Canada Post once again raised the cost of our stamps...but not just by a few cents this time...This time they not only went from $0.63 to $0.85...but only if you buy them by the book or coil. If you want just one stamp it will cost you a $1.00. I guess it's supposed to be an incentive to purchase more than one stamp at a time. Although I wonder how many people will instead stop mailing cards and letters altogether.

That was the 1st thing my husband said this morning was that he didn't think it was worth sending out Christmas cards this year with how much more it was going to cost.

Canada Post has increased the cost because revenue from using postal services has decreased with the increase in the use of technology. Gone are the days of sending family and friends letters when you can keep in touch with skype, email and social media. But I would guess this increase will decrease the use of postal services even more. For those of us that need to use their services for business, this unfortunately will not change. Although I am sure it will be used more wisely.

For more details on all the rate increase please visit their website:

Canada Post 

What will you be doing during Earth Hour this year? 

My daughter and I will turn off everyhting and play a game by candle light. It is the first time in a number of years that we have actually been home during Earth Hour so I thought it would be fun to support the cause. 

Earth Hour started off as a ligths off event in Sydney Australia in 2007. Since then over 7000 cities and towns worldwide take part in this event from 8:30 - 9:30pm in their respective time zones. The idea behind it is to turn as many of your lights off for 1 hour as a symbol of your commitment to the planet. Since it's beginning Earth Hour has become so much more thna just turning off your lights to learn more about the cause and how you can participate, vist their website at the following link:

Earth Hour

Will you turn off your lights for an hour?

Foods that boost your energy

Many people order an espresso or reach for an energy drink when they need a boost. However, there are other foods that can give you a similar increase in energy and are, arguably, a lot healthier. Here are a few examples:

• Coconut oil. It contains high quantities of medium chain fats, which are a quick source of energy. Click on the following link for some great uses for Coconut Oil:
  101 Uses for Coconut Oil 

• Honey. It tastes sweet because it's a natural form of sugar. As we all know, sugar gives you a quick boost.

• Iron containing foods. Lack of iron in your diet can leave you feeling sluggish. Adding more beans, spinach, and lentils to your diet – perhaps in salads – can help boost your iron levels.

• Nuts. Almonds, cashews and other nutrient-rich nuts are the ideal quick snack for an energy boost.

• Dark chocolate. It’s great news for chocolate lovers, but keep the portions small.

  Finally, not drinking enough water can also rob you of energy. In fact, water may be the best energy-boosting "food" of them all.

Hope everyone felt a little luck of the Irish today!

Happy St. Patrick's Day from all of us at the Bettina Reid Group.

Children aren't supposed to die....they aren't supposed to get sick and not recover. What is even harder to bear is when a child gets sick and then has to watch her mother get sick and die herself in just a short few months after diagnosis....

This story is one very close to home for our family, over the last few months we've followed the diffiicult journey of a girl our daughter played soccer with a few years ago. Yesterday she passed away at Canucks Place Childrens Hospice after battling cancer for the past year. 

The soccer community is a small community when your daughter plays soccer in it for 8 years....you tend to get to know a lot of the players from different teams throughout the lower mainland. That is how we knew Ashley even though she was a Richmond player. Our daughter's best season of soccer was the season she played with Ashley for Coastal in the summer Y- league. Ashley had been on this particular Coastal team with Coach Gregor Young the previous summer along with many of the other girls. This was Shantelle's 1st time playing for Coastal and she was one of only a few, not only younger girls, but girls from outside of the Vancouver/Richmond area. As parents, why Ashley stood out for us...was her acceptance of our daughter as a team mate but also as a fellow defender. On any team players have to earn respect from their team mates, prove they can carry their weight. Even more so when you haven't played against them before and had no idea how they play. Players need to know they can trust you to play the game with them as a team. Ashley and Shantelle played well together on the back line that summer because Ashley gave our daughter a chance. That summer Shantelle played the best soccer of her life and more importantly had the best time of her life playing. She truly enjoyed playing soccer on that team with Ashley and all the girls and learned so much from a great coach. We didn't know Ashley other than what we saw of her on that team, accepting our daughter as a part of the team. She was a nice girl and a strong player, a pleasure to watch.

When we heard of her battle last year and started following her plight, we couldn't help but feel for her. As parents, it hit close to home, its one thing to hear about a complete stranger and feel sympathy for what they are going through. It is another when you can put a face to it and realize it has happened to someone we know.

Because we knew who she was, natural curiosity had us following her ordeal, hoping for the best. Ashley was diagnosed with cancer in her last year of highschool. She went through chemotherapy the first time round with her mother at her side. Then with a cruel twist of fate her mother was diagnosed with cancer last summer and she lost her battle in only a short few months. Ashley relapsed again after her mother passed and just recently was brought to Canuck Place Childrens Hospice to try and help her and her family through her last days by giving her a better place to pass instead of being in the hospital. 

The world seemed to get even smaller last week...my husband's work had participated in a paying it forward type event where one of the staff had given Ashley a small gift to cheer her up. My husband asked around to see who it was, to see if they knew how she was doing. Only to find out it was one of his favourite colleagues and this colleague wsa Ashley's Aunt. He sought out her aunt and asked how she was doing sharing how we knew her.....Ashley's Aunt shared with him just how tough it had been for the whole family and how Ashley was doing at Canuck Place. It took everything for him not to cry as tears ran down her face while she talked. As soon as he was back in his office he broke down and called me to share what had just happened and how close Ashley was to the end. Now her story was that much more real and you couldn't help but feel for her and all of her family. 

Canuck Place was the first free standing Children's Hospice in North America, it opened in 1995 and since then has helped many children with life threatening illnesses and their families.

"Through all stages of a child’s illness, an individual program is designed to meet the needs of each family.  Services include 24/7 physician and nursing support and consultative services, end-of-life care, pain and symptom management, respite care, school, music and play therapy, recreation opportunities and counseling.  The counseling services are available to parents, siblings, loved ones and the child, to assist them in finding the courage and resources to cope with their challenges both during the child’s illness and after the child dies."

Our hearts go out to the Chen family and friends. We cannot even imagine what they are all going through. 

I am proud that once again Homelife Benchmark Realty offices are participating in our 13th annual Charity Golf Tournament with proceeds benefitting Canuck Place Childrens Hospice. This year I will be volunteering my time on the committee in honour of Ashley and her family. Knowing first hand how Canuck Place helps children and their families is why we support Canuck Place Childrens Hospice.

Why (and How) Should I Clear the Clutter?

There are many considerations when you are planning to sell your home and move. The longer you have lived in a house, the more difficult your job will be. Staging will not only help you sell your home faster and for more money, it will also help you to claim your own personal freedom.

Eliminating clutter is the hardest part of the moving and staging process. But it’s better to do it before than after you move. Many people are held captive by their belongings. They stay in too-big houses, carry too much insurance, clean, tend and store these items, heat and cool all these “things” they feel compelled to keep. They are prisoners of their stuff.

 You can break free! Every single item in your house will need to be evaluated, especially if you are planning to move to a smaller dwelling. Start in a single room. Trying to do all the rooms at once will be overwhelming and may leave you feeling defeated. Start with a little-used room, a closet, even a junk drawer and begin!

The trick is to never handle an item more than once during this process. Once you pick it up, evaluate it for one of the following categories, and act accordingly:

Trash – It needs to be thrown away. No question. Put it in the garbage.

Donate/Sell – Designate a spot for these items. 

Rehome – These items would be important to someone else in the family. Relocate them.

Essential – These are the items that are essential to you on a daily basis. Pack them for the move.

Don’t skip anything merely because it doesn’t take up much room. Evaluate it all. If you decide to deal with it later you will have to pack it, haul it, store it, and have it hanging over your head until you unpack it and evaluate it. Chances are, you won’t want to keep most of that stuff anyway.

Handling it once and now means you’re free of an obligation to do so later, or to live in a smaller house with walls of boxes awaiting your attention, or pay for storage space to keep these items. Why go through all that when there’s a better way?

This isn't one of my typical blogs but it is a topic that seems to have creeped up and I thought I would share. :)

Getting older....

I am really not too sure when it happened...I still don't really feel as though I am getting OLD. But somewhere along the way you start to realize you are not that young anymore. Perhaps it is that I turn 40 this year. Age really has never mattered, I don't really think it will this year. I just like saying I am younger than my husband and all of my friends, some of which are in their 50's. Life still goes on...but I feel like I have finally made it in to that adult club that you never really thought you would ever join. 

When you are in your 20's and even early 30's....you look at others when they say "when you get to my age you will understand- life just changes." I don't think we ever really believe or understand people until we hit that age....when that is I am not sure. I would imagine it may be different for everyone.

Of course, I have noticed little changes...not just in how I look or feel. But also how I look at life - I honestly think that's when it hit me that I wasn't as young as I used to be. What used to be so important to us when we were younger now just isn't. Planning for our retirement, what we once wanted again is no longer as important as it once was. 

My husband and I went to Palm Springs last month. It took friends of ours a couple years to get us down there, once there we did not want to come home. We have been to many places in the US and never understood the appeal for snowbirds. But I think we do now, when you look at how precious each and everyday is and how fast the days go by. Again, that is where I realized I am not getting any younger and sometimes we all just need to stop and take a breath. What was appealing about Palm Springs over say Florida is that you are pretty much guaranteed to have good weather. Even if the day is overcast, it's still very warm out and there's no rain to worry about. 

I do have to say, when we were starting our family most of our friends were off traveling and starting their careers. So many of the people I grew up with are just having kids now and I couldn't even imagine going back to that baby stage....as cute as it was. We now have one child in University and our 2nd child is only a year and a half away from graduating highschool. We feel as though our lives are only just beginning as we look at our 5 and 10yr plan. 

i have come to a conclusion "You are only as OLD as you feel". I don't feel like I am 40 most days.... so I think I will go with that. :)

As much as we don't like losing an hour of sleep (or at least I don't :). I think the trade off is worth it, by gaining an extra hour of daylight....which we so need at this time of year. Looking forward to longer, warmer days.

Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead before you go to bed tonight! 

Watch for these electrical hazards in your home

Electricity in the home is so commonplace that it's easy to forget how dangerous it can be. According to the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, an electrical shock can knock you unconscious, cause a serious burn, or even stop your heartbeat.

Fortunately, there are some simple things you can do to reduce the risk.

• Install safety plugs in outlets that young children can reach. 

• Never plug in anything with a frayed or otherwise damaged power cord.

• Never use a plugged-in computer, hair dryer, or other electrically-powered item near a filled sink or bathtub. This includes phones with power cords.

• Never touch anything electrical with wet hands or while standing in water. (Water is a remarkably efficient conductor of electricity.)

• Always turn off the appropriate breaker before doing any electrical work, such as installing a new light fixture.

When replacing a broken light bulb, turn off the breaker first. Although the glass is broken, the filament may still be conducting electricity.

Finally, unless you're an expert or an electrician, never do any major electrical work on your own. Hire a professional.