountain bikers, as there seemed to be plenty coming and

going, with the bikes hitched up to the car, at the park gate.

We spent about 4 hours there, we packed a cooler and light snacks and called it day before taking the 15 minute drive back home.

For those looking away to get out of the city, this place is a great spot just within reach of the Vaughan, Brampton and Toronto city limits!

To the Nonno I never knew.

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acreage, Barrie, barrie retirement home, canada geese, CN rail, David, farm, Fathers Day 2013, garden, gardening, Goose, Grape, hobby farm, how to buy investment property, how to buy the right property, how to sell my home for the most money, investment property, italian workmanship, italians in brampton, italians in toronto, Kensington Market, Little Italy, long term care, nonno, Prince Edward Island, real estate, Toronto, wine making, woodbridge retirement home

Do you ever have stories that you have always wanted to tell but never knew you would ever get the chance?

Well here is the perfect occasion, place and time for me to do just that.

Its upcoming Fathers Day 2013 and of course I wanted to talk about a man, whom I never knew but whose life has impacted mine and that of my children, in ways that perhaps even his own son doesn’t know.

I don’t necessarily believe in ghosts, but I do believe in angels, and especially guardian angels. If you don’t believe in either one, then remember a time in your life when you found yourself in a bad situation — that could have been worse, but by a sheer stroke of luck it wasn’t.  Well I believe that sheer stroke of luck was your guardian angel.  But I am getting a bit off topic, now, as I will do from time to time.

The man that I am talking about is my husband David’s father Vincente, and I hope that he is looking among is his family now and being our guardian angel, but through his life he left us with his guardianship.

What I am about to tell you about his simple and extraordinary life are a compilation of the stories that David has told me. Through his hardwork, knowledge of the trades, quality workmanship and love of land, his legacy lives on.

David tells me that he started off in Little Italy, where in their basement they used to make their own wine. Some grapes were grown in his backyard, but most were bought by the bushel at the market (no, not the grocery store as we know it!)

In the basement there was the metal container where they would squish the grapes with their feet, like I have only seen on tv and in cartoons. (In fact in the 70’s when I was about 8 years old, I saw it on tv, then ran into the fridge, got the red grapes, and put it on my parent’s white shag rug, and squished the grapes!)

Then he would squeeze it out through a grape wringer thingy (please feel free to tell me the proper names!)

And he was determined to squeeze every last bit of juice from the grapes, he would keep wringing and wringing with all his might and muscles, until the grapes were bone dry!!

Nonno Vincente worked most of his life at CN rail, he eventually left Little Italy in Toronto and moved up to what then was “York, Gore”. and bought 10 acres of land at Clarkway and Mayfield which is now known as the east end of Brampton.

Hardly missing a day of work, he worked on the rails, then would come home, and work on his hobby farms, with his 3 sons, Joe, Pasquale and 10 years their junior, my now husband David.

On his farm, he had, goats, chickens, geese and of course all kinds of vegetables and fruit trees.

David told me, how as a boy, he raised geese and sold 100 geese at Kensington Market, back when there was livestock being sold at Kensington (I grew up in Toronto and had never had the opportunity to see this 😦

David said he kept one pet geese, that he didn’t want to sell, but he hadn’t tagged him, and when it came time to go to the market, he got mixed up with the rest of the geese, he looked and looked but couldn’t tell which one was his pet geese and was saddened that he went with the pack.

Another story was about how his Dad would make hybrid, fruit trees, (forget lab borne GMO) this was the real and natural deal.  He did this by cutting a limb of one fruit tree (say an apple), then mending onto it a limb from a (say peach) tree, and he would grow an apple/peach tree!! It did work!

David told me of another story how one time at his work at CN, a box car, came flying down the tracks and flipped and flew into the air and landed close to the table where the guys and his dad were having lunch.  One CN worker died in that day.

David told me how he would get so P’O’d, when he would come home from work on an winter day and the 50 feet long drive way was not shoveled by his sons. (They did not have a snowblower back then)

Here are just a few stories that David so lovingly remembers and passes on.

Nonno Vincente, retired at the age of 65 with a healthy pension from CN, he had sold the 10 acres and he lived a few happy years in great retirement home in Woodbridge, before he fell ill with cancer. After a round of radiation treatment, he was unable to walk and got dementia, he lived the rest of his years in a nice long term care home in Barrie, where we would go visit him until his passing.

He had sold the 10 acres of land for a surmountable amount of money, his mortgage had been paid, long before by his CN rail salary.  The profits from the land were shared equally amongst his three sons, whereby they had been able to do well with it and take care of the families in comfort.

David’s brother Joe has bought 2 acres of oceanfront property in Prince Edward Island, where he expects to retire there from his teaching tenure.

Because of you David his on a quest to look for that perfect piece of acreage property, on the outskirts of the city. And one day retire with a small farm, I’d like a few chickens and lots of vegetables and a big greenhouse. We also hope this land would eventually be a great enough investment, for us to leave to our children, just as you had yours.

Nonno Vincente, I wish your youngest granddaughter my daughter Davianna (named after your youngest son Davide) had the chance to meet you. But I hope you know that you do live on through Davide’s loving memories of you and in our hearts forever.