And...We're BACK!

Hey Everyone!

Well after almost four years we are finally back and posting! It has been an amazing journey and I am looking really forward to sharing our adventures over the next few posts and beyond :)

But first, some of you may have noticed that we changed the name of the blog. That's because about four years ago Liz and I ventured into the world of Entrepreneurship....which has been a learning curve for sure...but that will be a tale for another post...and since that time we have had TWO MORE kids! which brings us up to NINE kids in the house. Oh yeah, we are also in a bigger house now too. I guess we have a lot to catch up on.

Anyway, the name TiPSI (Two Parent Single Income) no longer really applied especially since when you are an entrepreneur, you are always looking for multiple streams of income. And really, when you are not confined to the restrictions of a regular workday, life tends to get a little bit more...random. Not to mention a little noisy. but as the psalmist says, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord: make a loud noise and rejoice and sing praise." (Ps 98:4)

Along the way we have learned some pretty powerful lessons, and now seemed the right time to begin to share these stories of faith, balancing the family and financial stewardship.

Anyway, we decided to change the name of the blog, instead of starting a whole new one. That way, all of the old posts you know and love would still be accessible and really, a lot of the lessons we have learned over the past few years are built on the foundation of the stuff I wrote about before.

Its great to be back and its totally going to be a great journey!

I am not great at some of the little things sometimes, so I am going to say thank you now, for sharing the journey with us. Thank You.

Talk to you soon

Geof  

Going Chrome

Greetings everyone!

So I guess this is a bit of a first! I am writing this post on my new Samsung Chrome Book, and while I am writing it, it will be my very first product review :)

So first off, I should probably iterate why I decided to purchase a Chrome book, besides pure curiosity.

I got the Chrome Book because most of the stuff I do these days is online and the majority of the time I am just checking Facebook and You Tube and I wanted a device that would give me a better web experience than a tablet or I-phone,  and I did not really need all the computing power of a full laptop.

The first thing I would like to say about this device is that it  is nice and small, weighing less than my iPad 2 and only a little bit bigger. It has a great wake up time from hibernate. Some hard core computer types will probably complain that there is a bit of a lag when loading netflix, but for what I need it for it works just fine.

I haven't really tried the camera yet, but I can already tell that you wont be taking great home videos with this thing.

My initial impression so far is that while it is not something that you would want as a primary computer, it's a nice secondary device for checking emails and working on Google documents.

Send me a message or leave me a comment if you want me to try something specific.

TiPSI Dad

And the greatest of these is...

I was going over the Theological Virtues with Aileen today as part of her preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation and it struck me that Caritas can not accurately be translated into the English language!

I found it interesting that the most important of all the Virtues has no direct translation in the operating language of Western Society. People will either translate it as "love" which unfortunately has been over used to the point where "loving" can be used to refer to anything from watching garbage T.V shows to the emotion a mother feels towards a hew newborn infant.

At the other end of the spectrum it is limply translated into charity which for many has come to signify giving emotionless hand outs of unwanted things while turning a blind eye towards the real issues at hand. (How many of you "donated" that can of lentils at the back of your parents cupboard to the local food bank during the school food drive?)

 In reality, outside of the truth of the Gospel, what passes for charity these days is in reality simply activism. What is REALLY sad is that there are legions of "Catholics" who have jumped onto the social justice bandwagon without a single CLUE about the social justice teaching of the Church, most recently clarified in Caritas in Veritate.

I guess what bugs me most is that NO ONE seems to be talking about this obvious and deliberate attack from the Enemy to obscure and  distort the most important of all the virtues...without which ANY act of kindness, generosity, or Faith even, is effectively reduced to the level of fingernails screeching across chalkboard.

A person could tithe millions of dollars in their lifetime, but without Caritas, they are no better than the wealthy who were putting their spare change into the treasury. For those of you unfamiliar with tithing, tithing is the practice of giving 10% of the first fruits of your labor, usually that means money, to God and God's work, specifically by giving it to the church. By the way, you can't "tithe" to your local hospital or animal shelter...even though they are both honorable causes.

I know that someone out there in cyberville is going to come across this post and mildly, or not so mildly remark that some of my comments on this have perhaps not reflected Caritas, however, watching the growing number of professionals (ie teachers, chaplains and the like) promoting activism disguised as charity is like watching those who tried out for American Idol that could have used a singing lesson or two before being ridiculed on national television.

What the world really needs now is Caritas, sweet Caritas.

Tipsi Dad

Bed for Roses

So before I start this entry, I want to get something straight right off the bat.

I am NOT complaining.

In fact not a day goes by that I don't feel grateful about the many blessings that God has provided in my life. However, because I make a deliberate and conscious effort to focus on the positive things, some people may have gotten the impression that life is always rosy in the Tipsi D household.

Well I can assure you that is not the case. There are many occasions, every hour of the day, that life does not flow with the harmony of a ballet, or the synchronicity of a fine tuned machine. Like the way Nathan decided that he would like to try toasting his bread three times this morning. Which turned the bread into lump of charcoal...and for about five minutes, I seriously considered giving it to him in his Christmas stocking.

The thing is, I could write pages and pages of the different things that make life a little uncomfortable right now, like having an irregular income, and regular bills. I have learned that there are things about running a business that you can only learn by running a business. Like from time to time, you WILL run out of money. But for all its insecurities, Being entrepreneurs has been a major blessing for us. We have grown personally in ways that we could never have predicted.

For instance, I have a completely different understanding of being fully reliant on God for provision. When I was employed, it was more a matter of being a good steward of the income that was coming in regularly. As a start up entrepreneur there are many times when you have to make the choice between paying the Electric bill or the Gas bill, or a little of both. But the minute you let that mess up your head, you are in trouble.

YOU are the master of your thoughts. Control your thoughts, you can control your destiny.

If you want a rose garden, you have to plant it in fertilizer...and we all know what fertilizer is made from.

At the end of the day remember this:

• An arrow has to be pulled back before it is shot forward. 
• No matter what you are going through in your life right now, somewhere in the world someone would trade everything they have to have your problems.    
• Choose the lens through which you will see the world. Negative people often disguise themselves as "realists" (Its funny, I have NEVER met a realist who has ever had anything positive to say.)

Express gratitude. Lots of it. We all have things to be thankful for. The moment we stop being thankful for any of our blessings is the moment we start taking it for granted.

Don't take things for granted. Be thankful.

Tipsi Dad

Just Wait a Minute!

Advent is the season of waiting. As I write this on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception it is useful to remember that there is no better model of Holy Patience than the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In a world where busy is the new normal, the virtue of patience seems like the stuff of fairy tales of old. But never before has the virtue of patience been more important and necessary.

It is the virtue of Patience that allows us to speak the voice of reason instead of reaction. It is Patience that gives us the ability to work with diligence and steadfastness. It is Patience that softens the chastising words, which then become words of healing instead of wounding. It is Patience that gives us the ability to wait for Gods will and to truly pray “ Thy will be done” echoed in the words of the Blessed Mother, “Let it be done to me according to Thy word”

It was holy Patience that sustained the Holy couple while they searched for the adolescent Jesus for three days finally finding Him in the house of His Father.

And it was holy Patience that sustained the Blessed Mother during the three days Jesus lay in the tomb, conquering hell, and releasing the souls of the Just who eagerly waited for the coming of the Saviour.

Isn’t it interesting that the very season where we are called to practice patience is the very season where it is the most difficult. Perhaps it should not be a surprise at all, as it is very often a trick of the enemy to get us to stare in the opposite direction of where we should be looking in the first place.

 

Advent, from the latin roughly means, the coming. In the crazy busy time before Christmas, with all the hustle and bustle let us remember to practice Holy Patience, and to focus on the one who is to come.

Deus Gratias

TiPSI Dad

Just have to ask

One of the hardest things about network marketing is learning how to share and learning how to ask.

Its funny because if you were going to recommend a movie, or a particular food that you like, you probably wouldn't hesitate one bit. But as soon as you invite someone to try one of YOUR products, you get this irrational fear that it reflects on your character somehow.

The reality is, all you are asking them to do is to try the product or service your company has to offer. Some will say yes, some will say no. If they say yes, GREAT! If they say no, move on.

When it comes to recruiting or retailing in this business, there are really only two types of people. The ones who sign up now, and the ones who sign up later.

The secret to success though, is being 100% committed to the product, and to be 0% committed to the outcome of your invitation. If they say yes GREAT, if they say no, move on.

But you just have to ask.

Tipsi Dad

Back in the Saddle

Hey everyone,

Just when it seems like I disappeared form the blog world, here I am again :)

Just to bring everyone up to date:

Gabriel Francis Joseph Tan was born on September 9th, 2013 and everyone has been appropriately ohhing and "awwing"

Liz and I have been totally engaged in our entrepreneurial endeavors and what a ride it has been so far!!! Actually I have been doing some reflection lately and have decided to blog more about our journey in to entrepreneurship and sharing some of our ups and downs along the way.

I am a big believer in positive thinking, but I think it would be helpful to also share some of the insights we have gained from some of the difficulties.

As always, I will still write in the context of totally relying on the Providence of God .


See you soon

Tipsi Dad

Supernatural Trust

I've come to realize that trusting in God means you have to trust Him even in the impossible situations.

The more you trust Him, the more you realize that with God anything is possible. These last two years are a perfect example. I had a great job that I loved and enjoyed But I felt God calling me on a journey of trust Which in worldly terms makes absolutely no sense. But with the guidance of my spiritual director I took an enormous leap of faith!

If you haven't been following this blog over the last couple years here's the short of it: I was a teacher teaching religion (my favourite subject....actually I have sort of an issue calling it religion, when it should be called Theology, but that is the subject of another post) And I felt God calling me to exercise my entrepreneurial spirit, specifically to get into the trades.

So, I left my job, went back to college full time (I had lots of carpentry experience already, but I just wanted to fill in some of the gaps) So essentially we lived for an entire year with just a paternity leave income and the Providence of God. The crazy thing is we never missed a bill payment And the only debt we had was our mortgage payment and we never missed that either!

If we fast-forward little bit just over a year ago we sold our house I finished college and Liz and I became Network Marketers all in the same week! We moved twice in six months and we have been living on the income brought in from both of our businesses.

So right now I'm in between carpentry jobs. I've got a couple of quotes out but it's the middle of winter and there's not a lot of renovating being done. The bills keep coming in without the security of that biweekly pay check.

Without wanting to complain, at first glance in worldly terms you could say that our situation is stressful but here's the thing about trusting in God, You cannot trust when you're comfortable. It is only when we are uncomfortable when you are in impossible situations that we can really truly demonstrate our trust in God.

It is only then when we can truly let go and let God...and when we do, how awesome is the peace that follows.

St. Rita, pray for us

TiPSI Dad

The discipline of keeping busy

In all honesty, if have to admit that we have been really blessed the last couple of weeks.

One of the realities of being self employed, especially during the first year is that it's basically feast or famine. Despite how much you hear the truisms and conventional wisdom and "mentally prepare," you can never really appreciate the terrifying freedom of entrepreneurship until you go through a famine.

Don't get me wrong, we are still a long way from lining up at the food bank and we are blessed with some very good friends who would fill our fridge while we slept before it ever got to that point.

But when you look at the Donald Trumps and Steve Jobs of the world, you realize that the reason there aren't more self made millionaires out there is that very few people are willing to go through the famine to get to the feast.

I think the hardest part of being slow is keeping busy. After a couple of days, the stuff you needed to catch up on is pretty much under control and all that is left is the stuff you don't really want to do.

Is also really easy to start focusing on the things you don't have (like steady cash flow) instead of the things you do have.

So I have been making it a point to be thankful for the hangout time with the kids during the homeschooling ours, as well as being able to spend time with them over March break.

If it were not for the fact that I began this entrepreneurial journey to witness, in an unmistakeable way, to the glory of God by being completely reliant on His provision, I would probably be a bit worried right now.

But I find myself at peace. After all, if there is one thing I have learned during this two year Odyssey is that God always lives up to His promises. And He always provides.

I look forward to what lies ahead, but I do hope that it comes about soon.

TiPSI Dad

Too short to get irritated

Sometimes I just really want to say stuff on my mind on this blog. The thing is I know that I can get pretty opinionated and hot under the collar about a lot of issues And really just wanted to keep this blog lighthearted and fun maybe about saving a couple bucks here and there.

But the reality is there's so many things I want to write about because of so many things out there That get me pretty riled up. Like some of the ridiculous media coverage leading up to the resignation of Pope Benedict the 16th the last couple weeks.

I guess what really bugs me the most is that a lot of these people say this stuff without even really knowing what they're talking about. What bugs me even more is that the majority of people are willing to believe this stuff without going to a credible source like maybe the Vatican website itself or The hundreds of Catholic News services available out there. But the reality is sensationalism sells.

It just seems like a lot of the news out there right now is just glorified gossip!

Now I'm not to spend my time trying to counter all these arguments that are out there because there are a lot of other really good people much more eloquent than I who are doing that.

At the end of the day life is too short to get irritated by people who don't know what they're talking about.

TiPSI Dad

Arms wide open

One if the unexpected blessings about being a father has been understanding God's love for me in unexpected ways.

Like the time after coming home from facilitating a retreat, I went to the cupboard to fetch me a well deserved cookie.
As the cupboard door started to swing shut, I could hear this tiny voice from behind the door, "Papa, cookie!"

Busted.

Aileen was hiding just out of sight...and like any other two year old, wanted to partake in some delicious chocolate chip cookie consumption. Incidentally, she is now the official chocolate chip cookie maker in the house.

For the next 20 minutes she followed me around the house asking for a cookie!

She didn't cry, she didn't shout, all she did was follow me around the house with her arms up in the air saying, "papa, cookie!"

So finally in the end, like all good fathers do, I caved and I gave her a cookie. As I handed Aileen the cookie, all I could think about was Matthew 7:11: If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

It's funny how that lesson stayed with me all these years especially these days when I find myself looking up in the air with my arms wide open saying, "Father, give us this day our daily bread"

TiPSI Dad

Merry New Year!

Greetings everyone!

Man, what a year 2012 was! During the past year: we have moved twice, I finished a year of college, started a contracting company AND a home based business. Not to mention road trips to DC and Atlanta, a business trip to Long Beach CA. Not to mention doing a whack load of push-ups...although I did not make it to 5000.

It's funny, it doesn't seem like much in print, and truth be told there are probably a million things that I can't remember, and after all, it's all the little things that take the most time.

Anyway, no grand resolutions this year, save for one. And the is to get back on the blog more. After all, if Michelle Duggar can blog regularly with 20 kids, I should be able to throw a few words together with just 7.

TiPSI Dad

Cooking slowly

To say that life gets a little crazy in the TiPSI dad household would be a monumental understatement of epic proportions. Today for example, Nathan (number 5) decided to pour nail polish remover all over a plastic bathtub toy while in the bathtub. Did you know that nail polish remover will react with toy paint in such a way that it no longer adheres to plastic, while simultaneously making it adhere permanent to bathtubs?

Not to mention that we are totally surrounded by boxes!!!! This time however, we are moving in...and planning to stay for a long long time.

It is hard to write about how crazy it gets around without sounding ungrateful however I have to say that I feel grateful to be going through everything we are experiencing. It is by Gods grace that we have everything we have!

But it is crazy.

So here is the tip of the day....

Purchase a slow cooker. Out of all the kitchen appliances we have, the slow cooker is one of the best for making good meals when life is crazy. Just place the meat in the pot, at seasoning and liquids...and 5 hours later..... You have a tasty meal with only one lot to clean.

Slow cooker. Best thing ever.

TiPSI Dad

Hands and Feet

One thing you can count on when you work in a trade is that sooner or later, you are going to cut your hands. That just happened to me today.

I wasn't wearing gloves when I should have been and as a result I've got a couple of nice razor cuts on the palm of my hand.

There is something a little unnerving about getting cuts in the palms. After all they are one of the more sensitive areas of the body. Actually it's amazing how significant the palms of your hands are. They are used to greet and dismiss, they can communicate a myriad of emotions, they are sensitive to even the slightest touch. In fact, palms have hundreds of pressure points which can be used to affect every area of the body, from headaches to nausea!

Getting cut in the palm of the hand is not fun. In fact it is downright inconvenient. Do you realize how many things you do require the use of the palms? Opening jars, pushing brooms, polishing, catching stuff...pretty much everything!

Anyway, before it seems like I am whining, getting cut in my hand has caused me to reflect deeply about the one who willingly took the nails in His hands....

out of love for me.

TiPSI Dad

It's been a long time comin!

Well look what the cat dragged in!

One thing I can say about transitioning between a job to self employment, whilst selling your home, moving into a temporary abode, renovating said abode, closing your new home, and now beginning the move to the new home, is that it can make for not so much blogging time!

That last paragraph pretty much summarizes the last 5 months of the TiPSI D household.

However, I have to say that what has inspired me to write this post is that the Blogger App finally has a landscape function! You have no idea how much this excites me ;)

Anyway we are in our second last week here in our house in Richmond Hill and are slowly making the move back up to Alliston. Contracting work is starting to come in, and our HERBALIFE business is taking off like crazy! BTW I am so excited to say that Liz has lost 39 lbs and I am down 15!

I am just finishing installing hardwood in room number three, one more to go! I can't wait to get back to some sense of normalcy. Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful to have been able to stay at my parents, but it will be nice to be back in our own home.

Which means (hopefully) back to regular blogging!

See you soon

TiPSI Dad

Entrepreneurship is terrifying.

I have to say that the journey into Entrepreneurship has been terrifying. A couple of years ago I went on a journey to become totally reliant on the provision of God for all of our needs. To put my faith where my mouth is and become a witness to God's provision. While I still stand by the conviction that God does indeed provide, I have since discovered the unromantic side of being your own boss.

When I was preparing to go out on my own, I remember hearing someone say that the reason most people stay in a job is because you get addicted to a bi-weekly paycheck. Well, there have been times this past week, when I have said to myself, “self perhaps the steady injection of cash was not so bad after all”. There has also been the occasion where I find myself saying, “what was I thinking?”

Don't get me wrong, I am still grateful for having gone through this journey, and I still believe in the provision of God.

But the reality is that money is starting to get tight, work is getting slow and while our Herbalife business is growing it is not quite generating sustainable income right now. I have to start considering looking for a job. As it stands, I have sporadic work booked till the end of this month, but nothing yet for the next.

They say things get darker before it gets light, and with so many people becoming successful in their own entrepreneurial efforts, I still have hope.

Still, if someone from my old school asked me to come back...right now I would probably say yes.

TiPSI Dad

The Great Outdoors

It is a sad reality that this generation of children does not get as much physical activity as it should. All over the place studies show that childhood obesity is on the rise, juvenile diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions....and no one can argue that the average north american child is not living as healthy a lifestyle as they should.

 

You would think the solution is simple right? Go out side and play, right? I mean that's what we all did when we were kids...right?

 

Well not if you live in the suburbs just north of Toronto! Don't get me wrong, I really love the diversity and all the amenities that are available to us here and I am also really grateful to be living here, but I will be super thankful when we move back to our home in Alliston.

 

By far the biggest frustration I have living here is that it is totally unsafe to just let my kids go outside and ride their bikes. I mean, riding a bike is one of the biggest joys of childhood isn't it? The freedom, the excitement, the sheer joy of coasting for hours on end.

 

But when you can sit on your front porch and watch maniac drivers whipping by while talking on their cell phones...Sure there are plenty of parks in the area, but the problem is you have to DRIVE to get to them!

 

It is no wonder that kids spend so much time playing video games indoors. I used to think that it was a sign of bad parenting. However as I type this I am watching the fifth car in ten minutes to blow through the stop sign at the top of the street. I wish my kids would ride their bikes more, but in the interest of their safety, I am just going to let them stay inside.

 

 

TiPSI Dad

Posted with Blogsy

Me and Rothko

So we made it to Washington DC after 11.5 hours and 806 km and only 3 bathroom stops!! One of the things you learn when you have more than four kids is the difference between an "I'm bored" I have to pee vs an " I really have to go" I have to pee. Parents who have learned the skill of differentiating between the two don't have to stop every two hours.

Today we went to a couple of unexpectedly inspirational places. The first being the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Former students of mine will recall my love of the theological principles expressed in architecture, especially those who completed their church projects ;)

 

The Basilica was no exception. It was beautiful inside and out. I also took advantage of the massive bookstore where I purchased a whole bunch of books, a couple of them being recipes from a monks kitchen. Many people have the (wrong) impression that monks live on only bread and water, not so! Sometimes they even have beans! But on special "feast" days, they put on quite a spread. Actually having worked at a monastery in one of my previous career directions, I know first hand that monks eat pretty darn good.

The second inspirational stop we made today was the national art gallery, where I got to stand beside the works of one of my favorite artists, Mark Rothko.

Mark Rothko is an artist who I have come to admire, although I will admit, that I did not really get his works at first. However after getting to know the man behind his paintings I have to say that I see them in a different light.

In fact there are many who say that Rothko's work has the ability to touch the very soul of a person.

Any way here are some pics of Mark and me :)

His paintings that is....

 

More to come!

TiPSI Dad

 

Posted with Blogsy

Road Trip!

Well, here we are on the eve of the first day of our second
major road trip of the summer!

As a former boy scout, I am a bit of a "be prepared" freak, which by the way is the reason I always carry some sort of multi tool. I used to exclusively carry the trusty Swiss Army Knife, but lately my tool of choice has been my Leatherman Charge.

 

Anyway I always get asked how we manage to travel with all the kids. The answer is quite simple really, we all just get in the car and go to where we want to go.

The amount of cash vs the amount of gear we bring depends on the kind of trip. Generally speaking, the less gear we need to bring, the more cash.

Driving trips are my favorite. There is something to be said about driving through the hills in Pennsylvania over winding roads and seeing the scenery unfold before you.

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Good Times at The Games

So we spent last weekend at the Fergus Highland Games and it was a great time! Where else can you wake up to the sounds of pipers piping and drummers drumming.

Aileen placed first overall in her age category!

But one of the highlights has got to be the random jam sessions....


So what do you get when you cross a bunch of drummers, pipers and an old green school bus?

Answer: